Generally speaking, I hate it when columnists practice psychology without a license or access to the patient. Those who claim to know what drives him are even greater liars than he is. Let's just keep reporting what he and those around him say and do, and compare it with reality and history. The 'why' no longer matters.
8
For sure Trump lacks courage - else he'd visit communities and electorates that don't share his POV. That's gutless. And Mr Blow is right - he panders to the worst of people and is in constant need of re-affirmation which explains his dominant circle of sycophants. For the life of me I cannot find a single aspect of this individual worthy of admiration let alone respect.
17
Great column, Mr. Blow, once again. I won't echo the concerns well-voiced by so many on this thread, but would like to ask if you could look into whether the Fox News organization could be purchased and how much that might run a group of motivated crowd-sourcers who aim to shut it down. Such action might prove to be the only way to rescue legions of fellow Americans fallen prey to its relentless spew of paranoid propaganda. Let us know. And thanks.
10
This is the culmination of fear tactics that the Republications (and Fox News) have been pushing for decades. Take away civil liberties, hey you need more guns (NRA), etc., etc. There's always something to fear in Republican Land, that justifies their bizarre, illogical behavior. Tax and spend Dems were bad and out to get you...so they spend and cut taxes - even worse. But the dull witted masses fall in line, driven by irrational fear of nothing at all.
7
The damage done to our country and our citizens by this unhinged and dangerous man is unacceptable. Responsibility lies with an immoral GOP leadership who have laid the groundwork of “party over people,” who continue to enable him and who value profits over people. While we may pray for the best, the truth is we really don’t know how this will end. It’s deeply unsettling.
8
Mr Blow. I agree with you more than any other columnist. But the time has come to calmly and within current policy to begin the process of removing this man from office. In any other sector — public or private — Trump would have been fired for incompetence, or at the very least: "a bad fit". This man is driving his "company" (this USA) into moral and fiscal bankruptcy. Can we begin this deliberate and, probably slow, process, asap?
6
A man who has no plan, no sense of direction and no moral compass cannot be called a leader.
6
You said that Trump isn't smart, savvy, or sophisticated enough to run the country. You left out the part about Trump being just plain nuts.
6
It used to be, that even if you vehemently disagreed with a President you could and would respect the "Office of the Presidency".
But those were times when the resident of the White House HIMSELF respected the Office of the Presidency and all the responsibility associated with it.
The cruel joke that is 45 neither respects our Country, its LAWS nor those who disagree with him. Nor does he respect other Nations.
What he does respect is wealth no matter how attained and power, preferably dictatorial.
OUR best and virtually only hope is to do EVERYTHING possible to ensure that DEMOCRATS can regain control of the House and ideally the Senate too.
Folks who don't bother voting or can't get behind a candidate that doesn't meet every single desire (even if on most crucial issues they do).
NEED to WAKE up and VOTE for Democrats.
Democrats may not be perfect but it's guaranteed they will be 100% BETTER than the Republican alternative. Forget about third party or extreme candidates until after 2020.
Need proof. See how things turned out when Ralph Nader siphoned off votes from Al Gore in 2000. How about when Kerry ran. And for complete verification Jill Stein and Gary Johnson voters helped deliver Trump's slim electoral college victory.
SURE there were and are other factors, but WE MUST take care not to jeopardize Democrats regaining power. With the extreme gerrymandering by Republicans, their PACs and financial advantages, we need an OVERWHELMING Turnout.
15
The only fear Trump has is of the smoking gun of connecting him to the Russians.Fear is a reaction of a logical, sane, and intelligent person. Trump has none of these characteristics!
5
The president of the U.S. is petty, vindictive, and a serial liar. He is incapable of telling the truth because he is incapable of recognizing it. The 'base' is fearful of the world, afraid of change, and superstitious. They are easily swayed by Trumps promise to turn the hands of time in the U.S back 100 years when immigration was....oh, there were lots of immigrants coming to America. They became the forebears of the people who make up...oh, the 'base'. So, how the U.S. get in the pickle that it is today. The 'base' do not like change and so they managed to elect D. Trump to the White House. He is systematically undoing the national reputation for...just about everything.
9
I think Coulter's column was a warning shot from her and her right-wing followers and a wake-up call to Trump. Her piece was very purposeful -- calling him out as a traitor to his base in the 'failing NY Times' but holding out the possibility that he could be get back in her (and his base's) good graces if he reverted to hard core jingoism. Trump has a dog whistle, but he's conditioned to respond to one, too.
10
Most of the illegals in this country come up into it through our airports. They come on temporary travel visas, education visas, etc., and then "forget" to leave.
The wall at the border is a joke.
8
The narcissistic megalomaniac needs to hear people cheering. It is not about what he can get them to believe, it is about him. He tries out lines to see what gets the biggest response. Then he says that again, and again, and again ...
Is it true? Who cares? It got a positive response from the audience.
If they are cheering for him, everything is good in the world. Easy day.
6
Something very bad happened to Mr Trump as a child. Some dramatically traumatic event that he has hidden.
Mr Trump is too mean, too angry...something is very wrong with him.
12
Our installed demagoguery with one mode - inferno - is completely undressed by Mr Blow. Revolting, but we dare not avoid our eyes from "too much chaos, too much noise, too much lying, too little coherence".
Trump ABSOLUTELY shows aggression toward Congress. He incites a national reaction against elected officials. We tend to discount "a threat" when his words are assessed only as preposterous.
I only get 2 Recommends (one, if you remove mine), but still I will say: "Creating a military stage at southern border in order to incite rage at elected officials IS .. gratuitous violence."
MORE belligerent and MORE vindictive words of a would-be Strong Man will be TARGETED upon our democratic legislature. They will feel a ramped-up, physical threat from the neighborhood of Ann Coulter's, et al, enrageable Friends. Her "fear of God" call to Trump loyalists (in Mr Bruni's interview) has ALWAYS been intended to sway the independence at our US Representatives and US Senators.
Please, recognize the end game of Trump's bellicose activities. It's a blatant end run around the principles of our democracy.
7
Tony Blair was once quoted in words to the effect, “A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.”
Stop Taxing me in support of everyone on the take, which is what many immigrants and illegal immigrants will do upon arrival.
Stop trying to fool the sheeple into believing that inviting un- and under-educated immigrants is not another ploy to expand the Democratic voter base (again at my expense).
Having served the country in a number of capacities for decades, before medically-retiring, I Owe them Nothing, zip, Nada.
The President is engaged in other significantly important matters, which impact Global Economic Inter-dependencies, about which this tabloid appears to know or publish little...
1
Narcissist fear losing their source of power more than anything else. Hence Trump has constantly returned to campaign-style rallies. My experience has shown that the sycophants ultimately tire of the crazy making and walk away. That may happen before or after the next election but it will happen. And, when it does get ready for an incredibly destructive string of crazy actions... oh you may think that is happening now but you haven't yet seen a narcissist meltdown.
8
Mr. Blow, Trump is not afraid. His supporters are behind him all the way. Build the Wall. MAGA.
1
You nailed it! Mr. Blow, I could not have put it together any better, thank you. The Dolt will crash and burn and I for one, cannot wait! He is causing irrevocable harm to us, or allies, and the earth!
8
Mr. Blow, you sound afraid. Trump is fulfilling his campaign promise to build the wall. It is one of the reasons why he was elected. I cannot understand why you are not against illegal immigration which takes jobs from poor black and white Americans and suppresses the wages of poor black and white Americans. The hatred of Trump causing liberals to go completely insane.
2
I'm hoping rotting GREEN SOYBEANS will TRUMP "caravans of brown people".
2
Why does the Left not want a secure border? Why is this President being vilified for wanting to stem the tide of illegals coming into this country?
1
Probably because most of the undocumented people fly in and then don't leave when their visas expire.
6
Brilliantly compelling and insightful article about Trump. Truly brilliant, Mr. Blow.
6
I think Putin's poisoning of a man and his daughter was pointed at Trump and his Ivanka, myself. Putin knows how terrified Trump is of poisoning.
7
Yep, we're doomed. So what else is new? How many more columns like this one will it take to confirm?
1
All his fears are centered around him as usual.
4
"This is no way to run a country, unless your intention is to run it into the ground."
Like we didn't know this already ? This is what this "Person" has done with his so-called business' . No one expected any different did they ?
He touts himself as a leader because he is a behemoth of business. Come on - do you think the guy could pull together $50 cash ? His worth is fake. His celebrity is fake. He has a history of theft - on a grand scale (just ask Merv Griffin. How convenient that you can't )And people (from where I do not know) have elected him. Why ? He is a complete phony. As fake as the news his pal Putin has manipulated.
What a bum !
8
Word!
2
Our POTUS has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Read the symptoms and you'll understand his every utterance, action and tweet.
7
The ONLY answer is to elect as many of the Congress as possible OUT in 2018 and 2020. It's bad enough that Trump is dangerously deranged, but the fact that Congress sits by and does NOTHING is even worse...they should and do know better.
Trump panders to the few morons who agree with him. I wouldn't be proud of that support if I were them. Most of the plebes who support him would not have gotten ONE SECOND of his time or attention in any other circumstance.
Remember the airport hangars on the campaign trail? ANYTHING so he wouldn't have to rub elbows or his clothing on any of the dirty masses.
He wouldn't be caught DEAD in the smelly midwestern 1960' doublewide houses of his 'base".
And I seriously doubt he even knows what soybeans are.
7
Out with Trump... nuf said!
4
Trumps bragging, shouting etc. is to camouflage his total lack of intellect and competence.
It's just the behaviour of a narcissistic grandioso.
5
Fear, fury, hatred, racism, corruption, abuse, destruction, demonization, scapegoating...FASCISM.
5
Watching the fear grow in Trump's eyes is the best karma there is.
He's a stupid, narcissistic man, and he's always been a bully. Like a lot of bullies, he picked on little people and ran from anything or anyone he couldn't bully.
He can't run anymore, can't hide. He has no friends ... and a lot of enemies. He does have toadies, but they are increasingly worthless.
He's going down, and he can see it, smell it.
Hasta la vista, Mr. Trump.
5
You have completely revealed the essence of Trump, Mr Blow.
4
And this is on Congress and those so-called adults minding the geriatric oaf in the WH (most of whom have been “tweeted” out of office).
Tillerson, Cohn, and McMaster -out of loyalty to this nation- need to speak the truth about the disfunctional man they served. To do anything otherwise reeks of cowardice. And they need to call on Congress to act on their oversight to reign in a man who is determined to get us into war....nuclear w/ N Korea? Trade w/ China? .....turning our nation from a leader into a runaway train.
5
Maybe that's why Trump hasn't fired Scott Pruitt yet.
He is a fellow paranoiac! Only first class and solid gold for the two of them, nothing else is safe enough!
6
If this were true, Trump has nothing to fear. His base knows he has tried very hard to build the wall, and continues to try. Trump supporters are realists who understand the powers, and limits, of a US President. As for Mexico "paying" for it, his base understood him to be saying, as anyone with a modicum of public financing comprehension would, our southern neighbor would pay for it over time. Just like a toll road, the government pays first, the toll payers pay over the next 30 years. His meaning was so obvious, to continue to bang the drum otherwise, is how you have so well earned the moniker "fake news".
No, the reason you ascribe his actions to fear is because observing a President so steadfastly pursuing the delivery of his signature campaign promises is something very foreign to the left. It is certainly nothing we observed in the eight years prior, where campaigns were built on vagaries and outright lies, and Administrations pursued hidden agendas.
No more, says the voter. No more, says the American taxpayer. The days of lies and failure of leadership are behind us as of 8 Nov 2016. So go on, making sure you point out all the people who are "brown" in your stories, whether or not it has anything to do with your story, in an effort to divide and obfuscate. We will keep on the hard slog of cleaning up after the incompetency of Trump's predecessor, and watch Trump work doggedly at delivering on his promises out of his sense of duty, not fear.
4
Jerome, so well said, thank you.
2
Here we have an excellent bit of self-diagnosis.
Charles has apparently been directed to instill hatred and fear in the hearts of progressives, and the fear he has felt for years about Trump gets switched around in his fertile imagination into fear felt by his enemy.
If there is anything you can assume about Trump, it is that he never played any of the political games the bitter Left is so familiar with.
Charles' befuddlement about our President appears to be complete, thus the string of fictional accounts from Charles since the election.
2
Martin Luther King in his last speech before his death the next day was like Moses telling the people that he might not get there with them but that he had seen the promised land. King had every reason to be fearful for the number of attempts and death threats on his life and because of J. Edgar Hoover’s machinations. Yet, to the end, full of courage and prophetic, he fulfilled his mission to his people and widened his range from civil rights to war against poverty and against the Vietnam War. Sometimes with just sheer inspiration, King with words and his voice, move mountains.
Trump, on the other hand, is a fear mongerer, lacking vision, driven by prejudice and unable to communicate the simplest of thoughts. Now, robotically, he repeats the rants made almost two years ago, and his blocks, his stones, his worse than senseless followers continue to worship him.
Over fifty years we have gone to a fearlessman with great vision to a whimpering whelp of hatred.
Let us stay true to the great visionary leaders like a King who have shown us how to make our constitutional ideals a reality for all Americans.
10
I believe Trump supporters won't abandon him so easily because they won't want to have been wrong. Stick with him, don't question anything, and all will be well. Sadly.
8
I'm so weary of pieces that opine on the reasons Trump behaves the way he does. It's very simple. Trump is not rational. Our president does not behave rationally for a person in his position.
He constantly rails that the world is laughing at us for our trade deals and leniency on countries that steal our trade secrets. But they're really laughing over the insane turmoil he subjects the United States of America to every single day of the week.
And 535 elected officials - congress - sit on the sidelines and watch like a herd of dumbstruck cattle.
For God's sake, do something already. His actions are your legacy.
10
The Congress is on vacation after sitting on the sidelines and watching like dumbstruck cattle.
3
Bobby Mueller better hurry up this accidental president Donald J. trump is going to destroy the United States of America.
All he is trying to do is trying to hide his misdeeds which are plenty .
10
I think, with great conviction now, that we, as a nation, need to do a lot to embrace and to address the pain and desperation and anger of Trump supporters. That feels obvious now. I wish I knew more clearly what those actions should look like. As for Trump, beyond being driven out---fully and quickly and certainly---I have nothing for him.
1
President Trump may be impulsive, but his instincts are correct. We must protect our borders. Other countries that have failed to do so have become extremely violent; although the upper classes who favor open borders are isolated from this violence.
2
Exactly right on all points.
Trump seems never to have learned that what he does matters because there are consequences to every action, he’s not a serious minded person. He’s like some teenager of indulgent parents who do everything for him and he just accepts it as normal, but now he has no parents to make things right, it’s his job but he’s not accepting the responsibility.
4
Mr. Blow, "consumed by, fear?" Perhaps, my still the most successful President, by any measure (economy finally taking off after 44's mismanagement; ISIS finally defeated after 44's mismanagement; NATO countries finally contributing after 44's mismanagement; foreign powers finally negotiating trade terms that are favorable to the US after 44's mismanagement; the majority of Arab countries finally taking a realistic approach to middle east peace after 44's mismanagement; and US workers finally facing a hot job market and increasing wages after 44's mismanagement) in a long time.
3
Trump plays to the fear all ready inherent in his audience. He as a fearful man recognizes fear and anger in others. Those who are fearful have three options. The first is to lash out at others as a defense mechanism. The second is to withdraw into ones self and nurture grievances, which can not last for long as fear and its resultant anger must have an outlet whether overt or covert. The third way is to look at the roots of the anger you hold within yourself and release it without anger constructively.
The first two are completely reactionary and the way Trump deals with anger to the detriment of us all. The last is something Trump has had no experience with, that is, conscious awareness and constructive creation. Chaos, destruction and pandering to the fears of others is the result of the first two, something that Trump glories in.
5
Mr. Blow, you seem unprepared to face the eventuality that Trump may be vindicated by the Mueller investigation. It's been over a year, and Mueller and his investigators, with their almost unlimited access and autonomy, have not been able to find anything substantial linking Trump to criminality. The idea that Trump will be indicted by Mueller is beyond far-fetched at this point. Without an indictment, the dream of impeachment is dead.
3
Mr. Blow, for all the reasons you've enumerated here, he's a dangerous man and warrants our attention.
But one thing gives me hope with regard to his faithful.
At some point, you would think that even they will become bored with his shtick. They've paid to get into the show, and have now seen it many, many times with only a little variation between acts.
Surely, maybe, after three yrs. of re-runs, even they will begin leaving the trump theatre and wishing they could get their money back.
3
While trump is driven by fear (an unpleasant emotion caused by threat), he is also someone very dangerous (causing harm and adverse consequences). The point here is that both fear and danger seem to be working....so far... very well for him.
1
Maybe he is worried that the pig farmers and soy bean farmers who voted for him in places like Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska (to name a few) will soon see the light. He has always been an extremely insecure and over compensating protected rich kid from Queens. If not for his father's money, he'd have a minor role in some Queens Blvd version of Glengarry Glen Ross. We don't know his tax returns, his college transcripts, why he transferred from one undergrad school to another. He is worried that the real Trump will be outed. He never wanted to be president; he just wanted to "win."
5
This is certainly an editorial opinion, since Mr. Blow studiously avoids including any facts. He completely relies on his magical insight into Trump's thoughts and character. This exercise is more of an attempted parlor trick than political analysis.
3
Honestly, Charles, we knew he was like this for years, certainly since the primaries. We all hoped he'd change, but that was about as futile as me hoping that piece of wall in the photograph accompanying your article would teeter and fall on top of him. Not going to happen.
3
The only question left is whether Trump understands that by destroying the State Department, the EPA, the IRS, healthcare access, relations with allies and trading partners -- the list is too long for this space -- he is destroying the country. If he understands, then he is committing treason. If he doesn't understand, then the people who are working in executive functions at the Cabinet level are guilty of treason.
It's really that simple, at this point.
3
The history books our grand children will read about this man will not be filtered through Fox News. They will not be kind, nor will they be complimentary toward his base. Honestly, I can't wait to tell my grand kids, "No, really, he had actual supporters. Here are the names of some of them you know."
3
Trump’s clumsy presidency allows us to begin to address important issues related to taxation, immigration, jobs, and trade to name a few. He will soon be gone and we will then be back to politics as usual.
Obama sounded presidential but what is his legacy? I fear the next president as much as the current one.
In 1794 Thomas Paine published his The Age of Reason. Paine treatise on Deism is fundamental to understanding what were the founding principles of the USA and Deism was there as its central core.
Today we call Deism metaphysics, it is the essence of what Socrates called truth and Jesus called his father.
Trump has done nothing to warrant all the name calling. He is just a very ordinary human being whose attributes matched those a that a society that had grown too far away from its roots wanted.
In the 1950s the most economically fortunate of Americans paid an upper income tax rate of over 91%.
America built the best schools, the best universities, the best homes and the best infrastructure so it could be the society best prepared for the opportunities that would arise.
Donald Trump is simply a victim of believing the nonsense of Buckley, Reagan, Ryan, McConnell and the supreme lunatic Grover Norquist. If you want to be great you must pay the price and Trump never paid for anything.
Those of us near Trump's age remember Mary Martin's Peter Pan on our old B+W tvs but unlike my father Trump's father never told him that no matter how hard you tried to believe there are no fairies.
The only thing that makes you great is loving the face in the mirror because you are completely honest with yourself.
1
I do agree with your column today, Mr. Blow, but I think there are a few things left to say.
I think Trump is bored, largely because he is clueless about the job, his role and what he needs to do each day. So he fills it as he sees fit.
He is angry. He needs to lash out. There is little motive other than vindictiveness. The anger comes from a deep place in him that doesn't allow him to feel safe.
He has to see himself at times as others do. That is enough to drive one crazy. That and being inept in the job.
There aren't enough Trump News broadcasts, fake rallies or state affairs to fill that emptiness. The problem for the rest of us is that there is little behind his decisions that affect more and more of this country.
I should think in some twisted way the Mueller investigation will offer him an out. He needs to go. Most of us want him to. Maybe that is where he'll be when the pressure and fear get too much.
In the meantime I recommend he watch cartoons which seem more fitting to his view of himself and his world.
