He’ll not be mentioned by name in this piece. I try not to use his name ever in daily activities, mostly because I feel a tiny heart spasm or brain bump if I do. I tell myself this is a small way of denying his existence in my life.
But whom am I kidding? I’m a news junkie; I read The New York Times every day cover to cover, watch Rachel Maddow and her MSNBC cohorts on our kitchen tv when I’m eating breakfast, preparing dinner or filling the dishwasher. I’ve told myself I should just skip the articles about the monster or put CNN on mute when they’re reporting on him. But I can’t. I can’t.
I think about two disturbing questions at least once a day, usually more if he’s dominating the news that day, as he frequently is lately. Who the hell is this psycho freak and who are these millions and millions of his followers?
I probably have no insights to add to the encyclopedia of words written about who he is. Of course, he’s an evil narcissist who cares about nothing but his own power in the world and over others. Not his country, the Republican Party, probably not his family (where has his wife been for the last six years?), certainly not anyone who works with or for him when they do or say anything he considers a betrayal. He turns vicious and vengeful with the presence of a microphone. Hundreds of people become enemies to him quickly and easily. He lies and lies and lies.
He told his January 6th followers that he loved them. Of course he did; they tried to destroy the country on his instructions because he was pissed off. He wanted them to kill Mike Pence because he wouldn’t decertify the election and put him back in the White House. He has said that if he’s elected he’ll let the imprisoned insurrectionists go free. I’m sure he means it.
I wonder how he sleeps at night with so much turned against him now. Ninety-one counts of criminal and civil cases, millions of bucks in fines and probably more to come. The possibility of jail. The true scorn of most of the media.
He doesn’t give a hoot about demolishing our democracy, diminishing our way of life, weakening us in the world. He identifies with Putin, Orban in Hungary, Erdogan in Turkey, Maduro in Venezuela,Kim Jong Un in North Korea, Xi Jinping in China and who knows what other dictators and tyrants he loves to court and gossip with.
I could go on and on, of course, but the list of his crimes and monstrosities is almost endless and, if you’re reading this, you probably know them. I also asked my shrink husband for his analysis of the porky blonde’s psyche.
Tom says: “He’s more dangerous than he used to be, having had the ultimate success as the most powerful person in the world, then losing it and being humiliated by all these law cases. His rage is always in his forefront. Remember hearing about his outbursts of throwing food against the wall when he was enraged?. He has no empathy for others, he believes only in himself. His ego always says, ‘I’ll outsmart them, they can’t touch me.’ And he always knows he can manipulate his minions.” Now he’s selling golden sneakers and cologne to raise bucks for his court penalties, which are in the hundreds of millions.
Let’s get to his beloveds, his followers, his idiots. Who are they?
The simplest citizens for me to comprehend are the politicians. Michael Johnson, the wimpy Speaker of the House, who lest we forget is also third in line for the Presidency. Former speaker Kevin McCarthy who denounced him after January 6th, then quickly flew to Mar-a-Lago for a kiss-ass reconciliation. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lindsay Graham. And all those who are up for re-election and terrified of his contempt and public derision. Or want a seat at the table if he is re-elected – please notice this is the first time in the previous 550 words that l’ve mentioned this horrifying possibility. There are no ethics or conscience among this cohort. How do THEY sleep?
Beyond the politicians and their ambitions live the main hordes of his supporters. They are the legions of his beloveds, his idiots. Who are they? Why do they shout with utter joy and wave posters and wear MAGA hats at his rallies where he spends over an hour trashing his opponents and their ideas, mocking their looks, calling them “losers” and lying about his own accomplishments?
We are told his sycophants are primarily non-college educated, White, working-class, extremely conservative, and rural. Citizens who feel the current government doesn’t care about them or even see them as valuable Americans. Some of these followers also lean towards violence or intimidation of people who disagree with them or challenge their passion for the evil blond.
A New Hampshire newspaper published a piece before a rally in November with the headline, “As Trump skips debates and fights in court, his supporters are more committed than ever.” About the dozens of felony charges he now faces, one acolyte said, “it’s a bunch of crap”, another railed, “They are just a Democrat and media scam. I don’t think that any of them are valid.” Yet another pronounced, “he’s the first president that I feel has respect around the world.” Everybody interviewed echoed his absurd claims that the election was stolen from him and that the January 6th capital stormers were simply voicing their heartfelt opinions. I wonder how they could possibly believe that nonsense if they ever read a newspaper or watched the news. Perhaps one of the qualities of the loyalists is that they mostly watch reruns of “The Apprentice.” I know I am making them sound illiterate, l just don’t know what else to make of this crap.
Others interviewed in a variety of news outlets consider him a great negotiator because of his business background and strong personality. Some Black constituents sympathize with his legal woes because they could relate to “trumped-up charges and being unfairly targeted by the law.” Many people said they rally behind the disgraced president precisely because Democrats are using banana republic tactics against him. They believe that all the felony charges against him are fake.
I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. I have no friends or even acquaintances that I’m aware of who are Blondies or who have anything but contempt for him and terror about the possibility of his being re-elected. I stop myself from projecting into that potential realm, I refuse to discuss it at parties or dinners with pals. I recall an election night party at our home, in 2016, when friends wept, drank way too much and left early. I think of moving to New Zealand more than I care to discuss.
What are your thoughts, readers? Please comment below.
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“Marcia Seligson is one of the funniest, most original, and irreverent people I know, and her book carries all those qualities. She can make anything funny, from a Peloton bike to a 40-hour brisket cookery. And she can be touching, deep, and bracingly honest. My advice to readers is make sure you have unbroken time ahead when you pick up this book. Each time I did, intending to read for ten minutes, an hour went by before I looked up. And I’d laughed out loud at least twice.” Sara Davidson, Writer NY Times bestseller Loose Change, Head writer for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman