Excuse me if the subject of this essay proves indelicate—if not odoriferous. 

Donald Trump smells. And not in a pleasant way. Over the last few months there have been reports of a strange odor that appears to cloak the ex-president, and cling to him like a second shadow. Some speculate the odor comes from an unhappy combination of personal care products. 

Orange skin toner plus exotic cologne plus extra hold hair spray plus a rich diet of unhealthy foods equals a night out in a toxic brownfield site.

More recently, as the ex-president begins his walk of shame through the nation’s courtrooms, starting in the city he once called home, the odor appears to have taken a seat at the defendant’s table alongside him. Rachel Maddow, sitting in the back of the crowded courtroom, commented on the stink, saying “It smells like old soup and stale breath,” which proves a lot kinder than other voices have been.

Farting has been mentioned, oh yes. Even sharting, whose definition you can easily discern for yourself.  Meanwhile “Odor In The Court!” is trending on on social media as word of Donald’s gas problems quietly leak out (pun intended).

Ben Meiselas of The Meidas Touch Network, commented on the foulness, saying “I hear it from credible sources …that Donald Trump is actually farting in the courtroom.” 

Whether or not The Donald is actually responsible for the foul odor, nobody can say. Silent-but-deadly rarely leaves fingerprints. I’ve been reviewing photos that reveal how closely his lawyers choose to sit next to him. And it ain’t close.

For me, what’s really radiating out from Trump is an overflow from his soul. The stench of all Donald’s foul deeds finally catching up with him. All the tradesmen he stiffed, the lawyers he never paid, the woman he raped in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room, the peekaboo raids in women’s changing rooms, the country he dishonored in refusing to accept the will of the voters. 

And don’t forget how he destroyed the fabric of our sense of community in America. The sense that we are all members of the same family. Well we are no longer members of the same family. Those of us who believe Trump’s lies have been taught to hate and revile those who don’t.

Yes, there is something rotten in the state of New York. I for one, pray that it will soon be removed. Even if we can never remove the stain it leaves behind.