4
The only reason we have a president whose actions are "governed by emotions" like "envy, vanity, guilt, hatred and, chief among them, fear" is that his is accurately reflecting the feelings of the people who elected him. We grew up believing in "truth, justice and the American way." But the dark side of that reality is that to large proportion of the population, the "American way" means the "White way." We spend a lot of time analyzing why Trump voters continually vote against their own interests, and we like to think its economics because we find it hard to believe that racism can lead people to do something as dumb as electing Donald Trump. But the answer is quite simple. Thirty percent of the country thinks just like Trump does, and the decent people that constitute the remaining 70% failed in their civic duty by allowing these racists to take control of the government. The election of Trump was a watershed moment in American history. It was a signal to the world that we would allow humanity's darkest forces to take control of our country. November 2018 however is actually going to be more important. That is the time that we will either correct the mistake, or affirm to the world that we are just as racist and dysfunctional as the criminal we elected as president.
4
The problem is that it is not just Trump. You still have plenty of members of Congress - including such supposedly independent sorts like Graham, McCain, Murkowski, Flake, Corker and Collins - if he serves their policy interests.
And both sides are failing to exercise the prerogative of a co-equal branch of government in their failure to engage in proper investigations of his and his administration's malfeasance.
Trump is the manifestation of the problem, not the source.
2
Whether Trump wants the wall or not, a big chunk of people who voted for him insist that he builds it.
I suspect his base wants that wall a lot more than he does. This is something that his critics are ignoring.
In fact the egomaniacal, erratic moves Trump has been accused of are often a result of fulfilling what was promised on the campaign trail. The recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel for example is something every president promises during their campaign and then defers and delays once they win.
This is the Foggy Bottom part of Washington that has stopped every single well meaning potus so far, until this erratic egomaniac comes and dares to ignore the best advice that State has given every other lotus before him.
In spite of the challenges of getting the wall funded, his voters are very clear that they elected him to build that wall and if he can't, he must demonstrate that he is being blocked by some entrenched forces, and that it is not because he is not trying.
Typically in US Canadian border crossings, The US has actually been very successful in getting Canada to pay for the plazas and the bridges. Detroit Windsor is a particularly good example.
On top of that whoever paid for construction can collect tolls on all vehicle traffic using the crossing. I believe it's canadians collecting the tolls for the bridge in that windsor detroit crossing.
Trump has no qualifications to be President, no knowledge, no curiosity, and an abysmally immature personality . He is a shamelessly ranting demagogue and con artist who is a cowardly bully, deeply insecure and disturbed.
He has never realized that his duty is to obey the constitution and serve the interests of all Americans
not Fox News commentators or his alleged base or the Republican Party.
A great leader like FDR said in a more difficult despairing time:
I never forget that
I live in a house
Owned by all the American people
And that I have been given their trust.
Trump has not only forgotten this but he never has understood this fundamental principle.
He is unfit for the honor of his office. Any Patriot has an obligation to remove this disgrace from the office he dishonors with impeachment and removing from Office his appeasers -the entire Republican Party establishment!
4
i'm a liberal - and i like trump! He should be afraid of the people. that's how govt should be: the govt fears the people, not the other way around..! MAGA.
1
It is a very apt description of the nation's president.
And I am also glad you managed to describe Ann Coulter as hideous. It is a well-deserved description of her.
3
A desperate warning to the American People who see Trump for what he is: do not become complacent!!
Repetitive reminders such as this column should serve to keep us awake, but they may not be enough. In fact, such repetitiveness could prove to be counterproductive, lulling us into a sense of false complacency,
Remember was happened in November, 2016!! Because of the polls, we were complancent.
3
You've nailed it. That's the guy. Your most thoughtful description. Thank you.
2
I think Donnie Deutsch hit it correctly today. Everything you're saying about trump is true, but we knew that when he was running. The problem is that the people that can prevent the damage he is causing are the GOP Senate and Congress and they are failing in their job. I want to be optimistic we will vote them out in November.
9
"...envy, vanity, guilt, hatred and, chief among them, fear." Was this not the mindset of that group whose political inertia in 2016 turned out to be more imagined than real? The hostility expressed in these comments is sadly typical here, and seems to ignore the way our country had been managed during the previous 8 years... and how badly so many were hurt by that.
Progressive thinkers, in the literal sense, have the humility to at least occasionally revisit strongly held positions that may be ripe for a second look. On the other hand, those who simply ignored the inequities of leadership that regulated businesses into bankruptcy, needlessly kept us in a recession, destabilized the middle east, made tactical concessions to Russia's advantage, forced a "healthcare" law that crippled healthcare quality and generally ignored those who were harmed by the above have no basis for targeting ANYONE who is actually trying to bring change.
1
I believe that Trump is not necessarily driven by fear. He is driven by his base. During his rallies (that he seems to like a lot), Trump can't have enough of cheers and applauds. He loves his base. His base made him President and they are important to his reelection too. I think that's why he listen to his base and tries to please it in his policies, rhetoric and actions cause he knows he need them.
2
FDR said that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. But even scarier is a president who is so filled with fear that he structures his administration according to his anxieties and either can't see or refuses to acknowledge reality.
9
He's gaslighting himself with Foxholes and making us pay for it. I say Fox is in Putin's box as much as Trump is. Who knows what Putin's got on Murdoch, but it's good to know someone turned his table over. Come on, hasn't his ex been declared a potential Chinese agent, and dated Putin as well? No telling what she's told Xi about any of those three. And then there was Tony. She's a tsunami next to Stormy.
And he constantly projects his fears and biases onto the rest of us. When he doesn't know something, then "not many people know..." and if he thinks x, then"everyone thinks x" and "everyone is talking about x."
He has been ripped off his entire life (!!!) so the United States is being ripped off! We are being taken for suckers because he thinks he has been suckered.
Which is the ultimate in irony since he has been ripping off leagues of people for many decades.
He just has never had to pay the price.
10
It is like FDR , that fearless man said : We have nothing to fear , but FEAR itself.
6
Charles you and Ann Coulter are way off base. His approval ratings are up. He is keeping his promises. Even the most bitter liberal has to admit he shows incredible courage in the face of irrational hatred from the left.
I admire him for his courage and am more enthusiastic than ever.
4
That hatred isn't irrational (and it's actually more a mixture of anger and disgust), and that "courage" is actually panic.
4
Name an instance when he has acted courageously. He is not the least bit courageous, he is a coward. There are many examples of his cowardice, probably starting even before he dodged service during the Viet Nam war.
Also note, this guy has been unable to fire people face to face.
2
“Incredible courage”? Seriously? Trump is a man of narcissistic tantrums, not brave action. As for keeping his promises: his tax bill sold out the poor and the middle class to the ultra-wealthy; his tariffs will destroy jobs; and his foreign “policy” has ruined America’s standing in the world. He is a disastrous fraud, and he’s taking the country down with him.
2
Trump is a demagogue . A demagogue is according to the dictionary " a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument " . Worse , he is an unhinged demagogue . This man is not well . He has severe personality problems . There were other Presidents with mental or emotional difficulties . But not to the degree that you find it in Trump . This man is incapacitated to be President . It was a matter of time , due to the laws of probability , that we , as a Country , could make a terrible mistake in our election of the President . We dodged the bullet with , for example , Wallace The important part is what we do now . We have the tools .There is the 25th amendment of the Constitution and the impeachment procedures . Do not let this poor rich boy sacrifice the Country in the altar of his insecurities .
14
The man has a pragmatic, language disorder,O.C.D. and numerous behavioral issues. I say he is on the Autistic Spectrum.
He is unfit and a danger to the world.
Impeachment is overdue.
2
A man with such deeply arrested development can only create instability and chaos. He's a reality TV goofball for lord's sakes. How would it turn out any differently? We need to get him back in the gilded playpen of his playmate tower as soon as possible. Seriously. Soon.
11
What thinking from the "gut" is nothing more than lazy thinking. No critical analysis or the seeking of information required just latch on to the first seed of a thought that passes through your brain. This is the sign of an intellectually lazy person. They never make good leaders and we are seeing first hand with the most important leader in our country.
8
How easy it is to shoot a rope ladder over that wall with a simple bow and arrow. There’s no realistic wall high enough to protect the country from outside. The forces that would take this country down would come from our own selves not being our own better selves. Putting up mirrors that we took an honest look at would protect us so much more. We don’t have to be afraid of change—demographic, gender, robotics, globalization, etc.. all those changes are coming and we can’t stop them, and even trying to slow them weakens us. The best way to protect this nation is true democracy and inclusion and consideration.
13
Excellent observations - this president is the one-stop -shopping example of the 7 Deadly Sins. And his henchmen (aka "Cabinet") are cut from the same cloth: all lacking in ethics, all out to grab all they can for themselves before the music stops.
13
Thanks again, Charles, for staying on point. I just finished watching "The Post" and I am reminded by this great movie at how awful Nixon was. Trump is measurable worse and in many ways.
Trump in many ways has achieved everything he might have dreamed of achieving. In his vast debasement and reduction of the The Presidency into a kind of horrific sitcom he has cemented Trumpism as an aberration worthy of study for many generations I am sure.
So this egomaniac has achieved "fame" even if, as most of us hope, his last years might be spent in a prison (unlikely sadly, but possible). Trump has been elected "President"! He's achieved that, and in his twisted mind that's all that ever really mattered - that, and enriching himself and his family.
The same dangers that existing with Nixon, exist now with this Putin puppet. Trump is, amazingly, pressing every authoritarian button Nixon ever pressed.
18
Ring, Ring.
"Hello?"
"Donald, its me, Vladimir."
"Should have known, Vlad, you are the only one who calls on this back channel."
"Yes, my president, you say that each time I call with vital instructions. Speaking of which, it is time for you to, how do you say...pull the trigger on banality.., excuse me, finality."
"Vlad, I've already begun crashing the economy with the tariffs you recommended, more to come, I know."
'Yes, Donald, but today you must do more. Remove all troops from Syria asap. I love that term. And, listen very carefully Donald, tomorrow, not Friday not Saturday, you are instructed to move many, many federal troops to your southern border. I will call you soon with further required troop movements, I'm thinking Canada or California."
"As you say, Vladimir, I'm tweeting all of this as you speak. One more thing, if I may. Are you sure I can't have the video back, yet? I think I've earned it."
"Oh Mr President, must you always act the fool?"
16
Love it. Give us more Boris and Natasha!
3
No need for the "alas" at the end, Mr. Blow. No grief, pity or concern need accompany that statement.
4
"The wheels of government are being forced to turn on the erratic whims of an egomaniac." And what are Republicans in Congress doing, nothing!
11
Trump is a person who truly lacks depth and I do think racists have more in common with him than he was in common with racists. He seems not to have any allegiance but to himself. I'm still amazed that he is the President
7
To a malignant narcissist, emotions are facts. No matter how outlandish, if Trump feels it, he believes it to be true. Just think of a raging three year old.
7
Like gun control, immigration control is completely based on fear.
2
This quote from the column says everything we need to know...
"...unending fidelity from those who have already abandoned all principle to stand with him."
Traitorous, unprincipled cowards, the lot of them.
10
Coulter is upset with trump now? This is great news. As for the poor half wits who voted for this disaster: You are welcome to it!
7
Yes, he is a bully, with low self-esteem that drives him to lash out, mostly at phantoms.
Yes, he is corrupt, a liar and a cheat, as his entire life history demonstrates.
HOWEVER, what we are seeing now, demonstrated at rapidly increasing rate and amplitude, is the psychological deterioration towards what used to be called "a nervous breakdown".
If there is any intellectual and political honesty remaining in the Swamp, those members need to get on it.
It is not about the 2018 Mid-Terms. It is about whether, as Lincoln said, "... this nation, or any nation, can long endure."
6
Trump is driven by love of country and culture. He is trying to protect out country from being destroyed by the same fools who have destroyed European nations. Just look at what London has become, do you want the United States to go down that road?
4
Trump is driven by love of Trump.
9
Another problem with your argument: America since it’s founding has been a nation of immigrants. Unfortunately there has always been a movement by the last to arrive to try and slam the door on those next in line.
4
What has London become? A vibrant city with a thriving economy? Sort of like NY, Boston, SF, LA. Even Nashville, Houston, Atlanta, which are dots of blue surrounded by red. Back to London - it’s being threatened now with a sapping of prosperity attributable to Brexit. Which itself was driven by racism and Xenophobia. Hopefully Trumps foolishness will harm only those that were gripped with fear of others enough to vote for him.
3
Trump will stand out in history only for his total inability to govern with any kind of propriety. He is the id unleashed, which makes for a very bad president.
8
Summary: So trump is complying (or at least trying )with the promises he made in the campaign, the left is angry for it and the usual suspects writr op-Eds to communicate their grievances so the rest of us can feel guilty and intimidated.
Next rant.
3
Please note that a sizable majority of the population does NOT WANT the stupid wall.
2
While I agree with much of what Blow says and hate trump with a passion because of his ethos and actions, it is impossible to understand why most of those who think as I do fail to grasp that the man in the Oval Office is a very normal American fully representing what any educated foreign national can tell you is the tone of this nation. He will be re-elected. He will damage the better aspects of this flailing giant. He is dangerous, anti-societal and, for lack of a better word, evil. But to suggest he is not the norm and not representative is wrong. It is the better angels of American history, the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelts, the George Marshalls and Harry Trumans and, indeed, the Dwight Eisenhowers who were abnormal and unrepresentative of the real America. Even a brief trip around the country makes that clear.
3
How frighteningly cynical. Truly fearsome.
1
"Trump isn’t smart, savvy or sophisticated enough to run this country."
Truer words were never spoken. Trump is a disaster for this country and the GOP are sycophants. How much longer do we have to live with his chaos, division and ignorance?
9
Thanks for identifying Ann Coulter as hideous. I was shocked that Frank Bruni spoke with her. She doesn't need to, and shouldn't, be ligitimized.
11
Bumper sticker: "Elect a clown, expect a circus."
6
"This is now the American quandary: The wheels of government are being forced to turn on the erratic whims of an egomaniac"
In this statement, I believe Mr. Blow pinpoints the crux of the argument to pursue the 25th amendment option. We shouldn't be forced to endure his "erratic whims," he credits to Trump's egotism. His behavior fits the pattern of more serious psychiatric illness and his dysfunctional behavior is accelerating. How hard is it to make a case for dangerously unstable?
It feels like our democracy is being held hostage by a deranged criminal and those who could defuse the crisis are more interested in trying to meet the crazy man's demands as if they were legitimate expectations.
5
Should we have given president Obama a profile in courage for extending the Bush/Republican tax cut to 49 out of 50 American households.
2
Fear that he will be found out to be a con man who doesn't really know anything. Makes stuff up all day everyday and builds huge piles of lies around anything he says to deflect criticism, sow confusion, chaos. Its a survival strategy for him and him only.
6
Mr Blow is the second African-American journalist, or "Opinion Columnist" this week to attribute "fear" to be a influencing factor in President Trump's actions.
I don't agree and don't detect any fear in the President. He is taking decisive action on multiple fronts shunned by both George Bush and Barack Obama. Both of these Presidents failed to address major problems, electing instead to ignore or postpone any attempt at solutions.
Now the hard work is left to a man unafraid to solve international and national problems.
Have no fear Charles....the nation is at last in competent hands.
2
Please give us some examples of major problems and how they were solved by Trump.
1
according to what i've read recently, trump's base ( the folks who put him in office) is not the collection of MAGA hat wearing yahoos that show up at his rallies. it's rich white college educated folks who were worried that hillary wouldn't lower their taxes or roll back environmental and financial regulations
8
So much time spent trying to analyze Trump. So much effort put into op eds and repetitive news stories. The man is crazy, deranged, emotionally out of control. He can't be fixed, we can only hope that some of the terrible damage to the nation he has wrought can be repaired once he is gone.
7
Anyone with half a brain or speck of insight into human behavior knew this about him years ago. Who have we become that he could EVER be elected into the most powerful position in this country? I am so sad for the plight of the American soul.
10
My favorite assessment of that ridiculous wall:
It’s “a 3rd century solution to a 21st century problem”. Walls have never been a solution. Modern technology is far more useful and flexible.
An ‘Elmer Gantry’ is at the helm. No wonder the gullible evangelicals love him.
4
How did our proud nation come to this?
4
We can thank the Republican politicians that loved to reduce spending on education for many decades and those who espoused that government (all of us, except for the 1%) are the problem.
At least, teachers in some Republican-ruled states recently started to "educate" some taxpayers of their politicians' malfeasance.
5
Mr. Blow. I certainly agree with your assessment of this so called "leader". My father told me that credibility was hard to earn but easy to lose. Mr. Trump has spent any credibility the United States earned, and has left it up to our kids to repay and repair. But have faith, from what I have experienced, the young folks have the ability and the drive to fix and issue Mr. trump and his legions can contemplate. We really need you to focus on Pruitt and Zinke, their damage will not be so easily replaced. They are the scary ones.
152
I am not sure how you find Trump any more or less 'credible' than any other politician in WashDC....most of them are people YOU re-elect year after year, based on thousands of broken promises to do this or do that.
2
My state delegation doesn't change positions 180° every day. They don't deny obvious facts, like what they said on tape in front of TV news cameras. They don't have a long history of stiffing suppliers or business partners. They never had to settle multi-million dollar fraud lawsuits for running a boiler-room scam. They don't pick unqualified family members for senior positions of responsibility.
So, yeah, most people do find Trump a lot less credible than their legislators in DC. And most of us who voted...voted for someone OTHER than Trump. Because we know from the outset he was a glib, amoral, narcissistic grifter.
2
"....most of them are people YOU re-elect year after year"
I so wish commenters would knock it off with the spurious accusations about how "we" did this or allowed it to happen. You do realize, yes, that NYT is a left of center paper mostly read my Dems and other liberal-minded people?
I have never voted for a GOP candidate, inspite of having one parent or was a liberal & the other a conservative.
I think that it's reasonable to assume that the overwhelming majority of those commenting here are Dems-- w/ some independents etc thrown in. -- that we didn't re-elect the likes of McConnell or vote for DTs.
Even after a year & a half, I still find it mind-boggling that I can read NYT, WashPost, KOS, etc, and still find honestly concerned people, accusing their fellow liberals of blindly voting for members of the Alt-Right like DTs. Scott Walker, Ryan, Cruz, McConnell, etc.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and that could be Trump's m.o. Of course, he's the one that is solely responsible for the chaos. Trump is in a panic mode. He has shifted from first to fourth gear very quickly. His hands are off the steering wheel, and the pedal is to the metal. Trump is out of control. An accident waiting to happen. As a result he will crash the economy. He's our Edsel. There is nothing worse than a cornered animal. Trump has become the junkyard dog president.
3
A very thorough articulation of the obvious. However a good reminder that all of U.S. most steel ourselves for the inevitable chaos that will result from the hysterical flailing of a scared, ignorant, petty, vindictive, callous, and isolated man.
6
The only notable business accomplishments this current WH occupant can list are running six companies into the ground, into bankruptcies. It doesn't take an MBA to recognize that the only business skills this non-achiever possesses are graft, corruption, and familial enrichment. Oh, and skimming the U.S. Treasury for the travel expenses of his spawn.
7
This article clearly illustrates that 45 is indeed motivated by the Seven Deadly Sins:
Lust
Greed
Gluttony
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride
He hits 'em all square on the head. When was the last time we had a leader in the White House who so clearly speaks to the worst in all of us? And why on earth do his followers continue to be optimistic about his presidency? Are they so blind to their own shortcomings that they can't see that he mirrors theirs?
8
Rampant megalomania in the White House matches the swamp of the GOP Congress. Meanwhile, the Democrats have yet to find their "voice" with disaffected voters who reveal America at its worst that is destroying any equitable progress of the last 50 years.
3
An excellent assessment. But how can Trump be allowed to wreak unending havoc on so many innocent people? I only hope his damages are temporary. As terrible as Trump is, the congress people who allow him to carry on in his insane way, are complicit and culpable. There is real cause for concern- this is no minor aberration.
6
How does one manage paragraph breaks here?
I see one contributor who pulled it off, but only one,
I was shocked in 2016 by how many people wanted Trump to be a virtual dictator. It was like: "" Fire everybody in Washington D.C. and put Donald J. Trump in charge of everything"". It was a very scary thing for me to hear.
8
Here is Trump's governing model.
Trump tunes into Fox. He latches on to some fringe-right-wing myth hatched from the fevered imaginations of a conspiracy theorist.
Trump does not ask, "Is this true?" Trump asks, "How can I use this?"
The perfect example is the south border. To hear Trump tell it, waves of immigrants are flooding the border. Once here, these immigrants engage in all manner of crime. The truth is that immigration across the southern border is relatively low and that immigrants are less likely to be involved in crime.
But that isn't the point, of course. The point for Trump, the model demagogue, is to engender fear while presenting himself as the solution.
To summarize, we are not governed by an egomaniac; we are governed by the tin foil hat brigade's baseless conspiracy theories as filtered to the President by Fox News.
