To continue to believe Trump loves America because he says he does then hugs the flag is naive, ridiculous, and unpatriotic. His racist policies, obsessive self-interest, and lack of judgment and executive skills are killing Americans and weakening our democracy. At this point, Trump’s denial of the resurgence of COVID-19 has led the government to give an anemic response causing more disease and death to Americans. It is an embarrassment and a hazard to have a president fly around the country during a pandemic performing his tired rhetoric to large crowds while not wearing a mask. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted saying on CNN, “real men wear masks.”
It is evident to anyone who has taken a high school psychology class that Trump is pathologically insecure, and his divisive behaviors and angry rhetoric are fueled by these insecurities. When someone continually brags about themselves, needs an adversary to bully to bolster their low self-esteem, and rebels against transparency, they are struggling with tremendous shame. He only fools a small part of the population whose vision of a strong man is dated back to the ’50s, when being big, loud, crass, and threatening was considered masculine. It is not just his hairstyle that is dated, it is also his attitudes about women, power, racial justice, and social structures that are old school, and not in a positive, nostalgic way. His dated views of women, morals, white male entitlement, and justice are creating chaos in American society at a time when we need to care for and help each other.
This archaic view of social norms has bled into the President’s approach to governing, and it has degraded the integrity of the Republican party. Organizations like The Lincoln Project have been formed by Republicans who are appalled at Trump’s corrupt politics and are concerned about the survival of the republic under this authoritarian presidency. It is the hope and one of the challenges of the Lincoln Project to better understand Trump supporter’s loyalty to him and to direct them away from his anti-Constitutional ideology. He breaks laws, lies, interferes in the Department of Justice cases that involve his friends, encourages the DOJ to investigate his opponents based on conspiracy theories, conceals his taxes and financial records, and uses a private server to communicate with foreign leaders, including enemies of the United States. The project is attempting to help Trump’s base realize how these corrupt behaviors will directly damage their lives along and that of their families
Trump’s vision of what is good for the country and good for its people is not the American vision of a moral, justice for all, democratic nation. His policies do not reflect kindness or an informed understanding of the complexities of immigration, the economy, or how the rule of law applies to our government and to him the President. When asked last night on Fox News what his vision was for his next term if re-elected, he said: “John Bolton is a loser, and being from New York, Manhattan, when I came to Washington, I didn’t know anyone in D.C., but now I know everyone.” This rambling answer with loose associations that never addressed the question was another revealing example that Trump’s sole mission for the country is to make sure he remains President. He put forth no answers to Hannity as to his vision about improving healthcare, infrastructure, foreign policy, immigration, the pandemic, or the racial injustice movement. He conveniently never mentions his position on Social Security or Medicare which is a sign that his supporters better hope to win the lottery to fund their retirement years.
His current quest to eliminate the Affordable Care Act is more proof this is a President who does not prioritize the health, aspirations, or survival of the average American. Surprisingly, his fan base from the Apprentice believe his rhetoric and false promises, despite that his policies cater to the rich, enhance him and his friends, and discriminate against all groups that are not white male. Republicans, except for the neutered Republican Senate, are organizing to take their party and our democracy back from Trump. His corrupt posse of Barr, Pompeo, Pence, Miller, Kushner, and the rest of the rich sycophants are supporting him to protect themselves from his Twitter attacks. But he is good at pulling the wool over the eyes of adoring fans who have been gaslighted by him to call the truth a lie. If he is successful at killing the Affordable Care Act, maybe his supporters will then realize the President will spare no person from harm and suffering, including them, the loyal base. Trump’s ego strength is so transparently weak that even if his base has to suffer illness due to loss of full- coverage medical insurance, he will choose to undo Obama’s legacy over any humanitarian action within his power.
