So this morning, even though I’m running a little bit late, I wanted to be sure that you all were up-to-date on the latest developments in Trumpland. What I’m beginning to feel is that there’s something actually pathetic about the man.

And I suppose that may be true of all authoritarian types. Bullies all, their childish foibles and vulnerabilities drive their urgent need to wield power and be in control. Ultimately, these so-called ‘strongmen’ have a lot that they are trying to hide. And if they weren’t generally so thuggish and nasty, there would be pathos in their desperate strivings.

So, the latest example from Trumpland has to do with his doctored photos. Yes, apparently the orange dude is having someone clean up his image. So fare, three photos have been found, two of them recently posted. Gizmodo broke the story, which was then picked up by the Washington Post and the BBC. I am hoping it has legs — too juicy to just let it die.

The strangest part of what is already an incredibly odd story is that, among the things altered, has been the length of Trump’s fingers. Seriously, folks. Here’s what the Gizmodo piece has to say about it:

Donald Trump, an unindicted co-conspirator whose own lawyer admits that the president was trying to secure a real estate deal in Russia as late as November of 2016, has been somewhat sensitive about the size of his hands ever since journalist Graydon Carter described Trump as a “short-fingered vulgarian.” Carter was writing for the now-defunct Spy magazine in the 1980s when he made the observation and the insult has reportedly bothered Trump for decades. Carter claims that the president has even sent photos of his hands to Carter with the fingers circled in gold Sharpie.

“To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump,” Carter wrote in 2015, before Trump won the presidency. “There is always a photo of him—generally a tear sheet from a magazine. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers. I almost feel sorry for the poor fellow because, to me, the fingers still look abnormally stubby.”

Gizmodo

So, while the US Government is shut down because of a presidential tantrum, his sycophantic minions are at work lengthening his fingers in social media posts. (And yes, his base probably thinks this is all a big Deep State plot. And yes, we are the laughing-stock of the entire damn world.) Here’s Chris Hayes’ take on the whole odd debacle — watch Thing 1 and Thing 2. (Note to MSNBC — you should make it easier to embed your video clips!)

Stephen Colbert, in an epic take-down of this tiny man, offers some further edits that, I think we all can agree, would be most welcome. Watch to the end!