Total madness.
It is hard to be optimistic about the American electorate. After all, they elected Trump and the likes of Paul Ryan/ Mitch McConnell.
Still, my sense is that Trump never had a strong endorsement. IT was with reluctance that voters pulled the lever for Trump. At a least a few are having serious reservations if for no other reason than the man is chaos personified.
We'll see.
7
I could care less about Trump's psyche. Bring on the Mueller investigation charges, then deal with the reality of his transgressions.
7
Our "president" is a chameleon, changing to adapt to whatever environment he's in at the time. A skeptic and cynic, I long ago ran out of words to describe this adult toddler. I now sputter at my TV and newspaper. I am completely bewildered at those who accept him wholesale no matter what. I am truly frightened for this country. Makes Orwell look clairvoyant.
10
So, basically, Trump is so insecure he goes into frenzies because he is afraid people don't really like him? Newsflash...we don't.
7
Much of Trump's excuse for foreign policy is being driven by his slavish toadying to Putin. Take, for instance, the hurried withdrawal from Syria. That will not only betray our Kurdish allies but leave Russia as the only big power in the region. Or, take his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Now the Palestinians won't talk to us. Guess who steps in as the new mediator? Russia, of course. Or his withdrawal from the TPP. Russia and China benefit. Or his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty. Russia and China become the new models for coping with environmental change. Or his tariffs - none against Russia, of course. No, never.
There is a name for giving aid and comfort to the enemy: treason.
12
The left doesn't want to govern America, it wants to abolish America - at least to the extent that America is clearly independent and different from the rest of the world. American leftism is engaged in a deliberate effort to submit our immigration policy to Mexico City, our refugee policy to Berlin, our energy policy to Paris, our economic policy to Davos, and our view of history to the classrooms to marxist professors who can view it only through the lens of European men oppressing other people. There is no room in the leftist ideology for the traditional aspirations to advance the material well-being of the middle class, or the influence of Western Christian values.
Is Donald Trump's support rooted partially in fear of such an ideology? Of course. But fear isn't a vice, its a survival mechanism. So many on the left like to ridicule "fear" but never truly seek its origins.
3
If Donald Trump is one's standard bearer for Western Christian values then they are seriously delusional.
5
There's one thing you missed, Mr. Bruni. When you wrote of the optics of a meeting, you wrote that "he says whatever he believes the other attendees will find agreeable."
That's true in some circumstances, depending on the nature of the attendees. But in other meetings, sycophancy takes center stage and cabinet members go around the table, one at a time, singing various secular versions of "How Great Thou Art".
Those are his favorites, I'm sure.
But for the rest of us, the table serves as a surface for our jaws to hit.
3
When do our elected official's wake up and start pushing back on this daily drip drip of nonsense from this administration. We are so tired of listening about the needs of the base and how unhappy they are. Ann Coulter droning on about how now election promises have been kept. Why in the world would the public believe Trump would keep any promises that doesn't benefit him , his family or friends. His motivation for everything is putting more money in his pockets. If he has any fear he better reaize that even if the GOP politicians dont want to address the mania that surrounds this individual, the public is talking and marching. Midterms are around the corner and no matter how many lies are repeated by this administration the President better stat listening to the American people and not just whoever makes up this base. His get over days are over. Fear the American public because that fear will not be toned down.
116
The president's lies are immaterial. Nobody cares that he said is inaugural was grander and with larger crowds that Obama had. On the big-ticket items that he promised during the campaign he has kept his word, and better than his predecessor (unless you believe that Benghazi was about a forth rate insulting movie, everyone could keep their doctor, or that ISIS was because we were kicked out of Iraq).
3
Many are openly or secretly like Trump. Thats why they go along.
1
In fact, Coulter blistered Trump pretty thoroughly the other day. If he's lost Coulter, he'd better hang onto Hannity for dear life!
3
"...the hideous Ann Coulter..."; it was worth reading the article for just that phrase. Thank you, Mr. Blow, your comments remind me of our Founding Fathers who railed against those who would have destroyed democracy before it had truly started. We are in a similar situation today and our future as a free nation lies, in great part, in the hands of those who are willing to speak out. The half of the population that has been brain-washed by Fox News is lost.
10
"So he has been on a tear, resurrecting the even more nationalist, isolationist Trump of the campaign."
Of course he's returned to Campaign Trump. He didn't improve or change from that awful, nasty incompetent chaser of applause from deplorables. He faked that he was something like a good person who was paying attention, only to revert to form the next. But he's done pretending.
Remember when people actually looked for and expected the Trump "pivot"? That some people thought he would feel the weight of the office and try to learn the job or rein in his impulses? That we were thinking there were some adults in the administration that would keep him in line, or Congress would be a check on him?
People who love America couldn't believe that someone could get to the Presidency and be as ignorant, malevolent and selfish as Trump seemed to be. We wanted to believe it couldn't happen here to us. Well, it's time for patriots to see that our country isn't so great that it can't sow the seeds of its own destruction.
11
"This is a man relying more on emotion than government intelligence or personal intelligence."
Indeed. He ignores the former and the latter is non-existent.
4
Trump is no less or more fearful than the voters he represents. Yes, there are many Americans who believe that the country is being "taken over", and that there are "caravans" of fearful brown people coming in waves to assault the unprotected border. All of these assertions play into an old GOP playbook, and Trump is turning the volume up to 11 to try and retain and expand his political power.
108
I was born thousands of miles from the Mexican border, in a community built by the 1930-1960 white working class. If I went back to that neighborhood today, and went into the nearest Church or restaurant or supermarket, I'd be more likely to find a Spanish-speaking person than an English-speaking one; more likely to be able to order a taco than a burger; and more likely to hear about how "Jesús" wants people to band together for economic redistribution than about how Jesus expects us to be moral individuals. A large segment of this vountry has made the interests of foreign nationals - who neither came here legally, nor share the traditional small-government American worldview - their primary concern.
With due respect, a person doesn't need "fear" to think this country is being taken over, all they need are their own eyes and ears, and a little bit of exposure to those formerly White-dominated working class communities.
6
Ah yes, the good old day when we were eating good old America food like pizza and chow mein and bagels and not listening to people speaking languages like Italian or Polish or German or Chinese. When nobody in our town was born in another country or had a funny last name. How I miss those good old days. When was that again, about 1710?
2
No you don't need "fear" to think this country is being taken over. All you need is a little racism.
Don't forget that Trump is not very bright. He only has few tools in his little toolbox. One of them is to build a wall. it's something familiar to him. These other things, national security, diplomacy, trade agreements, macroeconomics, the Constitution, history, political theory, the legitimate interests of government, and answering hostile questions -- are not so familiar to him.
11
Thanks so much for your very valuable insights. Even though your commentary often repeats ongoing themes, there is so much confusion every day in the unending chaos that we need regular reminders of what is real. Your columns save my sanity!
10
Trump is not a glass half-full person. He is a person for whom "the glass is too small and could never hold enough."
If we recognize that our full glass runs over with resources and can be refilled infinitely, we are willing to open our minds to many possibilities.
When we let go of fear and view the world through the lens of abundance there is a huge change in the choices we make.
Opportunities abound. Resources abound. We do not pinch pennies. We celebrate the many ways we can share all the we have.
Mr. Trump sees only one infinite resource: himself. He thinks he has broad shoulders. He thinks he can do everything. He thinks he has all the answers. Most of his answers involve keeping resources from everyone else. And we all are the poorer for having chosen him.
8
What do you mean by, "...our full glass runs over with resources & can be refilled infinitely..."? & "...Opportunities abound. Resources abound. We do not pinch pennies. We celebrate the many ways we can share all the we have..."?
Your words are cheerful & uplifting but they don't match the reality of the world I know when it comes to: opportunities, health, nourishing & sufficient food, clean air, safe homes & neighborhoods and so on.
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you meant?
While Trump may not be driven by fear, he is not alone. When the President of the United States' motto is "We have lots and lots to fear," the nation becomes afraid , both conservatives and liberals. We come to fear one another. An unfit president is only one problem of many facing this nation. Our task as citizens, as press, as politicians is to do two very big things at once: 1) hold President Trump accountable; and 2) become clear about what direction we want for this country. Our political problems pre-date Trump.
6
Certainly not the first in the president's chair with megalomania. But, the people whom Trump is supposed to serve may not survive him. That's all of us. And the world around, as well. For him: "Mission Accomplished". For us: He must be removed.
8
I look at it differently.
I think he USES fear...but is driven by gaining personal advantage.
7
Yes, he uses fear to manipulate, but it appears he's quite driven by his own fear of being called a loser – which is how most of the world will remember him.
11
The fear he fears is fear itself...fear of being found out and fear of losing control of the sham image he has created for himself and his family. Roy Cohen taught him that you counter fear by being even more outrageous. My fear is that we ain't seen nothing yet.
11
The suggestion that we should quit attacking Trump, is in my mind dangerous. While many of us have long recognized these dangers, others may not realize the growing risk that the Trump presidency poses to our nation and the world. With every indication that the man is insane, and capable of starting a nuclear war, calling attention to his madness is the duty of the journalist. Hopefully, these calls will lead to action at the ballot box, because there is no evidence that the GOP is prepared to intervene. Short of a political solution to remove Trump from office, must we call for a military coup?
7
You have highlighted an important observation. American citizens need to be questioning their elected officials. In many cases, Trump's actions and words are deplorable! Where are the Republicans with a conscience??? Why are they silent? WHAT is going on??? WHERE are OUR LEADERS???
4
Trump has a lot more in common, psychologically, with the leader of North Korea than I realized. He IS driven by fear - fear of failure - and its hand maiden, vanity; his greatest fear is losing his base, his supporters, from whom he derives strength to battle his own demons. Now I get it.
6
He is also afraid that people will find out that he is far from being a billionaire, that he was a complete a failure as a businessman and that he is heavily indebted to the Russians.
I hope that Robert Mueller has his tax returns...
19
In all my years, I have never witnessed American government to be so lame. I listen to Trump and everything he says is strange. He thinks he can speak nonsense to appease us. He is unable to even answer questions and concerns. Keeps trying to convince Americans of his know-how. And America and the world laughs. Late night comedy has capitalized on Trump's ignorance and my only way to laugh off this tragedy. Scares me that if Trump is found out that Congress will not help protect our country from unethical behavior.
10
We must keep up the drum beat to keep the danger of this president, this complicit Republican Congress, and his supporters front and center in the national psyche. They have to go.
8
The retirement generation, mostly Baby Boomers like Trump, are going to be the big voter base in the next several elections. Many fear their IRAs shrinking and believe that they -- the generation to whom the most was given in fully-funded public school and cheap housing and affordable tuition -- somehow have the moral authority to judge millennials and generations X and Z. Many digest FOX and Sinclair broadcasts and proclaim that these ideas are actually their own, unique analysis. Many live in a world which frightens them daily because aging reminds them that their power is shrinking. It's time for the youth of America to right the wrongs of the past, correct the sins of their fathers and grandfathers, and do unto others others as their grandfathers have been doing for themselves. Trump and his ilk are the real ME generation. It's all about MY tax cuts and MY disability payment and MY IRA and MY retirement and no care for the world they leave to their own children or grandchildren, much less the lives of those less fortunate. Many turned their backs on the values they professed during the protests against segregation and the Vietnam War during the 60's and 70's. Through gerrymandering and the election of a Republican majority which has enabled this president's darker angels to rule, many have turned their backs on human decency, as well. Youth Power, we need you now more than ever! Activate!
14
I know that many of my generation voted for and still support DJT because of their pocketbooks. My large group of relatives are well off, but one of my sons, my brother, a cousin and I voted for HRC. In Florida, a very well-off cousin, his wife, son and daughter and his nephew also voted for HRC.
I was disappointed that HRC only received 60.3% of Maryland votes. When Senator Rubio kept his Florida seat, I knew that HRC would not win Florida. I stayed up all night to verify the final results and the false and stupid sense of superiority of too many DJT (and non-HRC) voters.
The paradox is that DJT didn't expect to win the presidency either.
3
The great family divide...I have a lot of friends and fam all over the country who are comfortably middle class. I was terrified he'd win because I saw them rooting for him. It's so desperation rather than aspiration. I have seen my mom and dad in-laws get suckered by fear in the past decade and am so worried that this fear-propaganda will keep working.
"Not even the most ardent Trumpsters can maintain their enthusiasm, even if they maintain their support."
Sorry, Charles, I don't buy that. Checkout Salon where they quote a recent reasearch article that explains why his evangelical base is ecstatic:
"Yet white Christian evangelical voters were among his most enthusiastic supporters in the 2016 election. Despite Trump's many failings of character, temperament and policy as president, they remain loyal members of his political cult. Why is this?
A new article by social scientists Andrew Whitehead, Joseph Baker and Samuel Perry in the journal Sociology of Religion offers several possibilities. The researchers explained their findings in a recent article for the Washington Post, writing that "the more someone believed the United States is — and should be — a Christian nation, the more likely they were to vote for Trump." This finding is regardless of political affiliation, Dem or GOP.
1
I think “Christian” is a euphemism for “white”
6
I think they mean specifically a WHITE Christian nation, so, bottom line, it is about racism.
4
So Trump builds a wall.
And our economic path remains the same thereafter in that the jobs that he promised would come back as a result of the wall’s creation...don’t.
But with lower-paying, more labor-intensive jobs, there’s suddenly a void, as these are the jobs that our Mexican friends would have been happy to take, and which no one in the red states would ever touch.
Ok, Mr. Stable Genius; *now* whom do you blame???
11/6/18. VOTE.
4
This is happens when the Tea Party gets a President. A self-involved, possibly treasonous con man for rubes who are too small to admit when they have been had.
10
Well put, Mr Blow, and thank you. I hope your conclusions about Traitor Trumps base proves true, that they will see through him. However, we have seen this sort of thing before, where the destructive charismatic can convince, at least in person, people who know better that black is white and white is black, that he is right and all the rest of us are wrong. It is no coincidence that Spanky's staff are increasing the number of campaign rallies at which he will speak. If he fears that will not be enough to hold his base's attention, he'll find some disaster to divert their attention back to him as leader, i.e. burn the Reichstag.
6
I don't know that fear is the primary problem. His inconsistency is a combination of ignorance and cowardice. Cowardice is different than fear. We all feel fear, but we have the courage to confront it. Trump does not.
Many have noted that he can't even perform his celebrity trademark - "You're fired!" It is clear that he will bend to whatever person or group he engages. When confronted, he demurs and agrees so as to protect his fragile ego from any confrontation he is not prepared for (which is almost any confrontation at all).
He is often portrayed as manipulative or strategic genius. He's not even capable of that. Fox News tells him something and he Tweets it immediately. John Kelly enters his office and says, "No, that wasn't right." He Tweets something else. Ivanka says, "Daddy, you should have said . . ." And he Tweets again. Every encounter convinces him, because there is no cognitive or character foundation.
The man is an ignorant coward. Fearful would be an improvement.
5
We're all just waiting for that moment when there is an actual emergency and all of Trump's basest instincts coalesce into decisions and actions resulting in massive loss of life. How is it that America is willing to engage in this terrible game of Russian Roulette?
2
Thousands of dead, homeless Puerto Rican American citizens living by candlelight don't qualify?
3
First of all, Trump is a conman, a shyster, a charlatan.
Some would call that a salesperson, but his type of sales, I call crookery.
Secondly, in his book, The Art of the Deal, he is said he relies on a person's feelings to make a deal or sale.
In other words, he plays on a person's emotions to get what he wants, which is closure on whatever he is trying to sell.
Many of those closures have resulted in big loses for the people involved.
Now he is using the same things he used during the campaign.
The bigotry and fears of his supporters.
It's Orson Welles, War of the Worlds all over again.
It must be something in the water or genes that folks keep buying this stuff.
3
The only thing missing from that wall is "Trump" in yooge gold letters.
Absolutely nothing wrong with fear. Look around. Our roads are trash. Education is trash. Population is trash. Nothing wrong with correcting our nation, because for the past few decades we have been living in unicorn land and we are now paying for it.
3
Remember Bernie's babies saying there was no difference between Trump and Clinton?
9
"This is no way to run a country, unless your intention is to run it into the ground."
Hasn't this been the extremist conservative plan all along? And it looks like they're succeeding.
The only hope is that their greed and stupidity will get in the way.
6
Mr. Trump promised "disruption" to his followers, but he failed to tell them that their lives would be disrupted. Yet that is the inevitable outcome of his "on-the-fly" policy making.
Being motivated by fear makes any person reactive instead of proactive, but a president needs to be proactive. S/he needs to think ahead and recognize the consequences of their words and actions. Trump cannot do this, because he is too involved in garnering adoration, even at the cost of foolish and sometimes unconscionable promises.
The use of the military on the Mexican border is a case in point. We have had good relations with Mexico for more than 150 years. There is no good reason to militarize the border.
Can Trump force the governors of New Mexico and California to call out the National Guard. I don't think so. That leaves the Pentagon, which already has said no.
1
One of your best columns, Charles. You've got the measure of how this administration governs, or how the man at the top turns the wheels.
Most grifters, and surely Trump is one of them, have to endure the underbelly of their culture and navigate the fragility of their practices. The man in the gilded tower, with his stretched grin, is shielded from such dangers. He take no risks, cushions his setbacks with god only knows what compensations.
What could be worse than a man with no remorse, no reflective capacity, and no convictions pulling the levers of power?
Even Stalin had convictions.
3
This is totally unfair to President Trumputinspuppet.
1
Unfortunately, Trump’s proclivities mirror the emotional and anti intellectual tendencies of his base.
Considered, analytical thought requires the ability to separate facts from emotion. Ginning up grievances and laying the blame for problems on “the media”, “criminal immigrants”, “unfair trade by other countries”, “environmentalist”, “Democrats”—inshort “others”—is the hallmark of every authoritarian leader throughout history.
6
We now have a an op-ed writer (not a journalist) whose actions are governed by emotions: envy, vanity, guilt, hatred and, chief among them, fear.
Guess who...
5
Marc Thiessen at WaPo.
2
Well, I awake these days just a little less frightened by what is going on in Washington, thanks to many brave members of our media, like you, Mr. Blow, and MSNBC, and many others. Without all you, he would have been able to use fear to turn us all into a mindless herd, like the populace in Russia...
There was a time America could be run by an incompetent arrogant thug, back when it took weeks to get news out and little was done in Washington.
Now, with instantaneous video feeds of a clearly over his head leader rambling about topics he knows nothing about, that incompetence is easily seen.
Problem is, the Republican Base will probably always have a large contingent of members who want a return to the America of old, Virginia for example, where 40% of the state were slaves. So there will probably always be a danger of a return of a Trump to the White House...
Heck, our first few Presidents grew wealthy on the backs of black people kept in slavery. The evil goes through Trump and extends hundreds of years back.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
6
Pssst. Running the country into the ground is what Trump intends. It is the deal he made with Putin to win the Presidency. His base is propped up daily via Russian backed right wing industrialists, white nationalists and print and Internet trolls.
5
When you are caught in your own web of lies, with no way out, it must a scary feeling.
1
We must take the House!
3
Absolutely Charles. Our modern narcissistic Nero has unleashed his paranoid fears of a "caravan" of Hispanic immigrants seeking asylum from murderous Honduran drug gangs by calling out the troops, from Stormy Daniels who despite a $130,000 bribe and threats pf physical violence has refused to be silenced, from Vladimir Putin whom he can't decide is "a friend or a foe" (Hmm?), from Democrats who refuse to fund his wall to protect him from the brown-skinned hordes at our gates, from Amazon whose Washington Post is a the forefront (along with this paper) in providing the truth of his obstruction of justice, his collusion and possible treasonous conspiracy with (Hmm!) Vladimir Putin, and his fear of China that's now resulted in a looming, unnecessary trade war that may undermine our debt-ridden (largely held by, you guessed it, China) economy. Yes, our Nero is fiddling while lighting fires all over the world and even threatening more with Iran and North Korea. And as deranged and unhinged as all this seems and really is, no one has been able or willing (perhaps with the exception of Rex Tillerson or H. R. McMaster or Gary Cohn) to say "No."
5
My favorites: 1) yes he better be afraid of the Democrats taking over the house, because they will be. 2) yes Ann Coulter is a hideous human being.
4
This is something most of us learned on the schoolyard as children: a bully is, at heart, a coward.
6
NO....
It is the reactionary left wing forces inside the DNC,Inc that are the actual Fear Mongers.
