The crux of Trumpism right now is: ‘Hey, we might just get away with being absolutely awful people’.
From former convict and corrupt ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik to ex-Hells Angels NYC President Chuck Zito (a frequent guest of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ after parties; he once mildly threatened me for taking his picture standing with a couple of the bikers in the Museum of Natural History where we shot the last few seasons) to Rudy Giuliani, the former ‘Americas Mayor’ and the one guy who could give Trump a run for his money as the most corrupt man to ever hold office.
Even drunk old Rudy would fall short in that contest though - as Trump’s grift and avarice is unlike anything we have faced before as a nation.
The GOP stooges, led by Mike Johnson, that are running up to New York City every day to help Trump work around his gag order and genuflect to their orange godhead is nothing short of disgusting in its audacious deviance from our political norms and common decency. They are attacking the rule of law - and the fact that it is being perpetrated by actual ‘lawmakers’ should be a wake-up call for the USA.
Trump is a thug and he has always surrounded himself with thugs.
The more intimidating the character, the easier he slips into the Trump orbit.
From Felix Sater to Fat Tony Salerno, Donald likes mobsters and muscle.
Keith Schiller and Matty Calamari were his body men and enforcers during the time I worked around the Trump family on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.
Their role to intimidate others and shield the boss from repercussions for his many misdeeds was quite obvious.
As it was intended to be; nothing in Trump’s world is subtle.
He has so honed his appeal to the sort of folks that find his ‘strongman’ schtick attractive that it has become extremely effective.
We can argue about the accuracy of the polls right now but given what he has done and who he is a human being there is no reason Donald Trump should be enjoying even a fraction of the leads he now holds in key battleground districts.
Battle is an apt word for how the Republican party is viewing this election.
They are quietly (and not so quietly) building an army and broadcasting their intentions to their followers to soften the battlefield.
To prep them for what is to come and I have no doubt that Trump would enact any means necessary to attempt to steal another election.
If you think otherwise you are not paying attention. We already came perilously close to losing our democracy on January 6th, 2021; an attempted coup that Trump has not been held at all accountable for and for which he mostly likely will not stand trial before the election.
It goes without saying if Trump finds himself back in the Oval Office there will be no more trials.
At least not for him: President Biden and anyone else MAGA deems an enemy will have years of legal threats ahead of them, as has been promised by Donald at his rallies and through his surrogates.
Our 2024 presidential election could also come down to a SCOTUS decision. Given Justice Alito’s recent J6 flag revelations and the obvious corruption of Clarence Thomas whose wife Ginni was one of the architects of the January 6th coup attempt, we should not expect anything less than a reinstatement of Trump from the conservative justices.
You can sense the momentum MAGA feels in this moment; it comes down to their tactics of bullying and Trump’s ability to turn any attention to his favor. Even coverage of his misdeeds helps him and he knows it.
It becomes irresistible in our attention economy for networks to send their anchors down to the courtroom so they can breathlessly cover every idiotic utterance and then run 24/7 panel discussions on TV every night because it’s cheap and easy and makes the networks a lot of money.
Donald knows this and he always has: he’s been a manipulator of the media since his ascent as ‘Playboy Billionaire’ in the 80’s.
Back then it was mostly the tabloids and People Magazine-types that promoted his narcissistic attention-seeking and myriad affairs.
Now much of modern media is on the level of tabloid journalism, where every other twitter account is ‘an independent news organization’ and folks chase clicks and algorithmic attention over insight and originality.
The circus of Trump’s trial coverage is a great example of this, which isn’t to say it should not be covered by qualified reporters, it should and is in fact historic but do we really need social media influencer style coverage breathlessly tweeting out every moment for fans to ‘follow along’?
I pay close attention too - and this is not to take the tone of the scold, trust me I get it - folks want to stay informed since the stakes are so unbelievably high.
But if you are being entertained by your ‘news outlet’ you’re being played.
We must not lose sight of what is really happening here.
Trump is using the crimes he committed last time he was in office to disrupt the functioning of the US Congress and by extension the government at large.
We saw an example of this last week when MTG and Matt Gaetz delayed a scheduled House Oversight Committee ‘impeachment hearing’ for AG Garland (which in and of itself was designed for its chaos effect and as an attack on the rule of law and DOJ - per Trump’s wishes).
Donald Trump at this point is essentially an outside agitator committing legislative treason.
Holding up aid for Ukraine and border security funding are but two examples of his actions over the past year that have weakened both the US and our allies and increased human suffering exponentially.
It’s no accident that Putin is very much on the offensive in Ukraine and innocent lives are being lost thanks to GOP’s subservience.
These are bad men and women - and bullies.
They purposely invoke fascist iconography because it works.
The blue suit and red tie that Trump tells his VP candidates and GOP stooges to wear are by intention as emasculating to the individual as they are a sign of fealty to the dear leader.
It’s a signal that Trump is the only true alpha dog and all power is derived by proximity to him.
This is sick stuff.
Trump is the most unwell man I have ever been around.
He was a pig back in the 90’s; his sexual predation was an open secret around the Trump Organization for decades.
It was enabled by business interests and TV networks because his particular brand of hucksterism left enough meat on the bone for others to get a taste of the profits.
Trump understands the greed that is at the heart of many in the GOP and corporate America - and if one is forced to choose between morality and profit it’s not hard to see where their ‘patriotism’ will end up.
In the cheap iconography of a budding fascist and the divisive nature of our current climate, it is easy to become disoriented, enraged and confused.
Many outlets will see that as an opportunity for growth but in essence it is a contraction.
A regression away from who we are and who we can aspire to be as a nation.
Trump is the worst among us but he has great appeal to the folks that see government as the problem.
Which has long been the domain of the simple-minded and second amendment-adjacent Americans that have bought the xenophobic mediocrity pushed in so much of Red State USA.
They hear it in their church pews and on the TV and echoed in the shops and bars and places where mendacity marinates in its own mediocrity.
It is a recipe for disaster.
The good news is we have a competent Biden administration currently doing the business of the people despite all the subterfuge and attacks from the right.
Lets focus on progress and continuing an equitable recovery, affordable education, healthcare and environmental protections, as well as human rights and equal justice for ALL Americans.
We have the power, for now.
Vote Blue.
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