Photo/Illutration U.S. President Donald Trump has ended production of the penny, America’s 1-cent coin. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) loved jokes.

When he was infected with the smallpox virus, he famously quipped, “Now I have something I can give everybody.”

And he asked his aide to relay this comment to people who were constantly seeking public offices from him.

He also admitted that he needed jokes to cope with the enormous burden of the presidency.

The U.S. penny, or 1-cent coin, features Lincoln’s portrait. But President Donald Trump has ended its production, his reason being that this coin with a history of more than two centuries now costs 3.69 cents per piece to mint.

Given Trump’s unabashed cost consciousness, his decision was entirely in character. And in any case, this lowest-denomination currency must have been of no interest to this billionaire.

In the meantime, Trump is reportedly considering minting a memorial $1 coin, featuring his own likeness, to mark America’s 250th anniversary next year. His insolence is off the charts.

Rather than levity and humor with which to bear the burden of presidency, Trump must prefer a world that is a bad joke in itself.

He has told the United Nations how he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than anyone, and called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”

What do we do?

For this individual whom I see as the ultimate, incorrigible man-child, I think I’ve found the most fitting joke.

Here goes: A man, wondering what profession his son will pursue, places in the latter’s room a copy of the Bible, an apple and one dollar.

The man decides that if the boy picks up the Bible, he will groom him to be a priest; if he picks the apple, he will be a farmer; and if the dollar, a banker.

The man returns to the son’s room later and finds the youngster sitting on the Bible, devouring the apple and putting the dollar in his pocket.

He realizes that the boy must become a politician.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 4

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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