The DNC FEARS...outright fears....the future....
and they want you to Fear the Future too. The DNC,Inc and its minions(ie...Charles Blow) conjure up insanely exagerated consequences that Pres Trump might create if he engages the Mexican Politicians in a confrontational dialog. Of all the US leadership.....Trump is the only one that treats Mexico as equals....the Bush Team, the Clinton Team, and especially the Obama Team were all extremely condescending. Trump uses insults its true....but guess what.....Mexican politicians can give a clinic on how to insult the USA, they've dumped on us for over 150 years! Not a single problem in Mexico is "mexico's own responsibility" Every problem is caused by the "yankee gringo north of the border".
2
Ignorance is the main source of fear. So of course, Tweetle Dumb is scared of everything, as with each new outburst, he reveals just how deeply he knows nothing.
And of course, the best diversion away from stupid is to start a war.... a trade war, or an involve the military border war (with an ally).... and perhaps a real shooting war in the cards if those don't work.
Yes, Ann Coulter lit a fire under him, and guessing Fox reverberated her words, so he is now afraid even of his own base. Time for a red meat toss.
At least Amazon & Bezos will still be standing when this dolt finally gets his (two scoops of) just desserts. Can't wait for November.
6
It seems to me that Trump read Ann Coulter's remarks and his hysterical rant about immigrants is his response. You are right, Mr. Blow, he is consumed by fear and is now striking out.
1
A pretty accurate profile, it seems to me. It is hard to imagine someone who could be *less* worthy than Trump to be president. A shame that America has fallen to a state where this empty vessel could actually get elected.
9
Blow would think it gutsy for Trump to join the NYTs ridiculous Putin bashing. Trump is not up to the job no doubt. The corporate tax cut that gives the top 10% 80% of the benefits then tells the public what a wind fall for all it is. The reckoning will come when the vast majority of voters find out what little they have received from the man as far as governance. The soap opera way he operates is a daily irritant. The Rs are fearful of their Obama years obsession with gov't spending harming them have now gone for Bush era borrow and spend antics. The problem is that ultimately with all of these gyrations is that there is no real leadership here.
3
This is Trump, this always was Trump and it will continue to be Trump. All emotion and instinct.
Serves him well at times, not at others. But as we see daily not anyway to run this country.
6
During the long campaign of 2015-2016, it was frequently argued that Trump was only acting stupid, hubristic, uninformed, inarticulate, skeevy, racist, homophobic, petty, narcissistic, demented and delusional because that was the coin of the realm to winning an election. We were told, the true nature of the man would be revealed once he was in office - and that he would be "Presidential'. A vague term, but we all sort of know what it means.
After about 3 months of Trump's so-called "act" on the campaign trail, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't an act at all. All of the negative traits - and the total dearth of positive characteristics - were what he is, in all their appalling glory. No one can put on such a consistent display of repulsiveness without being that very thing.
Politicians I don't agree with and don't like usually have some redeeming social qualities to evoke some sympathy towards them. Not so Trump. I dare anyone to identify one thing about Trump that is redeeming, even slightly.
Can't be done.
8
OOH...OOH....I have one! Ever since he's been elected, this senior citizen has had to hit the streets and march! He's done amazing things for my fitness level!
Oh, but he's president, not a fitness trainer. Okay, you're right. There are none.
1
Once has to wonder, would Hillary have been worse? I don't mean to sound sexist here, but here is this woman who is post-menopausal, and when she ran the first time, people were saying, "Oh, she could have a hot flash or be in a bad menopausal mood, push the nuclear button in a fit of feminine pique, and boom! There goes the planet!" So this guy is better?
With apologies to FDR: "The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Trump Himself." Not quite true,of course, but a useful reminder of the important difference between justified fear and fear based on the frantic imaginings of a narcissistic blowhard with authoritarian instincts. Bullies act not out of courage but out of fear -- that is why they are as pathetic as they are dangerous -- and oh what a frightened Bully we've got. Thank you, Charles Blow, for another piercing portrait.
3
Ashleigh Brilliant: "I Have Abandoned My Search For Truth and Am Looking
for A Good Fantasy". We, the People, are being "governed" (Ruled) by
an absolute self-absorbed Sociopathic Personality Disorder. "President"
Trump, while "diagnosable" is allowed to Not have know enough to Care...
or care enough to Know. We, the People, Allow him to be Oblivious.
2
From the very beginning, I've always believed that Trump has played upon the darkest and most despicable parts of human nature. We all have dark and dirty secret opinions in our heart but as a civilized species, we try to control those emotions, opinions, and beliefs because we know they are wrong and should be shunned. Mr. Trump preys on these dark areas of our heart. Do you have a sneaking suspicion that maybe, just maybe immigrants could be destroying this country? (build a wall) Do you have a tinge of fear that Islam is the religion that will initiate armageddon? (Muslim ban) Do you believe deep deep down inside that some people deserve violence and pain? (waterboard) These are fears that many people have deep down inside but we know probably aren't true. Mr. Trump has exposed and given license to make our fears the dominating emotion. He has normalized fear and has harnessed it as raw power. Fear is the fuel that feeds his presidency. It was evident in his campaign rallies. It's evident in his management of the executive branch, and it's evident in his national and foreign policies. I call his style, survivalist since everything boils down to us versus them. We cannot coexist, we can only dominate to survive.
234
So completely true. And truth is harder and harder to find these days.
17
I would call his style war-mongering, as it's very clear that is all he wants, a war, any war, be it words or otherwise. He so desperately needs to be heard, so desperately needs to show muscle, so desperately needs to show that he can 'do something'.
A child who so desperately wants 'someone' to pay attention.
20
You nailed it. Fear is his operating system.
We all have prejudices, but they become worrisome when we convert them into action. As Trump and his supporters are trying to do.
7
With all the gutting of our national departments and agencies that should protect citizens, and all the time, money and resources wasted in the wrong areas; after all the corruption, scandal, and profits from self interests of Trump and his family, members of this administration, and the silence of the GOP; because of this administration's utter stupidity, incompetence and brainwashing of the 30 or so percent, and oh yeah, let's not forget, Russia's attempt to topple our democracy via a President who can be blackmailed, the stealing and manipulating of Facebook data, and the propgandadising of our media, we must remember that Trump is one man, while the people are many; we must band together to keep this aborition - this Trump poison - from continuing to spread so that we do not suffer the fate of an Orwellian future with the military in our streets, propaganda spewing form a tv we can't shut off, and the dumbing down of discourse by reducing the dictionary to the 10 -15 or so superlatives that are the only words Trump seems to know. RESIST.
7
Brilliant as usual, Mr. Blow. However, it is "preaching to the choir!" Isn't there some way to reach the masses of people who watch Fox News and the Sinclair media?
6
I don't think fear is what drives Trump. He is our modern day Dr. Faustus. He sold his soul for power, fame and money. What drives him are lust, greed, wrath, pride, envy, sloth and gluttony.
7
This is no way to run a country, unless your intention is to run it into the ground.
bingo.
6
This reads like pre-election Trump, the real estate "tycoon." The wannabe (and acting) plutocrat is behaving as a kleptocrat - all in keeping with his tycoon-personality. The fools - his accolytes - feverishly project onto their object of worship their desires to dismantle the USA.
The theft of our democracy continues as Trump throws crusts of breads and such, while Trumplandians sing his praises of god bless the child.
4
Good point. Mueller must play it close to the vest until the Democrats win a majority in Congress.
6
Just imagine what it must be like to wake up as the Donald alone in the White House and realize in moments of sheer terror that you got there by hoodwinking millions of people and you have no idea how to do the job and nothing's going well. If he weren't so dangerous for the world I'd feel sorry for him.
2
The problem is that his base is also driven by fear. A sociopathic leader is nothing to them compared to the threat of dark skin or a sexual orientation perceived as outside the mainstream. He has his tiny fingers on the fluttering pulse of the heartland. You remember, those people who we are supposed to be listening to.
1
Mr. Blow is confused--as always. He attempts to compare Donald Trump to typical politicians--and thereby mistakenly misidentifies the forces that drive him.
Trump is not driven by fear. He is driven by the same forces that made him a successful businessman. And for those of you who say he is not successful--put the billions you have earned up against his.
Successful people set goals for themselves--and then work step-by-step to achieve them. In President Trump's case, his goals these days are his campaign promises. When he encounters obstacles to achieving his goals--he finds ways around them. That's how you become successful.
When Congress won't appropriate money for the wall--he sends the National Guard to our border.
When China will not negotiate in good faith to bring about fair trade--he hits them with tariffs.
In getting the America economy moving again--he works with Congress to cut taxes.
When North Korea threatens us with their Nukes, he threatens them back, pressures China to do something--then he tightens sanctions.
When ISIS takes over thousands of square miles of the Middle East, he sends in our troops to wipe them out.
But in any case--Mr. Blow doesn't really care what drives Trump. He makes no intelligent effort to understand the man. It's just easier to mischaracterize Trump's motivations in an unflattering way. Essentially, Blow is a name-caller. That's what Liberals do--when they have no hope of winning the argument.
4
I don't need to be as successful as any given person to fairly evaluate how successful that person is. I certainly don't think that a businessman can be successful running this country like a business.
4
Trump is a failure at everything he does. His gift is being able to lie/spin failure into something else. WELL, now his failings and flaws are on display for the world to see, and it's grotesque. God help us
5
You're entitled to your opinion Chris, misinformed as it is. I don't think a politician can solve the problems that 50 years of conventional political wisdom have created cheered on by mindless groupies.
Would Pence be a better or worse for the country?
1
Absolutely better. He'd be a disaster, but Trump is a catastrophe. Pence, unlike Trump, actually respects the rule of law, that it applies to everyone, and that there is a separation of powers, and that it's a key component to what makes America.
Pence even good-naturedly brushed off there being any importance to John Oliver's book on Marlon Bundo (their rabbit) vastly out-selling the Pence book that inspired the spoof, passing down the message that both books' profits are going to charity.
We can "fix" whatever Pence "breaks". It will be far tougher to fix everything Trump is breaking.
While no human being could capture in words the horror that is Donald J. Trump, Mr. Blow and NYT colleagues such as Ms. Goldberg, Mr. Bruni, and Professor Krugman are making valiant efforts to do so. They all seem to be rising to new heights of eloquence. Thanks!
6
i whoheartedly agree but i find these opeds very frustrating. why? because it's all talk. there's never any action or some suggestions to remedy the problem. offer some solutions or plan of action. getting tired these rants however accurate they may be.
Beautifully written and so very important that your honest voice keep being heard; thank you, Mr. Blow!
3
Who is more afraid and cowardly Trump or his supporters?
3
Another scary thing is that we have yet to be subjected to a real National or International crisis. Imagine hypothetically how team Trump might respond to a another 9/11, bio-terrorist or heaven forbid a dirty or nuclear bomb attack on American soil or American citizens around the globe. I am terrified that if any of those types of things come to pass while Trump is President that he would react so stupidly and irrationally that our Nation or perhaps the world would at that point cease to exist.
2
Fear, insecurity, arrogance and ignorance all in one package - how efficient! The part that bothers me the most is the willful ignorance that makes him un-curious. That lack of knowledge is probably the most dangerous aspect.
3
Someday when Trump is dead and gone, his name will be synonymous with corruption, greed, narcissism, and failure. Students learning about him will shake their heads and laugh, unable to believe that such a thing could have happened. McConnell, Ryan, and the Republican Congress who did nothing to rein in his reign of terror will serve as case studies in how one goes from patriotic idealism to becoming lackeys to special interests and the worst president ever. Cabinet officials of this administration, as well as Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, will be nothing more than punchlines to jokes, losing meaning as time goes on and nobody knows (or cares) who they were.
6
I hope he's so afraid he gives himself a heart attack, or a stroke would be better. Conscience, but unable to speak. The more suffering, the better, since he likes to see other people suffer.
2
The one thing that Trump should rightly fear via-a-vis the ongoing investigation is the intelligence community, who since Trump's early attack on it has been diligently and quietly working away gathering more criminal evidence against him if it exists. One thing to keep in mind - the rules of intelligence gathering and reporting do not require intel analysts to report as foreign intelligence any activity that they deem as a violation of U.S. criminal statutes by U.S. citizens. This goes into a different bin that, per the rules of the road, is disseminated to the Justice Department and FBI for follow-up. Trump and his intel readers may well never see any of this collection in reporting, but Justice and ultimately Mueller certainly will. It may never see the light of day and maybe then only when it becomes a part of discovery in a criminal proceeding. There likely are active FISA warrants out there right now regarding Trump and his associates that only a select few have any knowledge of.
2
Trump talks of fear. He projects his fear of seemingly everything, expecting us to quake like he does. Almost like a science fiction creature, he consumes fear, lives off of fear, becoming fear personified.
Another President, from a time long ago also talked of fear. He was so prescient to say:
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
In my thinking, best way to deal with this is confront this personified fear directly: ridicule; political and social resistance and counter organizing; and, when the time comes, voting.
3
His supporters will feel betrayed and vindictive? Perhaps some but many will remain silent, unwilling to admit their own irrational fears in voting for him in the first place.
3
I wouldn't be so confident of his base abandoning him. His poll numbers are up, and let's face it - they had to be very dim bulbs already to support and vote for him.
The wattage isn't going up.
And rather than fear, a unquenchable thirst for power is what Trump is all about. Seriously deluded about his own abilities, we are witnessing the ascent of total madman bent on establishing an authoritarian, police state. Trash the free press, the department of justice - get rid of the checks and balances.
A monumental effort to alert people for the fall elections and get out the vote has to be the top priority for patriotic Americans right now. Our future is at stake.
4
Describing Ann Coulter as "hideous"---beautiful!! Describes her perfectly.
2
After reading this, I was trying to recall where I'd heard, "I think you've been afraid all of your life."
Turns out it's Maximus, speaking to Commodus, at the end of "Gladiator."
By the way, in actual life Commodus died peacefully in a bathtub, twenty years later.
Mr. Blow is 100% correct that Trump, his rise, and his presidency are all based on feelings. Fear being chief among them. It’s ironic that liberals were cast as whining snowflakes when really it is the GOP voter who needs to look at him or herself in the mirror. I don’t say this in a tit for tat measure, but to simply illustrate how we got here. Trump supporters were sold a bill of goods targeted at their own fears. I can’t imagine living in a reality so soaked in hate and fear. And it’s a choice millions in this country have chosen to make. There is a better way, and it starts with personal responsibility and forgiveness. Something the GOP and Christians used to pay lip service to.
2
Since we're making a list, here's another thing Donald Trump is afraid of: New York City.
Which is actually a bit strange when you come to think of it, because this is his home town. But not only does Trump avoid coming back here, but he also takes every opportunity to throw us to the wolves; either by refusing promised funding for much needed infrastructure projects, sticking us with the bill for his security detail, or deriding us for being one of the few American cities that dares to offer asylum to immigrants.
It's also no secret that there's no love lost here for Donald Trump.
We didn't vote for him, and we warned everybody else not to.
So we're not surprised that he's doing the same thing to this country, that he's done to all of his businesses; namely, bleed them dry -- then run them into the ground.
And just in case you still haven't noticed, America... Donald Trump isn't going to make this country great again.
And this isn't "winning".
You got what you voted for.
9
Mr. Blow, You are a superlative writer. Week after week you provide penetrating insight into the flawd psyche of Donald Trump and the damage he is doing to our nation. With all due respect, your words fall on deaf ears with my pro Trump supporter friends who read the NYT. Imagine those supporters in the flyover states who have never opened a page of the newspaper.
It might behoove you to find some way outside of FOX to reach them where it might be a personal threat to their livelihoods. The 128 products targeted by China for taxation will affect many pro Trump states (soybeans, whiskey, frozen meat, aluminum steel, pork, and countless others.)
If even the fear of losing the hard-earned fruits of their American dream has no effect on their unwavering support of their Leader and Savoior, your columns only serve to provide cathartic words for the rest of us.
6
Many thanks, Mr. Blow, for this fine column to which I would add when a sociopath is elected POTUS, what results is precisely what is happening. Trump is exactly how you describe him with fear being the overarching emotion that's driving him. That the GOP continues to support him, is to my way of thinking, pretty close to treason.
3
WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THAT WALL? WE ARE!!! That is, if the accursed wall ever gets built in the first place, which will happen when pigs fly. But not to worry. President Trump is already on course to spend hundreds of millions of dollars deploying National Guard troops to the southern border.
So please don't be concerned about frittering good taxpayer money away; that's a foregone conclusion. Of course, this boondoggle based on a fake, manufactured crisis will all be rolled into our national debt to be shouldered by the children and grandchildren the GOP reports to care so much about.
Three cheers for fiscal responsibility!
5
Trump isn’t the only person afraid of the November election. I am too. I want Democrats to win bigly. A real Category 5 hurricane. My fear is, should the Dems take the House, that Trump will claim that the elections are invalid due to meddling by the Russians and other voting irregularities. Thus, until the ballots are verified and investigated, everything is on hold. While it seems ridiculose to think this way, I cant help but to remember ‘hanging chads’ and Merrick Garland.
3
Trump is the greatest conman in history, getting 60 million voters to vote against their interests. Most Republicans voted for him because they thought Clinton was worse. Now they have invested all their integrity with him and are doubling down. His base are the uneducated who only want good paying jobs and are afraid of competition from immigrants and foreign countries His enablers are those who want low taxes and less benefits for everyone else.
3
Trump shoots from the hip (and lip) in response to his fears, aiming at anyone whose superiority he perceives as a challenge to him. For instance: Trump fears Joe Biden, as was demonstrated when Trump spat out a chest-thumping taunt at Mr. Biden from behind the cordon of Secret Service presidential protection.
1
Mr. Blow's comments are right on target! The answer is to remove this president from office. To accomplish this, Democrats need to take control of the House. Then they can complete investigations which will prove what many suspect that this president and his family are corrupt. Even if this can't be proven, his incompetence and erratic behavior deserves impeachment.
Bottom line: We need the media to keep highlighting the dangers this president posses and people need to go to polls and vote for change.
4
There is an article in today's paper describing the way ISIS ran their world. It seems that lots of their activity was running on their fear, too...fear of who or whatever wasn't them. I don't like to be judgmental, but there is something wrong with anybody who can't or won't accept the fact that people are not all the same as yourself.
2
Trump has run everything he owned into the ground so why should the country be any different?
5
Trump is behaving the same way as president as he did as a belligerent candidate on stage during the Republican debates.
I know a lot of smart people who voted for him, hoping or assuming that once he was surrounded by a team of level-headed advisers, he'd become the president for whom they'd voted.
Unfortunately, as president, he's still the same Donald Trump that starred on the reality TV series called the Republican Primaries.
C'mon - tell me you didn't see this coming.
3
At the crux of it all, I believe, is the "I alone" president who doesn't value learning. He 'loves the uneducated' and doesn't even read. To fit a microseconds long attention span, W.H. staff have to reduce complex concepts to a few bullet points or, better, sound bites. Elementary grade level language is most effective with him. Starting from a position of stark ignorance, and striving, above all, to stay ignorant, this is what you get from the so-called leader. Even worse for the well-being of Americans, ignorance is becoming a defining trait of the GOP.
1
I normally enjoy these great articles by Mr. Blow.
However, as an Independent, I wish he had shared more about INDEPENDENT VOTERS TRUMP fatigue too.
We knew he was not an intellectually robust, ethical or qualified candidate.
Yet, after the Russian interference which elected this inept man, we still hoped for the best.
Now we are tired. This Corrupt, incompetent and chaotic reality show, and Fox News based governance is horrific.
The corruption is epic. His love for dictators are part of his reality show persona. He likes being called president but does NO work.
We need our peace back. This type of chaos belongs in feldging 3rd world democracies. Instead, we are assaulted by this incompetent and fear filled president everyday!!
4
I think he always seems to come out smelling OK as much as I dislike him. His "trade" tariffs result in the other countries reacting and then he pulls back so he can say see I forced them to act the way I wanted. Dangerous man - dictatorish in thinking. I fear him
148
Don't fear him. Work to remove him from office.
He's a schoolyard bully who's beating is long overdue.
15
even broken clock is right twice a day
2
It always amazes me when Democrats, liberals and progressives protest against full protection of our borders, and enforcement of our laws against illegal immigration. The number of illegal aliens crossing our southern borders is once again increasing. Why would anyone in their right mind object to taking whatever means necessary to stop this illegal activity? Build the wall. Deport illegal aliens. Stop chain migration now. America is not the world's depository for their castoffs.
18
I am always amazed at those who make false claims about political opponents. Democrats or progressives do not oppose border enforcement; we recognize reality. The border, thanks to massive federal spending under Bush then Obama and due to Mexicans going back home, is safer than it has been in 50 years. Sending national guard troops down there will serve no purpose. They are not needed. We need to allocate limited resources towards real problems such as broken infrastructure and climate change instead of fashioning policies just to respond to the emotional anxieties of fearful, uninformed voters watching propaganda on Fox News or Sinclair stations.
87
Actually, Paul, America is exactly that... our history post indigenous folks was one of wave after wave of migrants who brought know-how, energy and persistence with them. We are a society of multiple cultures. Our census archives attest to that. Immigration has made us great. Small mindedness and isolationism has historically only led to a stagnant society and shrinking economy.
73
Your premise that the number of illegal aliens crossing our southern border is increasing is quite simply, not true. This is what you get if you believe every utterance of Mr. Trump without checking with reliable sources. A wall is against every American belief. It was the republican Ronald Reagan who insisted the "wall be taken down". Walls do not build good neighbors.
63
Trump runs the government like the only business at which he was ever really successful - the reality tv show. He watches the ratings (polls) and gins up the rhetoric, promises a spectacular ‘something’ - anything - when they go down.
It’s sad that anyone still buys that this is a good way to run the government. Truly very sad.
4
Worse, he almost certainly also responds to online postings. These postings may be driven entirely or in part by troll farms of an American adversary, conceivably Russia although other bad actors are possible. These may be the whims of an ignorant and emotional egomaniac maliciously misinformed by knowing adversaries - which is worse than you suggest.
4
This the blowhard that told us that he was brighter than all the generals and that he would never give the enemy a heads-up about what the US would do militarily. Now he is telling all the world that he wants to pull out US troops from Syria.
9
Yes. Correct on all counts, and expressed so well, as always, Mr. Blow.
The million dollar question is now that we find ourselves here, what can we do about it? (How many citizens feel like screaming in the street every day, as I do? That wont' help.) It's clear the Republicans won't act to remove this dangerous person from the White House.
What remains to us is our power to VOTE. They have not taken that away from us (yet, or fully, despite gerrymandered districts).
Instead of screaming, I'll be registering people to vote, and working tirelessly for honest patriots who love our country and our Republic, and want to save it.
8
Exactly! I would just point out that Hitler never conferred with anyone beyond a few of his cohorts after the September elections, referring to his new supporters as "Septemberlings," who he farmed like they were crops.
3
So Ann Coulter is disappointed that Trump hasn't managed to get Congress to build a stupid wall that he promised--many, many times--to have Mexico pay for. Anyone with half a brain knew that Mexico, with a per capita GDP of $10,021 in 2018, compared to the US per capita GDP of $61,687, was never going to pay for that wall. The whole reason Mexicans and others from the south come here is for work, because they have no money at home.
I find most of what Ms. Coulter says to be anathema, but even I will admit that she isn't a drooling idiot--she did go to Cornell and the University of Michigan Law School, where she seems to have avoided the ethics courses, so she can't be as dumb as her outrage today suggests.
What did Trump voters expect? That a country so poor that it's people run away to a hostile nation in desperation for work was really going to fund a wall to destroy their only chance of supporting their families? And where was that money going to come from? El Dorado??
No wonder Trump voters are mad. They are learning that they have been conned by a bloated egomaniac who pulled the wool over their eyes.
Big question: do they feel more betrayed or stupid for being fooled? Either way the reality sinking into their xenophobic little heads must be really painful. And they can't admit they were fooled--they have to blame someone for not delivering on this fantasy promise as if it were doable. No wonder we have an opioid crisis.
3
Mr. Blow - of all the articles you have written on Trump, this is by far the best!!! Well said!!!
3
Simple, necessary, true. Keep telling it like it is, Mr. Blow.
6
Well said. Crooked lying Trump is, in fact, a vulgar bully with money (stolen from unsuspecting folks that came in contact with his mafia-like business). And a bully is, in fact, a coward in disguise; otherwise, how do you explain his hypocritical smile when talking with someone in person...and soon after, in his/her absence, attack that individual without mercy? About the famous 'wall', his most famous demagogic promise... after his fake findings on Obama, his hysteric "Birtherism". This racist xenophobe is a professional liar, governing on the basis of a persistent triad of 'fear, hate and division'. And cruelty 'gratis'. Now, with his bombastic fear-mongering, and displacing military troops for a totally unnecessary molehill he calls a mountain, the cost in money and morals to this country is enormous, a shameful waste in human talent and treasure. The elephant in the room (aside from the unleashed fraudster in the Oval Office) is the republican party in congress, seemingly oblivious if not complicit, in 'looking the other way', a Machiavellian maneuver to stay in power...to abuse it. We are living now in a pluto-kleptocracy, not a democracy, as the free press may be called a neutered press, disemboweled by Fox Noise's alternative facts, adding insult to the noxious injury of having lost our trust in each other. What's next, the selling of America to 'Putin and friends'? Nepotism the new normal? Incompetence and people's credulity of constant Trumpian lies the norm?
6
Obviously his existential fear is prison and the loss of all that he has (this goes for his conspirators as well) due to his treason. Ironically, had he not won the election his treason most likely would have gone unnoticed!
Charles does minimize the fury of trump supporters, they are as nuts as he is.
3
Thank you again, Charles. Your columns are always a highly amusing way to start the day.
2
How much more do we have to take from this imposter in the White House? It is horrifying!
6
"Beware of driving men to desperation. Even a cornered rat is dangerous."
-Winston Churchill
Trump is cornered with his own stupid campaign rhetoric. Now he's trying to fight his way out and there is great danger here. He's desperate and will try anything, up to including a preemptive strike on North Korea or Iran. Scary times.
6
Spot on, Mr. Blow. Always in your case. Given all of this, why does the press in its "reporting"--including the NYT--focus so heavily on how 'Trump supporters' are feeling, appearing to give short shrift to the 60-70+% of Americans--like you--who are reviled by this man? How are we feeling daily? Could it be a profit motive? Selling "papers"?
4
A short history of the uselessness of walls.
The walls of Rome didn't keep out the vandals.
The wall in China didn't stop the Mongols.
Hadrian's wall didn't dissuade the invaders from the north.
The Berlin Wall didn't prevent the East Germans from wanting their freedom.
Walls are pointless.
Trump is an idiot.
17
Then there are the walled-in gated communities rising up across the land destroying neighborhoods and a sense of community.
3
For a more recent example, ask Israel how effective walls can be.
1
Excellent analysis, Mr. Blow.
The sad and disgusting part of this piece is that the symptoms of this now ongoing national disgrace were clearly obvious BEFORE the 2016 election.
Millions of the so-called Trump base are now suffering from buyer’s remorse, while soulless, self-serving and corrupt sycophants suck up to the Idiot in the White House.
This crisis of faith in our government can only be corrected by a shift in governmental control. When a single party has managed to lie, cheat, scare, gerrymander, and steal it’s way into power, there needs to be a change made before the problem becomes permanent.
So to all those that chose to be silent in November 2016, you helped create this crisis. VOTE THIS November!!!
9
Brilliantly written, every word true. The metaphor of fire can also be used to illustrate an element that can so easily become dangerous, frightening, and out of control. All of which patently describe this moronic hothead who is compromising, day by day, the lives of American people, not to mention the rest of the world. As a Canadian, we await the storming of the Bastille by the people in the face of the despicable and deafening silence of the immoral and corrupt GOP. Ouster this despotic moron! The cheers heard drifting northward over the border will be a delicious and delightful end to this black period in U.S. politics.
9
Everything you say is true, but it misses the point. Trump is actually not in charge. The Senate has taken charge of our government. If you have noticed, Trump can't do much without the approval of the Senate. He can degrade the executive branch, but James Madison and others who wrote out our Constitution prepared for just this scenario, by giving the Senate 6 year terms so they would not be at the whim of electoral politics. The only power Trump has is his ability to mobilize votes (electoral politics). If you are worried about him starting a nuclear war, the generals who would actually initiate this have said they they would challenge a first strike order as an illegal order. Short of a nuclear war, I think we can all wait Trump out. Trump because of his obvious incompetence is an easy target for criticism, but if you look deeper into what is actually going on, I think you will see that he has no real power at the moment. He has already signed off on the goal of the Republicans which has been 50 years in the making which is the tax cuts to the wealthy. I'm guessing they have no more use for him in terms of actually governing. Votes he might deliver in the upcoming 2018 election is the Republican's only concern now, but it seems he can't really do much on that front either.
9
Nailed it, Mr. Blow! Were this a game of bowling, you would have knocked down all of the pins. Yet, Trump is still standing, a stubborn ten pin in an alley surrounded by gutters.
The most salient characteristic of this presidency appears to be that Trump has an all-consuming, pervasive anger management issue. As dysfunctional as is Trump's continuous unraveling is his completely self-absorbed nature, which seemingly drives his every thought, every perspective, every utterance and every act.
Almost as troubling is the enabling complicity of the Republican-controlled Congress, whose members appear for the most part to live in fear of Trump's core supporters, lest they lose their own elective sinecures as a consequence of standing up to both them and Trump. They are, by all measures, paralyzed by fear.
Franklin Roosevelt got it right when he stated in his inaugural address that the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Yes, we do, and in this case, it is the justifiable fear not only of the damage Trump is doing to our nation, but the fear which drives the complicit and enabling behavior of the legislative branch, which is too busy dodging figurative bowling balls to even try and even up the score.
4
I agree with others who have commented that this kind of column, while correct, does not do much to help the situation.
For those who prefer to concentrate on what can be done, consider this:
1. Work directly with candidates to flip the House: I greatly prefer this approach to donating to the bloated and unresponsive Democratic Party. Donate directly, support directly. Get out the vote in November.
2. Call and write to your representatives about specific issues: Good examples are universal background checks, reform of the awful student loan program. Go knock on their doors. Better yet run yourself!
3. Support a free press: Subscribe and support free, honest media outlets. They stand between us and the Trumpian RT-like propaganda machines.
In other words, take action. Now.
8
"This is no way to run a country, unless you want to unit into the ground."
Trump ran multiple businesses into the ground, short changing contractors and investors. Four times his corporations have filed for bankruptcy. Now he has the executive seat of our Nation.
His style has not changed. He still "makes it up as he goes along" and this approach has already resulted in significant damage to our country.
He's not going to change, Congress is not going to institute the checks and balances that are available, so we must make changes when we have the opportunity.
7
"But a man with Trump’s gaping insecurity and consuming fear is not a person who can be a stable steward of the national trust and the national interest. ... Trump isn’t smart, savvy or sophisticated enough to run this country."
This was (and continues to be) plainly known to the vast majority of Americans - i.e., including many who voted for him in 2016.
"He has a skill for demagogy and emotional manipulation, and he exercised that skill in its full power at precisely the right time to convince enough of America that he should be president."
Actually, I think the outcome demonstrated the devastating effectiveness of the Russian-led program of disinformation and U.S. electoral sabotage. And by keeping our focus on just one aspect of that - "collusion," which Trump surely knows is a legally meaningless word - he lulls the country into giving a pass to a usurped election and an invalid incumbent. It's as if the United States is going about its regular business with the knife still lodged in its back.
9
Ok. So, now what?
I appreciate Mr. Blow's column and his opinions in general, and this kind of reading 'candy' is satisfying in its way, but there comes a point, where candy alone isn't enough -- we need some substance, meat (if you're inclined) veggies, etc. We need move past all this Trump bluster and games -- not ignore it, but move past and work on how to, first, mitigate the damage Trump and his regime are doing, and two, how to remove Trump and his regime. This is what we need to be talking about now.
8
you left off the second half of the phrase, I thought it was "fear and loathing"
2
Charles, so?
I agree with your assessment, so?
I have one vote that I will use in November.
Congress is the one to act, they are paralyzed.
Nothing changes if nothing changes.
11
In my opinion, Charles, you are the first one to hit the nail on the head. Fear is one of the main human emotions that drive people to get angry, hold resentments, or take actions to calm their inner insecurities. Bravado is used ad a shield.
Trump is a man filled with fears.
5
Trump is a small man who is driven, as you say, by all sorts of emotions but mostly by fear. He is a danger to this country and to other countries in the world (think North Korea, Iran, China). The question is what can we do about it.
After being elected by the archaic and undemocratic Electoral College, the president should have been held in check by the Congress. However, with the Republicans in charge, there is little hope that they will restrain him as long as he continues to sign their bills without even reading them.
The federal courts are being filled by conservative justices who will defer to the president on most domestic matters and on all foreign matters. It says so in the Constitution (as they read it).
In my opinion, there are only two things we can do. First, refuse to accept this president as the new normal. Continue to march, write letters, speak out. Let people know that Trump is not America.
Second, register and vote in every election to which you are entitled. Vote for the candidate who stands against Trump and his vile brand of politics. Vote against anyone who uses fear to motivate people. Vote for those who understand that diversity is strength, that facts matter, that expertise is important to public debates, and that in the final analysis, we are ALL immigrants to this great country.
Also, you may want to vote for anyone who would support eliminating the Electoral College.
27
The POTUS has become indistinguishable from caricatures of itself, much to the bewilderment of rational minds. I'm reminded of the 2008 Presidential campaigns when I saw Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on TV and lost track of which one was impersonating the other.
We are accustomed to seeing DJT's style of behavior succeed in maintaining a limited but enthusiastic audience for the theatrical absurdities of professional wrestling. But it's very confusing to see its infectious impact on the Federal government.
4
He's like the the proverbial kid who kills his parents and then cries for mercy from the court because he is an orphan.
Trump creates fear that doesn't exist, caravans of illegal immigrants being the latest. Then he responds with truly moronic and further fear-inducing "solutions" to the problems that don't exist, and the cites Fox news on the fear permeating the populace and doubles down on his "solution."
4
I am going to disagree. I believe that Trump uses fear more than he feels fear. He wishes to engender fear and anger and use those emotions to further his agenda.
Netanyahu just prior to his last election elevated fear of the Palestinians to win him an election. Erdogan uses fears to allow him to consolidate power. All through Europe the immigrants fill the bill for fear and Trumpt is not different.
Fear of the immigrants taking your job, fear of the immigrants and drug dealers invading out borders.
Fear motivates and no one knows better than Trump how to instill fear for the purposes of self interest. Lee Goldsmith, M.D., LLB
3
Trump and his fellow swamp dwellers are exhausting. Still, We the People cannot get tired. We have to pay attention, and then vote the GOP out of power on ALL levels of government.
6
"This is no way to run a country, unless your intention is to run it into the ground." Isn't that what he did with all his businesses? He's had practice at doing it. Then he declares bankruptcy and sells at discount. Will it be to Russia or China or a consortium?
4
This latest Trump tirade is in response to Frank Bruni’s interview with Ann Coulter in the NYT Sunday Review, in which she excoriated Trump for not building the wall he promised his base.
But really, why give Coulter such a platform? She’s just 1994 Newt Gingrich with long blond hair and makeup.
6
Signs are that Trump would like to emulate Putin, but lacks Putin's trump (!) card: KGB training.
3
Trump surely is no Atticus Finch. He can't sway -rather only incite - and never for good. Of all those who envision Trump and the GOP Congress ultimately punished for their transgressions, their own "base," once shown to have been betrayed, will show the least restraint.
Mr. Blow, this is your best op-ed yet. It is absolutely spot on. The problem with a fearful president like Trump is that he could resort to an act of even greater desperateness that we have yet to see.
1
He is not consumed or driven by fear, at least not directly. His narcissism defines and explains everything he does. His only fear is of being irrelevant. That is what explains the chaos and commotion around him. I dated someone like that. Narcissists thrive on chaos and confrontation. It proves they matter. It makes them very exciting to be around, but also tiring. When you see that the commotion will never settle down, you see it's time to remove yourself from the maelstrom.
4
On the money Don. They thrive on the chaos while the rest of us are exhausted begging for escape. Seems few folks actually understand what makes them tick. Lost souls, sad story.
Why do our representatives in Govt (and all of us really) watch silently as the President chooses for heads of his cabinets and heads of everything else ......people who had at one time wanted to destroy those departments...... not want them to do well or even exist!
The EPA is just one of those departments but an important one. (Housing, education, etc are others) We watch as it's head runs it "into the ground" as Mr. Blow suggests the President does.
Land, air, water.....do these people not have children and/or grandchildren to think about?
Forget about Mr. Pruit's misuse of money and think about his destruction of our land.
The President hates this country and enjoys giving it the finger....and the Republicans who profess to love it.....do zero.
How truly sad.
6
He seems to be governed by all of the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. If his Administration were Shakespeare. I'd have to say that we're in Act II of one of the tragedies.
5
Many, I believe, would place Trump's "fear" of the continuing, comprehensive Mueller Investigation at the top of your long list, Mr Blow. In fact, for the deeply insecure, White House narcissist it's more like "terrified" at the prospect of a supremely humbling, forced removal from office, and the potential jailing of himself and family members.
Nothing in Trump's previous wheeler-dealer, immoral, sketchy, unaccountable private life has prepared him for the profound challenges that he is currently facing as President. He has no positive personal resources of strength, integrity, or clear-headed intelligence to call upon. Quite the opposite, he is forced to resort to his counterproductive, crippling and, ultimately self-defeating characteristics.
4
He is behaving like a wounded animal in the wild, cornered, fear pouring out like sweat. He is, in a word, in "survival" mode. No norm is off limits for rank violation and destruction. He is an abomination of the office and a slanderer of every institution which forms the basis of our indestructible democracy. We will survive Trump, but not without pain and scars.
4
"a man with Trump’s gaping insecurity and consuming fear"
Ahh, I do love a strong dose of irony in the morning from our resident histrionic-in-chief
This president is far too unbalanced to be trusted with:
Negotiating personally and unilaterally with North Korea
Personally making a decision on the Iran Nuclear agreement
Personally making decisions on Tariffs
The list goes on, but it is time that Congress steps in and exercises over sight.
Defeating the Republicans in Sept. will be little solace if this man drags this country into an irreversible catastrophe.
4
Last night, after learning about the "process" the president used to decide to order the National Guard
to defend the southern border, I became truly frightened of what the president may do to the country and all of us. His irrational, eratic behavior after attention to the false reporting and propaganda-mongering of Fox News, should be enough for him to be taken in on a 72 hour hold because he is a danger to himself and others. Placed under observation, maybe his instability would be sufficiently apparent to physicians that he could be committed for longer and removed from duty because he is mentally unfit to perform the duties of our president.
4
He ran on a dystopian view of the world and country. He is fully invested in making that view a reality. He is a coward with a big button.
As his ranting ramp up and the republican Congress and his cabinet sit on their hands, I have to admit that I'm becoming afraid myself.
1
Of course we have a lying, mentally unfit, dangerous man at the helm. But understand what got him there and what continues to ensure his position. Trump continues to be supported by forty percent of this country who are equally as racist, xenophobic and willfully ignorant as he is. It is they who will give him a second term. It is they who are driving this country off a cliff - not Trump.
Of course he panders to their every whim. He is nothing without them. So I'd say the anger at Trump is seriously misplaced. It should be placed at the feet of every one of his supporters. No longer should they be given a "pass" for their actions. He has been in office long enough for anyone to see the danger he poses, and yet they still adore him.
This is because he is what they are -- bigoted, selfish, and unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions. Rather, they blame everyone but themselves, just as Trump projects every one of his misdeeds on others.
The gloves need to come off when talking about Trump voters. This is not about revenge. This is about determining the future of our country. This is about determining whether a large minority of ignorant, racist citizens may continue to control it. And we need to call them out for the damage they continue to do to our once great nation.
I honestly could care less if Trump fears them. But the rest of us should stop fearing them as well, and begin to fight back - or else our democratic principles mean nothing.
9
Trump is mentally ill; he suffers from a serious personality disorder. ( The Russians recognized this vulnerability years ago.)
We know when our kids, friends and family members are sick . We take action by getting them to a doctor to make the formal diagnosis and provide treatment.
Facing enormous pressure almost all of which emanates from the actions and consequences of his own mental illness, we are watching Trump further unravel before our very eyes. I sometimes wonder if his outrageous behavior is an unconscious cry for help.
Trump needs help and the country needs to be spared further damage. The GOP will pay for its cruelty and cowardice.
4
Fear clearly drives Trump, but like any wounded animal, that sense of insecurity makes him more dangerous than ever. Contemptuous of both our institutions and the American people, he will not shy away from any action that he thinks might save him from impeachment or prosecution.
If he faced either of those threats,Trump might well try to mobilize his base to intimidate his adversaries. Nor should Democrats grow complacent over the approaching midterm elections. Trump and the Republicans have the same capacity to arouse their supporters to turn out in large numbers as do the Democrats, and they have a better track record.
The Democrats have won some remarkable victories in special elections, but the obstacles they face in the general elections will prove far more difficult to surmount. If Trump should retain his majorities in both houses of Congress, the next two years could prove bleak indeed.
2
Charles always enjoy your articles and for the most part I agree. As for his current support which you think may be waning I ask why has his approval ratings seem to be to increasing? To me this indicator is the most frightening aspects of this sad time historical time in our country. Much love.
6
Once again Charles Blow is on target when he writes that, "we now have a president whose actions are governed by emotions: envy, vanity, guilt, hatred and, chief among them, fear." While that is an apt description of #45's style of governing, it is unfortunately not what our country (or the world for that matter) needs.
Trump's base instincts play well to his base, a base that fears anyone who is different from them, but it will not serve our country well in the 21st Century. Higher tariffs and the resulting trade wars will not create 21st Century jobs. It will punish many sectors of our economy, such as agriculture and stick consumers with higher prices. A president guided by something other than fear might have instead used targeted tax cuts to encourage American companies to build state of the art factories that would make our country genuinely competitive.
Wasting money on an ineffective wall to keep others out, will be just that - a waste of money. Money that could be better spent on rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure of roads, bridges & mass transit. It could be spent on refurbishing existing schools or building new ones - schools where students can safely learn what they need to learn to function in a 21st Century world, schools where teachers receive pay commensurate with their education, training and responsibilities.
A president's job is to lead, not to pander. Trump unfortunately just panders to those who are as frightened of the world as he is.
8
"Wasting money on an ineffective wall to keep others out, will be just that - a waste of money. Money that could be better spent on rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure of roads, bridges & mass transit. It could be spent on refurbishing existing schools or building new ones..."
What an inviting blend of subjects!
So let's say DTs manages to get partial financing--enough to begin building his wall. But before it's completed he's impeached, voted out of office, retires to Russia or whatever?
In the meantime, at least some under-paid people have found better jobs helping to produce the taw materials for the wall, or higher quality sensors or whatever.
What to do with a half-built wall few people wanted? Why, disassemble it and ship the pieces as needed around the country-- btw more jobs for railroad workers & truck drivers-- for use in strengthening bridges & highways, constructing the walls of new houses or repairing old ones, etc. Waste not want not especially --as you pointed out given the crumbling of our infrastucture.
I wonder how the remaining Trump Nation would feel about having local infrastructure made safe AND simultaneously more jobs, in exchange for a partially-built wall way over in some other state? ;-P
I am again wondering what useful purpose does this anti-Trump column serve. Stating the obvious is neither enlightening nor thought provoking. Yes we are in a huge mess and of course Trump is a scared egomaniac, pandering to his base. Tell us something we do not know or provide us with an opinion that helps us deal with the situation. Also many of the Time's columnists would do well to rewatch the Marathon Man and learn a lesson from Laurence Olivier's character: Don't keep drilling the same tooth. The nerve is already dead.
111
The Trump personal hubris theme is old but the Trump personal fear theme is new and discussed within a context that includes recent developments.
51
Good writing, though, preaching to the choir. We will not comment or post our way back to democracy.
9
It is important to keep talking about it so that we do not become numb to it.
55
I am just guessing here but it appears to me that Trump's greatest fear is to be exposed to himself. As long as he can ignore the reality by concentrating on adulation from his base, he will do so.
7
So what are Ryan and McConnell driven by? While Trump has ripped the bandaid off revealing some of the basest traits, xenophobia, racism and ignorance of some citizens he has also laid naked the emperors of congress.
14
Thanks Charles for reaffirming what we already know. Now, if you can, tell us how to get rid of him.
14
we have a president that tries to do something for the 99% and all you talking heads do is critize.
3
Tax cuts for the wealthy is doing something for the 99%? Who knew?
9
The Trump tax cut will give someone making $50,000 a year a tax reduction of $1,000 each year for 7 years = $7,000.
At the same time, it has already increased the deficit and will add $1 Trillion to the debt each year for the next ten years = $10 Trillion.
Divide that by 150 Million taxpayers and each of us will get $67,000 added to our credit card of the Federal debt.
All so the billionaires can pay less taxes.
Take a look at jobs numbers since the Great Recession ended in 2010. Jobs created in 2017 was 10% less than 2016 and the lowest number since 2010.
If you have children and grandchildren, good luck to you and yours.
8
Herbie,
Do you have a single example of what Trump has done for the '99%'?
Is it,
A cabinet exclusively of millionaires and billionaires that are being fired or resigning at record rates?
The tax cuts that disproportionately benefit that same group?
The threatened trade war that farmers and others say will hurt them financially?
The serial attempts to undermine democracy in favor of authoritarianism, because after all, he knows more than anyone in any field of endeavor? ( Read Dana Millbank in the Post today on that subject)
The daily violations of the emoluments clause as he fills his own, and his families coffers, at the Governments expense?
The lives of those in the 99% demographic that will be lost in the wars he is inciting?
The million dollar weekends at our expense so that he can get in a round of golf and charge us for the accommodations of the security detail that must follow him to Mar-A-Lago?
The stock market declines, eroding most peoples retirement savings, with his daily volatility and course reversals?
Help us out here with your thoughts.
3
I respectfully disagree. Rather, I believe that Mr. Trump’s only fear has ever been for his personal safety. He is, and always has been, simply a shameless hustler. And we can only hope that his supporters/the people he’s hustling realize it before he does too much damage.
9
There are many things that can be used as symbols of what we are living through right now - but Charles Blow positively quoting Ann Coulter has to be in the top 10 list.
5
In the country’s interest, the best way to remove Trump from power before 2020 is to have his base turn on him. It will be a tightrope as he tries to maintain the con against facts piiling up.
Mr Mueller’s efforts will be no more than a chorus to the collapse of his base, as too much of his original support will write-off Mr. Mueller, no matter how good a job he does.. In the end, the one good thing Trump could do for the country is to lead his party to oblivion with him.
That is the abyss Republicans stare into as they fear alienating his base in their party.
4
The sixty three million voters who elected this clown deserve whatever they get from him. I hope the trade war with China destroys the corn and soybean market for all those farmers who thought Trump was their savior. I hope the Roseanne show bombs. I hope the NRA is shown to have colluded with Russian banks when they funneled thirty million bucks to the Trump campaign. I also hope Trump is forced to resign in disgrace and we get to erase his name from our history books.
33
A few more things: That fear of the threats his actions generated is NEVER Trump's fault. If he gave you a bloody nose, he'd say your nose attacked his fist.
And there's one other thing that drives Trump: His sadistic, sociopathic need to punish relentlessly and with "cruel and unusual punishment" ANYONE he sees as a threat, a rival, a challenge, or an enemy. Hence his constant attempts to paint as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the worst criminals in history who need to be jailed. His disgusting, vindictive firing of Andrew McCabe 2 days before retirement, when NO other administration at the Federal or State level would ever have NOT let him retire into obscurity.
And as his raging vengeance leads him to fire his most competent people, they are replaced with less competent sycophants, corrupted hacks, and the John Boltons.
"I've got the best, THE BEST people!" No, he has the worst, the very worst people. And he'll fire them, too, because sooner or later, reality rules and you can't fake it any longer.
9
Just like the carnival barker at the circus sideshow, promising the sun, moon and stars while delivering very little.
In a frenzy, yell 3-word phrases to entice, bulldoze, incite, and hit viscerally. Rinse and repeat.
You'll recall the screaming Shamwow commercial:
"It's like a towel, chamois, and sponge all in one."
(Grab and soak up the listener.)
"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."
--wisely stated by President Barack Obama, April 27, 2011.
7
Spot on Charles. Succinctly said. That Trump is dangerous to the stability of the US is no longer news, although his base adores him anyway. There was a report in the news yesterday that Trump's Evangelicals are no longer a religious movement. They've embraced being a political organization too. Their ignorance is understandable now that they've told the truth about themselves. Politics is their new religion and clearly the teaching of Jesus are secondary since they don't follow his teachings. Their behavior that suggests Jesus would approve of their behavior and even endorse racism besmirches Christianity. They aren't ignorant as much as they are truly evil. Their irrational, overarching fear of the browning of America is a sad chapter in our history. Trump turns to the Evangelicals when he is afraid because he knows they'll back his play no matter how dangerous or damaging it is to the 65% of Americans who despise Trump and want him to exit quickly. I agree with Ann Coulter that his base will turn on him like jackals eating each other, and nothing would be more just punishment for the evil imbecile in the WH. Keep up the good work Charles lest anyone forget how important it is to vote.
9
Donald Trump may indeed be afraid, but his is a contagious fear and it has contaminated our entire nation. Don't expect this kind of fear to burn out like a typical fire. Before it's over, nations will be in flames and lives consumed; Trump's is a fear he turns outward in the form of xenophobia, scapegoating, and soldiers in the streets. This is the age-old hysteria of the mob, and if he knows anything, Donald Trump knows how to play the mob.
7
It seems to me that trump is an agent of Russia. He is destroying our formally GREAT NATION.
5
in other words the emperor has no clothes...
3
Yes, as FDR said in his inaugural address:"the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."
Trump uses fear with the power of NO to turn the media ON.
I think the way to fight Trump is with the power of NO, as well. Just say NO to Trump.
NO, NO, NO!
We the American people have had enough!
================================
6
I talk to a lot of people and NO ONE is feeling very good right now
3
I support Trump 100% on keeping our borders secure and ridding our country of the approximately 11 million criminals who broke into our country and the criminals who have overstayed their visa's. A country without borders is not a country. I'm sick and tired of hearing foreign languages spoken all around me almost everywhere I go here in So. Florida, and I'm sick and tired of these criminals depressing wages.
1
Well the 11 million souls here illegally haven't left yet and will still be here after he has long left office. He hasn't offered any credible solutions that humane and safe to deal with these illegal immigrants. Yes, he has offered red meat to his base and has played upon your fears. Majority of them pay taxes, do the jobs that you and I are not willing to do, and don't break the law. Building a wall even a partial won't solve illegal immigration. If anything we need a better system that addresses everyone's concerns from stopping the flow of illegal drugs, terrorism, and reducing crime where needed. Reduce the wait time and red tape even for those who apply for legal immigrant status. Border crossings are at all time low and the trend started under Obama where deported more illegal immigrants than Trump has the only difference is he didn't make it into a photo op to score points among the base. Even if one wanted to deport 11-15 million illegal immigrants...it would be a logistical nightmare from building detention camps to spending billions of dollars on shipping folks to countries that don't want their own people back. Many businesses from corporate America to construction crews enjoy having the current status qou as it is...access to cheap labor. That why this problem will never get truly solved.
I know--ever agree with Ann Coulter? OMG. Well, she is of the sensationalist mode, in any case--still dangerous all-about-me. In any case, Blow is spot-on again. Trump clearly demonstrates ample behavioral features of a dangerous mental disorder. Along with it is the authoritarian personality that appeals to the like-minded voters. Please read for free online Dr. Altemeyer's very readable research results into that personality type. http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey
2
Trump throws bread and circus to the masses, saying look at this and pay no attention to the fact your pockets are being picked by the leaders.
8
I would add the Donald Trump is a middle school bully whose fear masquerades as bravado. His claims about "being able to fire people easily" is then followed by his inability to confront people in person, hiding in the shadows of Twitter, like a weak-kneed fool. Similarly with Putin and Russia. Not once have we heard a word of criticism from his lips except his claims that "nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have". He demonstrates not bravery but cowardice at every turn. And the Republicans in Congress are just as cowardly. Their acquiescence is, in my opinion, treasonous.
7
Likely that he still has - and will continue to have - lots of die-hard supporters: those who, like him, are eager to bring on ruin (as are all arsonists - gives them a sick thrill).
2
Chatting with folks yesterday about this administration, the leader, Trump, unhinged at best and his sycophant associates mere yes men, I came away from the conversation saddened as my comments were doubted due to my news sources. Sarah Kendzior, Malcolm Nance, Politico, this publication, are but a few of those sources. Facts have become a thing of the past. Trust is out the window. This is Authoritarianism at its worst.
5
Thank You again Mr. Blow and please continue the great work you've been doing.
5
Donald J Chaos & Co. are the party of wrong. Illegal immigration down to its lowest level since 1971. Solution? Call up the National Guard to patrol our Mexican border. Result? Slightly less illegal immigration at a very high cost. Corporate profits at an all time high. Solution? Corporate tax rate cut. Result? Higher dividends and bonuses. Innocent Black Americans being killed by overzealous police. Solution? Rescind the DOJ police reform program. Result? More innocent Black Americans being killed by overzealous police. Strongest military in the world. Solution? Give them more money than they can spend efficiently. Result? Same strong military at a higher cost. Brave high school students asking for better gun safety laws. Solution? Promise them change, then do nothing. Result? More innocent children killed at school. Mueller and his team cannot work fast enough for me.
13
Policy from the podium (rallies), propaganda from a state endorsed news organization, ideas from an inner circle of loyalists, fear, paranoia, misinformation and sending his military to the borders. September 1939 anyone?
9
It is a great irony that Spanky, after running the most fear mongering campaign in history, should himself be a prisoner of fear in every non-decision he makes. But the wheels of justice are grinding relentlessly forward, and truth will out.
5
If Trump is afraid of anything, it is the coming end to his life long charade. What besides fear of Putins poisonous minions could drive an American citizen to work for a foreign power? Greed alone doesn't cut it. Greed did get Trump into this trouble though. The money laundering and the shady foreign real estate deals have made Trump a "useful idiot" to sinister actors like Putin. Trump is only dragging a last few puffs on his last cigarette before the cancer overcomes him. An entire slice of America from rich to multitudes of poor have tapped into that fear and had it further stoked by sinister media outlets like Sinclair and Fox who can fully propagandize and weaponize even the most innocuous news. For me as an observer the fear this brings up in me is the same as being next to a person at sea who is drowning, I am fearful they will drag me to my death as well in their effort to save themselves. What everyone seems to be missing, is the utter desperation of Trump. Desperate people are dangerous to us all.
2
Trump is not only driven by fear, but is trying to create fear and anxiety by attacking his scapegoats- immigrants who he paints as criminal, as “ others”, other countries, including our allies, who he dramatizes as stealing our jobs from us. It is government by chaos, for chaos , to cover up his ignorance and lack of understanding of governance. Putin must be rejoicing.
2
Fear stems from the incorrect assessment that we're separated from each other (and from what we call divine). We then project upon others our the intrinsic enmity and vengefulness resulting from it. Our bad conscience from past behaviors toward others based upon seeing their well-being as irrelevant and unrelated to our own, doesn't help us to feel more comfortable with them (around).
The current holy grail idols America worships are a gilded tower, a WALL and a gun, all expressions of exclusivism and segregation, dehumanizing fellow humanity, idealizing the dumbest, smallest expression of self, inflated by small-mindedness until it's revered as the biggest asset. Magnanimity is seen as what makes one small.
The separation paradigm, begetting Groper, Obsessed-over Privilege, is the original sin here. It's like bacteria seemingly periodically (yet perpetually) erupting from a pulsating ball of green puss, or a cancer forever begetting tumors of hate, war, oppression and impoverishment.
In the 1930s and 40s it gave us the demonization of Jews, made out to be the conspirative force undermining white health and wealth, and today it's just another other, any other other that can be found as an easy prey for demonization as threat, in pain and fear projection and aggressive victimization. A messy 'caravan' versus the sublime Aryan.
Fake Fox News rides the self-stirred waves of worry, fear and hate and all Germ Obsessed Purists with a 'Get Out Paranoia' mindset are easily swept.
2
The definitive account of trump’s “leadership” style. Pander, confuse, manipulate, move to next disaster to distract, repeat.
3
Trump's fears are multiple. The most important is that he will lose voters who are scared of losing white advantage and christian advantage. He is also now afraid that these non-white pseudo(he thinks) Americans will elect majority in the board of gvernors that we call Congress and expose his racism and sex-exploits. He will not only lose his money but also lose his manhood. He lost his two wives.
2
Well he's starting to really terrify me.
1
The only thing I disagree with in this OpEd is that Trump has any ‘personal intelligence.’ Please, this is a vile awful narcissist with his awful family in tow. It is mind boggling that this one old white man is able to project and inflict HIS bad ill conceived antiquated ideas on the direction this country takes. It will take decades for the country to recover from the damage he has already done and intends to do. I hope I live long enough to bask in the recovery.
2
Don't forget that a significant portion of his thinking is also based on race hatred.
Thank you for another blunt and honest column! Trump's fear of Putin is matched by his fear of losing the support of his "base." After reading Frank Bruni's interview with Ann Coulter, I am convinced that she, a vicious, right-wing, hate monger, and her ilk, are running our country -- trade wars, send troops to the Mexican border, etc. That is a sickening and terrifying thought.
2
Yes, Mr. Blow. You are right, as well as most of the people who commented here. Although these opinions are nice, and I enjoy reading then, they don’t solve anything (the only way out, according to some readers, seems to be to encourage people to vote on November). You and your readers should start presenting new ideas to get us back to normal asp.
This is so bizarre, how come there no repercussions for the president’s enablers in congress? They must be aware the president is a sick puppy. No?
1
He is afraid. He is afraid of not having people adore him as he adores himself. He is afraid of having anyone look better than him, which is why he selected a weak team, surrounds himself with sycophants and fires anyone who makes him look bad. He is afraid of what Putin and Mueller has on him. I am afraid for our country.
When all is said and done, when the flames die out and the ashes settle, there will be two people history blames for the torching of America even more than the Arsonist in Chief: Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.
4
Scary, Charles Blow, your explication of the American Quandary. Our ignorant, loathed and unfit 45th president driven by fear. OK, now what do we do to get our country back from the swampy ditch into which Trump and his horde have run it. May you be correct, that Trump's only mode - inferno - will be burnt out along with him. And soon.
1
Charlie, you left out mean-spiritedness!
1
Ann Coulter lied to Frank Bruni, Mr. Blow.
Donald Trump's supporters will not feel "vindictive and betrayed." Whatever every day in this toilet flush of an administration brings, it will not bring about a reduction of the president's rabid base--the 40% who, if one will engage the thought--govern the country. These 63-millios rule America because they put in office their own puppet. That he dances on strings that he cannot control (they are dangled by the Kremlin, but no matter) only add to the international optics that America is now a bargain-basement grab bag of discards and sell-offs and dusty stuff tossed on the floor that no one wants.
I will agree that the president is governed by fear. He is beyond embarrassment. His loaded past--housing discriminator; dishonorable contractor; television executive; husband and father; private citizen in general--have been out there for public inspection for decades. That he emerged from the fetid swamp, the green-tinged bacteria clinging to him as he glowered, was just the magnet for those who voted for him. They never cared for America for a country; they viewed the United States as a personal checkbook from which they could deposit or withdraw at whim. That their transactions were unjust never factored into their conceits.
The wreckage of this administration stands in bold relief to the silent assent of a hired Congress. They await their orders from their donors while America drifts aimlessly.
We're a long way from goodness.
4
I don't think Trump, a sociopath, has the capacity to sense fear. He spends his days living out his obsessions. Obsession for unbridled power like the heads of Russia and China. Obsession to eradicate any progressive achievements made by Obama simply because he was a successful African-American president. Obsession to receive adulation from his base by pandering to them and elevating their fears on a daily basis with his race-baiting, xenophobic rants.
2
Charles, what you call fear is merely typical behaviour of a politician representing his supporters. Your hatred of Trump distorts your perception of reality. Your heroes, including the revered Obama, and "deplorables" Clinton and all the rest of the preening politicians are the same.
" typical behaviour of a politician representing his supporters." Perfectly true, and it's the supporters that I'm voting against.
Mr Blow could have stopped at "Donald Trump seems to have become shaken by fear" without mentioning Trumps base or anything else for that matter. This man acts like he is afraid of Immigrants, Muslims, groups of people that have different ideas, newspapers, information, anything. I guess that's what happens when you realize that you don't deserve the riches that you have, you get afraid that you will be found out.
3
Fundamentally, the "winner" is scared others will find out what he himself knows deep down and overcompensates for, namely that he is a loser.Ann Coulter knew very well that her interview in the NYT this past weekend would lead him to refocus on the WALL.He is also being played by Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping.Sadly, Democrats in this Country have not figured out how to get him to abreact and accelerate self-destruction.To date, the red meat he is feeding his base is working.Unless Democrats develop a platform for the times, the midterms will turn out to be a wasted opportunity.A leader with a message must emerge very soon.Someone electable, who can take him on at his own game.
We are here watching Donald Trump laying waste to the country because of our poor priorities regarding K through 12 and higher education. Schools should never have been paid for by property taxes, but by a national tax dedicated to education that gets paid before anything else so that every school district rich and poor has the same amount of dollars per student to spend on education. We sit passively glued to our TV sets watching sports teams that make millions and billions, but don't seem moved by the fact that teachers often have to buy their own school supplies. Most people don't know, or even care, that some book publishers have been allowed to delete or whitewash parts of American history they don't want children to know about, like an in-depth study of the long-term consequences of genocide and slavery. It is a perfect picture of our priorities, and a shame on us all for allowing this neglect of our education system to happen.
3
I’m afraid for our country and I think the only reason Trump got “elected” was because Russians may have interfered with the actual election. If so does that negate the election?
I have no idea about where Pence is. He seems to have pledged loyalty to Trump not the constitution. In any rate Pence is not presidential material even though he might be better qualified then Trump.
1
The reason Mr. Trump is afraid is that all these years, he's carefully pushed a common element for his personal 'brand' and in doing so defines an even deeper emotion than fear. He believes himself to be and has continually proclaimed that he is the greatest 'whatever' doing 'whatever' one could think of. This is delusion. However, at some level he knows he's not all he claims to be and knows that if everyone else determines that his personal brand is DoA. This realization generates fear and drives his chaotic behavior. The truth is that he's been out of his element and certainly above his pay grade for decades now. That delusion and the subsequent subconscious understanding that he is in fact out of his depth is what drives his fear.
3
All true, and all disgusting, but it does contain a ray of hope. If Trump has returned to striking the isolationist chord in his old base, we just may get by without a new war.
There has been some open worrying that Trump may play the war card for the sake of bolstering his public support, if for no other reason. The American public does have a reliable Pavlovian tendency to rally around the president -- any president -- in time of war -- any war, no matter how senseless.
But since the public that matters to Donald Trump is the set of people he sold himself to with an isolationist message, the fear you mention may work to stay his hand.
I just hope his core supporters remember that keeping the country out of war is one of the things they wanted him to do.
1
Only 53% of Americans disapprove of him and his poll numbers have risen even as the GOP passed a tax bill that rewards the rich at the expense of our kids and grandkids and as Trump has started a pointless trade war.
As is true all over the world, a large portion of Americans are driven by anger and fear, and they will embrace any leader who can sufficiently simplify and distort complex issues and appeal to base emotions.
Trump isn't going anywhere. It will only get worse.
3
He certainly has a lot of company in this country where fear is a motivating factor, especially with the majority of the right, who fear anyone who does not look like and think like they do.
2
Yes, his intention is exactly to run the US into the ground.
Once bankrupt he will argue for the termination of social security and medicare and he will argue for the need to sell all federal lands (preferably indirectly to him and his family).
He doesn't care about the markets (except as a marketing tool, MAGA is about marketing only) or that he will reduce the dollar to worthless paper because as a landowner he will always have something of value.
This Russian chaos machine should have been impeached by now.
3
The irony of Ann Coulter's threat to Donald is the vehicle she chose to deliver it - the "failing" New York Times. As much as Donald and his minions claim to hate this paper, it's still the place they turn when they want legitimacy. It was a brilliant stroke on her part, and it obviously worked. If she had said the same words on Fox, it wouldn't have had the impact because it would've been business as usual. She used the Times as a forum to hold Donald to account, which is what it does every day. That's also why Donald hates and fears it so much.
3
His supporters are not going to abandon him even if he leads the country into another war or destroys the economy or crucifies and destroys groups of powerless people or destroys a corporation. They'll never leave him because they only hear one side of the story and that is the side of Fox and Friends. Also, his base not only love him, but they also HATE liberals. They love to see liberals suffer and get what they deserve. They despise California and would rather see the tech industry there destroyed even if it means driving the country's economy into the ground. You assume people are rational. They're not. Trump gives his supporters validation for their beliefs and their anger and that feeling can be as strong as any other feeling you have. Even if he leads us into a trade war or a military war, his supporters will come up with an excuse. And don't be fooled by Ann Coulter's interview with Frank Bruni. She was using him and the Times to speak to Trump to get him to return to his campaign pledges.
3
Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,..." It seems, no doubt, Trump's fear will drive him to spread his fear to reach a goal of absolute power.
1
"His former supporters, whom he has disappointed, will feel betrayed and vindictive."
You get what you pay for and, in the case of his supporters, this is absolutely true. But it's too late now...for them and for those of us who saw "the handwriting on the wall" during the campaign. His narcissism, his pettiness and bombast, his obvious unsuitability for the office of the presidency were in plain view to all, including the media. But too many Americans opted for "pay back" to the imagined elite...whomever they believed them to be, over the greater good of the country. Now, here we are, with the worst administration in U.S history, led by a president whose greed, nepotism and possible derangement threatens us all...not just in the United States, but our allies, too. It may be that the Democrats will re-take the House and institute impeachment proceedings but it will be "window-dressing" because it will never come to fruition in the Senate. He's here to stay until 2020. "Spero optimum, para pessimus"
200
Add his deliberate cruelty to the list.
33
Pay-back for the elite??? Wow. I think you are right, but who is it that Trump is appointing? Elites, millionaires and billionaires. Seems his base might take notice that the swamp is being filled with those elite they despise.
21
Don,t be so sure that the Senate will not convict. Democrats plus Republicans who have 4 or 6 years left on their term will have no use for Trump.
14
Well stated. Although fear as Trump's driving emotion is a concept new to me, it makes great sense and explains his erratic shifting from policy to policy--sometimes on the same day--and the comings and goings of his staff that remind me of the famous Abbott and Costello routine "Who's on First?" It also explains why comedians find him a juicy target. I agree that he is an embarrassment to the country, and I hope he leaves soon. And not just for the sake of the country, but for his sake too. Anyone who gets promoted beyond his capabilities is heading for a nervous breakdown.
5
Why does Donald Trump seem to want to see America burn?
I still think that this is one of those articles asking all of the wrong questions. Donald Trump isn't afraid of the upcoming midterms. He isn't afraid of his candidates losing. His most ardent Republican supports aren't afraid of the midterms, either, and his non-supporters are dropping off the ballot and being replaced by alt-right Republicans all over the country.
Why don't Russian Republicans seem to care about the upcoming midterms? What do they know that we don't?
Maybe Donald Trump is ruling by fear. That's possible. Or maybe he's just trying to create a lot of noise, a lot of chaos, and keep his very under-staffed, over-worked defence and state departments occupied so that they don't notice some of the very important developments happening in other quarters until November and it's too late for everyone.
8
Indeed. I think there is something even more nefarious happening behind a black screen. Putin wanting to pull the biggest punch on the world? Coup Amerikana? Nothing can happen here, right? This is America - always great, right? Don't think so. Let's see if we actually get to vote in November or if elections are cancelled - for good. Let's see who among the military and police force is on the side of the people's democracy and the oligarch's dictatorship. Let's see what it is exactly we are willing to do and if we have what it takes in the year 2018 to actually defend ourselves against an all out coup. Even if it becomes blood against blood as are civil wars and revolutions - what price are we willing to pay to regain the republic?
Not.... at all what I was getting at.
More like, how did a few Russian oligarchs with American arrest warrants magically end up in the United States where they could be subpoenaed by the Mueller investigation, and their billions of dollars of assets seized by the American government, at the same time that Donald Trump tries to pull rapidly out of Syria, effectively giving the whole country over to Russia and her allies, Iran and Turkey?
Why are we supposed to just forget the targeted attacks on American politicians during the Trump administration, on trains, on baseball diamonds, just as NATO allies are revealing how broadly Russia has been using its assassination tools?
The more noise Donald Trump creates, the less we can see the patterns between what he does and how Russia and her allies respond to what he does, and how he responds to them.
In other words, he's not afraid of American voters because he doesn't work for them. Republicans aren't afraid of American voters because they don't threaten them. American voters aren't at war with the Trump administration - Russia is at war with the United States.
Thank you once again, Mr. Blow, for educating us. If the President truly wanted to succeed, and our country succeed, he would be advised by the history of great leaders rather than powerful dictators and despots. Unfortunately, his actions are conceived in his own conceits, and carried forward by his perception that bulldozing and bullying exhibit strength. He has little knowledge nor desire to learn from other, and is triggered by what he perceives as personal affronts and challenges. Fox "News" and the representatives of the fringe far right, voiced by Ann Coulter have more impact on his impulsive decisions and edicts than what outcomes may result. It is headlines and adulation of his rallies feeding his ego, and maintaining fear by creating "enemies", i.e., the mainstream media, the Democrats, the "others", the immigrants (mostly children and families escaping death or destruction. Shame on him, shame on those who support him and give him credulity, and shame on the majority GOP who not only kind of ignore him, but also work under the radar undermining decades if not centuries of progress that once made us a strong and admirable country. Yes, we still had issues, but they were being addressed. Fear is one of the main factors that keep keep the masses impotent and controllable. And THAT is what Donald demands from his kingdom.
5
Excellent column Mr. Blow. Unfortunately, it appears the more repugnant and chaotic Trump and his cohorts become the higher his poll numbers go. A huge swath of our countrymen seem to love the disorder so long as Trump rips those ungodly liberals, clearing the way for them to vicariously vent their spleens. They are oblivious to the fact that the vessel they are riding is rapidly sinking and taking them down along with everyone else.
7
I worked in a nursing home in high school for 3 years. and saw first hand the signs of significant mental deterioration in older adults.
On top of vanity, narcissism. fear etc., our 70-year old plus, unhealthy, overweight POTUS exhibits many classic signs of onset dementia - repeating himself; not remembering what he just said; noticeable decrease in vocabulary; inability to comprehend complex thoughts; no abstract reasoning; aversion to reading; paranoia; agitation.
Nobody needs a medical degree to see this play out on real time.
Luckily,he is no longer behind the wheel of a car.
40
I totally agree with your assessment, but I would argue that he is “behind the wheel”, we are his passengers and we’re all headed to a cliff.
6
I agree with the comment that the only way out of the disaster that is Donald Trump is with our vote at the midterms and beyond. The Trump supporters were manipulated but nevertheless are responsible and it appears they like what he is and what he is doing however, they are a minority. Yes, at this moment in time we must not vote for anyone with an R after their name.
10
Blow...give Trump some credit, please. Lowering the corporate tax rate has helped unemployment....the lowest in decades. Laser focus on illegal alien immigration is, hopefully going to result in our democrats finally agreeing with the majority of Americans to end chain migration, end DACA for future illegal aliens, limiting visas, and hopefully rewording the 14th amendment to end birthright citizenship. Fueling the conversation with China and trade tarriffs is the beginning of trade negotiations which will hopefully end up in the affirmative for our country. Trump isn't as "smooth" as Obama, who accomplished very little in his 8 years in office, but Trump is controlling the conversation with his "twitters" and getting results for Americans and our country.
4
Let me know how Trump America works out for you and your family (I am talking - education, access to affordable health care, clean water and air; deficit your kids will inherit)
Also- don't you care he will not release his tax returns? Don't you wonder what he is hiding? No other POTUS in modern times has ever not released them.)
3
The majority of Americans, including the first ladies family either came here through "chain migration" or are the descendants of "chain migration"
Bill Clinton followed by Barack Obama were 1st and 2nd in total job creation during their terms as President. President Trumps budget and tax cuts didn't take place until 2018. We have no clue if President Trumps policy's will be good or bad for the economy until the end of his term. President Bush did a reasonable job with the economy until the last year of his presidency when the economy completely collapsed.
2
Trump's tax plan is going to crush social services for the poor, while denying all of us a functioning government. His immigration "plan" is built on racism and fear, with no plan for dealing with the undocumented immigrants already here; if he were truly driven to fix the problem, he would push for e-verify as the center of his reform, not a useless wall. And the question of China's trade policies isn't going to be solved by a trade war that will hurt the Midwest's farmers more than it hurts China. If Trump wanted to contain China, he should have remained in the TPP and renegotiated it so that it wasn't so corporate-friendly.
Trump is a walking policy-disaster. He can't see beyond tomorrow, beyond today's ratings, beyond the mindless-adulation of his idiot base. And people like you who support his ill-conceived policies are just as short-sighted
It was anger and fear that enabled him to be elected. The great danger is that the anger will remain after he leaves.
8
Good analysis, Charles. Men who rule by fear usually are not aware of their own insecurity, and dissent is viewed as challenge to authority rather than a window to a different approach. The insecurity often stems from a comparison with one who is deemed more talented, better at the job, simply a better person. In this battle, Trump is always the loser.
4
His supporters have always been vindictive and small minded. We have all seen these types in our everyday lives. This is their day in the sun. I hope that this mob rules mentality ends. This is absolutley no way to run the country.
5
The current resident of the White House possesses an evil genius that keeps his base, whom he has manipulated and misled, continuing blindly to support him. When trump is found out for his lies, he blames everything on the beleaguered minorities whom he encourages his followers to hate.
This hellish gift allows The Donald to maintain the devotion of his millions of Trumpists.
There is no redemption for trump. Changing his base? Might as well try to move the Pyramids. But for the GOP who enables trump as he harms our nation, there is hope. That hope will be realized by unseating the GOP in 2018 and 2020.
8
President Lizard-Brain is fearful, huh? What about the rest of us that have to live in this dystopian nightmare he's created? Where reality has been created and sold through Sarah Hucksterbee Sanders and scripted propaganda from Fox News and Sinclair media outlets and tax cuts for the rich have enabled them to get richer while the rest of us have less real income, less real financial stability, less access to affordable healthcare and increasing uncertainty thanks to the very real threat of trade wars and actual shooting wars brought about by the Lizard-Brains' inability to stay off of Twitter. I feel no sympathy for this fearful man's self-inflicted situation. I feel sympathy for the rest of us that have to live with the consequences.
6
Whether Trump himself is afraid is unknowable. What drives Trump is election politics. He drives fear and bigotry in his base. That worked for his election and Trump believes it will continue to work.
Deflection with lies is used to counter any potential bad news.
America gets the leadership it has because most citizens cannot be bothered to vote. Only partisan zealots come to the polls. Both parties.
1
No, driven by SPITE. Against anyone that doesn't recognize the magnificence that is Donald Trump. Seriously.
5
"Everything he touches dies." -- Republican political consultant Rick Wilson
We are now being led by Six-Bankruptcy Trump, the version I've been expecting all along, and I'm scared.
4
He makes a decision, then walks back. Tariffs, walls, Syria troops...quick announcements without thought, then oops! People will soon figure out that he is to be humored and ignored.
What is frightening is that he actually has the power of the presidency, and the ongoing right to exercise it. Every day is a dangerous day.
6
All Charles Blow know about Trump is what he gather from second, third and 4th hand sources from many, many guesses by others who don't personally know Trump in the media, including the Times, CNN and Fox news.
Trump's thinking is a cipher. But one thing we can be sure: Since he has never responded to one of your columns, it seems that he doesn't care what you write about his state of mind, which, like yours and all the rest of us, will change about any opinionated guess.
2
Or maybe he’s just a spoiled child who peevishly throws away a toy when it bores him and takes up another one his manipulative advisors craft for him in the hope they will become the true power behind the throne.
3
"His former supporters, whom he has disappointed, will feel betrayed and vindictive."
A few may but I fear most will not. They will never experience those feelings of betrayal because they will never admit they were wrong. They will always blame something else, the Democrats, liberals, McConnell and Ryan, and most of all Barak Obama. They are the same type of foolish supporters as those who continue to support GW Bush even after collapsing the U.S. economy and throwing us into a horrible war under false pretenses.
4
Those who continue to support Trump had no principles to begin with. These are the types that brought our nation Nixon, Agnew, Reagan, Bushes, Cheney, and now Trump. Trump lost the election by nearly 3 million votes. And those numbers are growing. Yes Mr. Blow Trump is very afraid his base will abandon him by sitting on their hands.
3
Mostly, we have a strange time war lag with Trump. The majority of what Trump represents is the 1980's ethos pushed at us somewhat by Reagan, the big media sell on those values and priorities, and their embrace by maybe half the country.
Trump is simply a big, horrid construction of the cruelty, immaturity and vanity of a period in our history where the traditional norms were thrown out. "Greed is good" said it all. I am amazed--the deep sell to enough of the American population that they persist with going along with it. Not that most, especially Gen Xer s who came of age and fully embraced the 80's mantras, have actually done much critical thinking to realize the permanent damage Reagan created. This thinking IS the norm for millions.
But I see a very large economic crash coming in a year or so due to the fact that "third time's the charm" so to speak. There is no way for America to stay intact with the money figures he has created with the tax act. He is a casino grifter, not a responsible businessman, yet millions refuse to acknowledge this. They may have to soon enough.
2
A harvest of fear - reaping what he has sown?
Finally Trump will be getting a dose of his own "medicine".
1
His former supporters may feel "betrayed and vindictive" but how about the rest of us? I feel exhausted, sickened, furious, depressed, and appalled by this administration, the GOP, and his supporters every day. He is driven by fear; I am driven by an absolute loathing of anything he touches, anyone who works for him and anyone who still supports him. Speaking only for myself, I will never forgive the people who brought us this travesty.
7
You are not alone. I have true disdain for his supporters. Let us never let them forget the way they have dragged this country down.
1
Nice to see Fox called out for what it is: a propaganda organ. By its constant spewing of ‘alternative facts’, it is the single most prolific source of FAKE NEWS. Worse, the president relies on Fox’s propagandists in formulating (and implementing) policy. Might as well have a Ministry of Propaganda run by Hannity or another of Fox’s Friends.
4
First, Mr. Blow is correct, though he is only stating what we've obviously known for the past year.
Second, much damage has been done with the help of a GOP complicit congress. Can this be reversed?
Trump has been an effective front man for powerful conservative interests, this must be remembered and we must learn otherwise, when Trump is gone, there will be another to easily take his place.
To point blame at just Trump is short sighted and ridiculous.
3
Trump is a leopard who hasn't changed his spots in decades. He's a petulant man-child who craves attention like an addict needs a fix. There's an old saw on Madison Avenue: there's no such thing as bad publicity. Of course there is, but Trump is not one who has the mental acuity to realize this. Good or bad, any news where Trump's name is plastered bold-faced across some headline soothes his unquenchable desire to be famous. Being famous is what it's all about with Trump. And now he is one of the most famous persons in the world. In the hands of a guy like Trump, whose ego is so fragile it could crack at any moment, that is a very dangerous thing. While Atlas shrugs, the World holds its breath.
DD
Manhattan
1
Trump has always been driven by fear, ever since he was a boy, afraid that his father would see him as not measuring up; more recently, afraid that he'll be revealed as an incompetent businessman and small-time crook; and now, terrified that his base will finally realize that he's nothing but an empty blowhard, unable to follow through on any of his most pandering promises. The danger to the country is what desperate measures he'll stoop to in order to keep the base from abandoning him.
1
A complete, concise and accurate summary for the history books.
2
None of this would be possible with out the complicity of the propaganda outlets, such as Sinclaire and Fox, which communicate lies and conspiracy theories to millions of enraptured viewers every day. That is the real tragedy of the Trump presidency, and is likely to persist long after his term in office is complete. There are other equally flawed Republican candidates, such as Mike Pence, who are waiting to fill the void of extremism , chaos, and intolerance after Trump is gone.
"His former supporters, whom he has disappointed, will feel betrayed and vindictive."
Indeed.
They and Trump share the same psychology, peering at each other through a dark, two-way mirror.
The question is this; When the inevitable lash-out manifests to whom will it be directed?
2
Life always imitates art. All these questions were addressed in "What About Bob?". Since it was Hollywood, it had a happy ending.
well, many days i would pick up the new york times and go to the sports page, and read the recap on any soccer activity from the day before, and check the box for what's on for the day on tv. then i was done with the paper. and until recently, i would enjoy the same online, go and see the recap of the day before. but i don't see that online anymore. so, i am out. i'll read the paper at the library.
1
A newspaper is also for news and information. We learn different ideas and can agree and disagree, but we learn and now that is the most important job. We also need entertainment and newspapers supply us with that. Why stop reading anything?
1
Somehow my e-mail address has been mixed up with a Trump supporter, so almost daily I am treated to an e-mail which contains the latest boast or rant.
The main theme of every one of these e-mails is that he needs to raise money.
So while he may be doing any one thing because he is scared for frightened, he is ALWAYS trying to raise money from it.
1
Pleas for money accompany every alarmist e-mail sent to anyone by any political entity.
1
My hope is that political parties will have learned a lesson from the candidacy, nomination and election of Donald J. Trump. That an entry level civil servant has to exhibit more integrity, transparency and knowledge than we expect of a president is outrageous. In most low level jobs in this country, a 90 day trial period is the norm. Trump would not have made it past the first 30.
3
I used to believe that The Donald was just a master con man. He is not! He is, as Charles details in this article, a lost boy looking for approval. He has neither the intellect nor the predilection for the effort necessary to perform the job that he has wormed himself into. Sometimes circumstances cause a collision between opportunity and availability - that is The Donald's presidency - he just showed up and somehow he is expected to be able to lead a diverse, complex Nation. He has to be hoping that Fox News does not pick up his second season - he will soon be running out of guests(read willing Cabinet and staff members) to keep the show running.
5
Without rehashing the presidential campaign and election, it seems clear that at least until the late summer of 2016 Donald Trump never thought he had a realistic chance to win.
Trump may have been aware of the Russian meddling, but all he really counted on was the continuing loyalty of the angry Washington outsiders who handed him the nomination.
Now that he sits in the White House, generally unpopular and totally confused by the complexity of the job, President Trump knows he needs those shouting fans in red baseball caps more than ever.
In the spirit of the man who loves to drape opponents with insulting nicknames, let’s just say that every presidential decision is now being made by Terrified Trump.
4
Trump has built a wall around himself. In a way, he has fulfilled his campaign promise to build a wall. He does not recognize that the wall is built on his self made fears. Until he recognizes that his own thinking has him trapped in a cocoon. We will not see change.
2
It all boils doen to adoration. Everything Trump does is intended to draw the spotlight to him. His actions are intended to boost his ratings. They are intended to keep the camera focused on Trump.
The chaos, the constant turnover, the erratic and contradictory statements, the surprise declarations, all of it, is nothing more than the self aggrandizement of a sick mind.
What Trump fears most is not being on the front page everyday. Everything is about him. The rallies he goes to feed him the nourishment his weak character thrives on.
They guy is sick. We've been pounding that since the campaign. He has several conditions. He has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He has Anti-Social Personality Disorder. He is a pathological liar. He is terribly insecure in his masculinity and must constantly prove it with his sexual exploits (which looks like were all paid for), his tough guy I can beat you up comments, and his admiration and fetishization of military power.
Trump has the maturity of a small child. I wonder if he checks under his bed each night for monsters.
That's Trump people. That's your lesser of two evils. That's your alternative to establishment politics. Enjoy your tariffs on outgoing agricultural products and incoming manufacturing materials. Tell yourselves they are sacrifices we must make. Follow a mental disaster over a cliff. Fear that.
50
In all of this DT has been provided a plan of destruction facilitating a paradigm change that was provided by Steve Bannon. I believe he thinks sees a way to be so disruptive that he will be able to change the rules to gain more power. Even with his incompetence, his demagoguery is impactful and his actions have consequences that are damaging to our government, our nations role as a world leader and our strength gained from our years of deeply formed and powerful alliances. He has been dangerous to our Democracy since the day he was given attention for his political views by the press. We are abandoned by those who would provide checks and balances to defend our way of life and we need to learn from this. The rest of the world is following suit, Democracy and freedom are losing ground. The definition of Democracy is being changed and if we do not as citizens vote to turn this around and regain our core values as a nation that values integrity, the truth and justice, we deserve what we get. We voted ourselves into this. Let's vote ourselves out of it while we still can.
19
The Trump presidency has always been about ignorance and fear -- a volatile combination which is dangerous to democracy. One shouldn't forget the greed, personal self-promotion and and self-enrichment which is rampant throughout the Trump government.
Yes, we are becoming a third world government which is armed with nuclear weapons and led by a corrupt, autocratic, authoritarian mad man. The shining city on a hill is a slum.
23
Yes, protect us from all those traumatized women and children. There have never been so many displaced souls in the world on the move as today. Having taught immigrants for decades, we are a far better country for having taken in their loyalty, hard work, dedication and appreciation for the chance that is America.
15
Fear trumps hope.
Trump was elected President of the United States by the votes of 63 million Americans in 50 state elections plus the District of Columbia delivering him a meaningful Electoral College majority. And they did so knowing that Trump was openly full of 'envy, vanity, guilt, hatred...and...fear.' by nature and nurture.
While these Trump personal characteristics are seen as negatives by NYT liberal progressives, they are positives in the hearts and minds of Trump MAGA Nation. Running against Trump is a political black hole played on his field by his rules with his referee umpire officials.
7
He lost the popular vote and won the Electoral college by 70000 votes. Slim. Of course his supporters love him. Demagogues appeal to weak minded fearful people.
1
Yep, sounds like the despot leader of an unwilling nation. If vanity, lies and threats are positive traits to the MAGA world, no thank you.
Running against tRump is not as scary as you want us to think. A political black hole, soooo powerful as to make all the rules? Enjoy your game while you can, because the referees, umpires and officials do not belong to tRump. They belong to America.
I think his cult is consumed by fear, too. Fear of facts. Fear of truth. Fear of reality. Fear of expertise. So they align with a habitual liar who feeds their fears with fears of his own. Will it end well? I fear not.
28
Yes, Trump, our "so-called" president is afraid. He should be afraid, he should be very afraid, not just of the "east coast liberals" or intelligent immigrants making a new life in the U.S., nor of solely Democrats or the Mueller investigation, but much more so of Russian crime bosses who donated mega money to his campaign and inauguration and expect a return on their investment and then his base. Russian mobsters kill people with their poison and his base, once they realize he is a poseur, are going to turn on him in a much more aggressive fashion than anyone else, so he should be very afraid! Finally, he should most fear standing before the judgement seat, before the Almighty, as justice will be served in total, lest Mueller can't be thorough enough.
263
OTOH:
1. Trump has been a very rewarding asset for Russia; they should be, and probably are, very pleased with his efforts. They got way more than their money's worth. So no fear there.
2. Even Mueller finds lots of dirt on 45, the Republican Congress will not vote to impeach. No near there either.
3. Trump doesn't believe in Judgment Day. No fear.
14
There is no Almighty. Get used to it. Justice is only served during the living.
18
True, but in January 2019 a Democratic Congress will make impeachment their first order of business. Not quite instant Karma, but revenge and justice will be served cold.
There is no doubt he will take us ALL down in the inferno. Many evangelicals are salivating over a possible apocalypse— some on the FAR Left ( a few Bernibros) think with the collapse of democracy we can begin the real REVOLUTION. Ha! And many people addicted to Reality TV think that the Trump “ presidency “ is just a great Reality TV show and it IS but they do not see or don’t want to see the consequences.
5
As long as he continues his diatribe of sensationalist rantings rooted in racism, his deplorable base will support him. He can keep performing this style of "governing" indefinitely because it is working, or so he thinks, and a good portion of the voters agree.
3
Trump has spent his adulthood denying failure after failure by claiming victory after victory when in reality without inheriting $200 million he would have been fired following elephants in a circus. Bankrupting six times, he relies on foreign capital to keep him afloat, a deal with demons that has spread as far as the eye can see. He has always lived in fear of jailers and forensic accountants, and in Mueller he has found both. He can’t stomach the truth about himself, still less the truth about his supporters and the pathetic family his corruption has spawned. Our consolation is that fear consumes him since we know how this will end and we did the night of the election. He lost the popular vote by the largest margin a winner has ever done. All day every day he knows that two thirds of the electorate want him to vanish from their lives. Now that farmers and blue collars will be hit by the tariffs Trump promised them they can live in the toxic air that permeates his words and deeds. Maybe when his supporters are groveling in the dust on their bare bellies, as Lincoln referred to slavers and those who fought for them, the Trump voters will know the fear he has spread like plague instead of the loud-mouth fake Americanism they have believed is courage and not the cowardice that breeds one folly after another.
15
Trump's mindless rants against this or that grievance shows him to be more unfit and unhinged every day. Republicans are well aware of what this will cost them in the mid-terms. Mitch McConnell says he doesn't know whether the Blue Wave will be force 3, 4 or 5, but he knows it will be a hurricane that sweeps them out of political power, perhaps forever. Yet they remain a deer in the headlights, frozen in fright and unwilling to do anything about it.
433
the GOP (G for Griftering and Greedy to the core) are not frozen in place. They are taking every last shred of advantage while they can. Yes they are unwilling to act... yes fearful of his 'base' turning on them...but still reaping what they can while they can. I.E. massive tax cuts pushing money to their 1% handlers & de-regulation and privitazion pushes. Not to mention court appointments of far right thinkers. I am fearful of impeachment which would leave us with Pence.
18
The GOP can't do a thing about anything unless they admit they have the wrong person in the WH. Once they get past that, they might be able to redeem themselves. We the people hold them accountable for every day more he spends in office.
12
I don't like Pence and his beliefs. But at least he's not unstable. I really don't think he would get us into a nuclear war. We have to take what is available, not what we would like.
What I worry about is that when his supporters have had enough, they will turn, not to the evil Democrats, but to someone more extreme, more willing to blow everything up.
7
Sorry, they'd be hard pressed to find someone worse who could actually be elected.
But worse, the Republicans in Congress are afraid of the man consumed by fear. They continue to pursue unpopular policies, permit unpopular and corrupt acts by members of the Cabinet, and tolerate the rantings of a WH occupant who is historically unpopular and clearly unfit. What will it take to shake them from their stupor?
2
Nothing will shake them. These people are bought and paid for by the Koch’s and Mercer’s. Their goal is to keep power. (Why do you suppose the GOP isn’t going harder at Russia?)
Trump would not exist but for the fact that millions of Americans are poorly educated, lacking in critical thinking and therefore subject to the absurd propaganda spewed forth not only by Don The Con but also his Republican enablers and acolytes. We need to do a much better job in our educational systems to give people the tools they desperately need to figure out fact from fiction and to know a Con when they see one. While I deplore the Deplorables and those who ruthlessly exploit them, I cannot fully blame them. They are simply ill equipped to deal with it.
5
And yet in Oklahoma, the GOP governor is attacking the striking teachers for wanting to offer a better education to their students. As long as you have GOP led states, we will keep churning out these stupid people who lack ibtellectual curiosity.
1
Every day I find one small space of time to clear my head of our nation's rapid turn of events - all ominous and orchestrated by Mr. Trump. It is then that I observe a person who is disintegrating before our eyes. As Mr. Blow writes, this desperate, desperate barely human creature is all-consumed by fear of losing his undeserved title which is dependent upon a base made up itself of hateful fear, along with bigotry and racism. It is a trifecta...indeed, the Devil's "trinity" of perdition.
Mr. Blow made mention of the recent conversation between his colleague Frank Bruni and Ann Coulter. It all came down to The Wall. Perhaps, this structure will never be made of stone and concrete. But it is and will remain until Trump is but a bad dream a metaphorical reality of a half-crazed individual held up by ignorance and prejudice of the worst kind.
414
You may be correct, of course, but I think 45, like all of us, is primarily driven by desire. Fear is but a symptom of his desire; he fears not achieving his desires.
1
"Mr. Trumpbachev, don't build that wall!"
25
Terrific writing Kathy !
17
Mr. Blow has identified the foundational problem of the Trump presidency. In America, the relationship between the people and their leaders in government is supposed to be rooted in the law. Those holding government offices uphold the law and thereby gain the support of the people. This produces a government based on intellect and reason, one capable of justice for all. In Trump's administration, however, it is not rationality but emotion that carries the day. Loyalty is not to the law, but to the person. Under this approach, the relationship between government and the people is corrupted by his personal whims and interests. This is a form of leadership preferred by dictators, warlords, caudillos and mafia dons. Installing someone who rules this way in the highest office created by law can only undermine and ultimately destroy the very rule of law that is the foundation of the system.
15
Mr. Blow's characterization of Trump and is his supporters always appeals to me and seems deeply inciteful but what's missing is the presumed vacuum that created him, which never seems important enough to Mr. Blow to provide further context. Yes, Trump is the devil incarnate, but for all the bluster, he's still a mid-level guy. On the anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, what might we glean is the story that really matters?
1
Trump campaigned and won on promises to end illegal immigration while Hillary Clinton campaigned on promises to protect illegal immigrants and lost. In deploying National Guard troops, Trump is trying to do what Americans elected him to do. The problem is not a single caravan; the problem is that illegal border crossings are on the rise again. The number of illegal border crossing dripped dramatically in fiscal year 2017, which ended on October first, but have been rising. In January, CNN reported that the “The best measure of illegal immigration flows on the southwest border — Border Patrol arrests on the Mexican frontier — fell from roughly 700,000 in fiscal 2008, when Barack Obama first ran for presidential office, to 409,000 in fiscal 2016, when he was about to depart. Apprehensions plunged further in fiscal 2017 after Mr. Trump took over, to 304,000, a 46-year low.” But CNN also noted, “But starting in the summer, crossings began to again approach historic levels. With 40,513 apprehensions and rejections at the southern border in December, the total numbers are behind fiscal years 2016 and 2017, but surpass crossings in fiscal years 2013, 2014 and 2015.”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/10/politics/border-crossings-up-trump-effect...
2
Every day! Every hour! Tictock..ticktock...oh the terror!
What if a wind makes my coiffure dance? Am I losing more hair? Melania..Melania! Is the makeup hiding all my blotches? Oh god, breaking news on CNN, what would my supporters think? Oh yeah, whatever I tell them.
Trump lives in a state of fear. For many reasons. But so do we. For one reason. Trump.
"This is now the American quandary: The wheels of government are being forced to turn on the erratic whims of an egomaniac."
Yes, but more to the point, the wheels of government are being forced to run over the people they were intended to protect. The EPA is now charged with polluting the environment, the Department of Education views our children as a line item on a profit-loss spreadsheet, the Department of Justice is targeting states for vengeance.
But Charles, don't overlook the Republicans in Congress. They have made Trump possible. They give him comfort and aid. They are the enemy of America. They also have much to fear: November 2018.
Politics as usual is something of the past. Trump has revealed that Trumpsters are also to be feared. After cleaning Congress of Republicans and fumigating the White House, America will have to come to terms with the fact that one-third of "Americans" can't distinguish an apple from a banana.
Ridding government of Trump and Republicans is only the beginning. The more challenging question is, Can anything be done to salvage Trumpsters?
9
Fear and hatred are an authoritarian's catnip. It is what gets them started every day, it keeps them going even when facts stand in their way. It is their shield against a more rational evaluation of their performance by the public.
Trump is nervous. He feels threatened from many sides. He sees the opposition growing as his popularity shrinks. He is scared to death. Only fear and hatred can save him. So he tells his wide eyed supporters that Mexicans are climbing over the wall and coming to rape their women and steal their jobs. He says that Iranians have resumed building a bomb, though inspectors on the ground say they have complied with the Agreement. He says the North Koreans might bomb Hawaii but don’t worry because he will obliterate their country if they make a false move. He blames the TPP, NAFTA, and the EU for stealing jobs, though the unemployment rate is low. He abandons clean air and fuel efficiency standards as says coal is clean and climate change a hoax. He says that the mainstream news media is "the enemy of the people” and relies instead on Fox talk show hosts for information and analysis.
He is terrified of the Independent Counsel’s investigation. He assures the public that there was no collusion or obstruction of justice though evidence shows there was. We had better be prepared for a very bumpy ride as Mueller delivers more indictments. He will not go quietly into the good night.
382
We all know why Trump is scared. The question is why all his supporters aren’t scared of him! The damage he is doing to their “beloved” democracy may not be reparable.
20
Chuck (D) is going into a meltdown. Beautiful!
3
The fear that drives Trump most is the possibility of not getting re-elected , even if he survives Mueller and a Democratic Congress.
We all saw to what level of deceit he could sink to win in 2016. However , had he lost , he could have spent the rest of his life claiming how he would have made America great if he were to become its president.
Being the narcissistic megalomaniac that he is, the idea of getting rejected by the voters who gave him a chance must be terrifying for him.
5
Leadership by waffle. Most recent examples: his supposed trade sanctions with their exceptions, troop withdrawals from Syria, his faux strong reaction to the shootings in Florida and the almost immediate shift back to the NRA . . . there is not even a remote indication that these actions and declarations were given a moment's thought. The upcoming election cannot arrive soon enough.
Just as guilty are the Republicans in Congress who have turned their backs on America. They have redefined shame. Charles, our Congress deserves a tirade too.
3
People smarter than me have concluded that fear and love are humanity's basic, but antipodal, drives; all emotions come from one or the other. Rings true.
But the wisest wise guy ever -- Benedict de Spinoza -- insists that desire is our defining motivation. Standing on the comments of contributor Walter Rhett (below), I wonder if perhaps 45 fears mostly not realizing his desires. What if he doesn't get the golden ring, the prize egg, the jackpot at the end of the rainbow? Then his life would be a failure; he wouldn't get what he so richly deserves: to be king of the world and worshipped as such. That's something to be afraid of for a narcissist, one, like all of us, perhaps, driven primarily by desire.
[Written in the ongoing quest to figure out what human nature is by analyzing and evaluating our infamous test subject, the man in the goldfish bowl with the klieg lights always upon him: our enigmatic, perplexing, unique 45th president.]
2
"Never corner a fear-biter," my late sister, a veterinarian, used to say.
6
Trump reminds me of TV evangelists. Driven by ego and greed, they focus their message on the uneducated, superstitious and vulnerable. Like Trump, their main goal is to enrich themselves and their buddies.
3
Always look forward to your column. I would point out that Trump isn't afraid of complex thought. He's incapable of complex thought.
9
It is the fear the third rate despot has that makes me fearful of what insane and inane thing he will do next to feed his ego, boost his TV ratings and attempt to keep his rabid supporters riled.
His trade wars will cost the consumer at the checkout aisle. His alienation of our allies is shameful (which of our neighboring countries has he not insulted).
One of his achievements as reported in this publication is energizing his fellow third rate despots in attacking free speech and press due to his continuous attacks on media that does not heap great praise on him.
But, Trump does have his best friends on his favorite children’s network-and at times it appears that is where he receives his intelligence briefings, ideas and counsel-Fox Faux News and its merry band of tin foil hat talking heads.
Indeed Trump is driven by fear and we should be aware of that fear.
At times I long for the days of Nixon.
2
A CNN poll indicates rising support for Trump, enough to make him look reelectable. Perhaps he can keep the show running through November or even 2020?
2
There is nothing more dangerous than fear-based leadership. All dictators, including ours, have this paranoia thing as a primary mode of operation. Then when you add incompetence to the formula, the danger is compounded. Are we all trapped in a nightmare together or is this really happening?
Nice Easter message from Trump. Basically, go away "foreigners" who are not white. What next?!?
4
Not only is that statistics correct. There are two more. Latinos are less likely to commit felonies than native Americans and also fewer incarcerated. Pew Research
2
Fear is the natural outgrowth of a coddled, yet unloved, life.
Too lazy to actually work, his money enables him to purchase mediocre, at best, talent who soon tire of his bombast and insecurity even as they serve to bolster Trump's prejudices. Fit to lead the nation? Not at all and there is not enough money to allow him to buy his way out of this mess.
2
Apart from the scripted speeches and comments he makes his verbal communication always strikes me as plain confusing. Part of it I believe is due to a failure to master the English language and part is due to his innate incoherence Terrible lack of qualification for the role of a world leader.
4
On some visceral level Mr. Trump realizes that fear, division, and resentment got him elected... and so his every thought, word, and action plays into one or the other. I miss his predecessor's hope, unity, and compassion and hope to hear that message from both parties in the future. Our democracy depends on it.
7
I don't think Trump is driven by fear. I think instead he drives the fear. I think fear is his stock in trade. He attained power because enough people were afraid of immigrants and afraid that his opposition wanted to take away their guns and afraid that their evangelical beliefs were becoming undermined more every day. I doubt that he is sending troops to the southwest because he is afraid of invasion. Instead, I believe he is refueling the fear of others. Nothing encourages fear quite like having armed guards at your back door.
263
Why would evangelicals fear undermining of their beliefs? One's beliefs cannot be undermined because they are virtual, not actual, and entirely yours. Whatever I think or do cannot affect what you might choose to do. Is it more accurate to say evangelicals fear their beliefs will not INCREASE in penetrance into the larger population? They, just like Mr. Trump, crave adulation and fealty. Ever since high school, each of us wished to be part of the "in" crowd. For me, I favor the First Amendment which allow freedom of religion and, as a corollary, freedom from religion as well.
11
I was reminded the other day that there are only two human emotions that drive action, fear and love. Mr. Trump is certainly not acting out of love, something when true is selfless. Nope, Mr. Trump is only driven by fear, has always been driven by fear.
10
Do you believe that evangelicals do not feel that their beliefs are undermined by the growing acceptance of abortion or that their capacity to control the content of television shows and movies is no longer effective? You are citing the individual's control over personal core beliefs. I'm referring to the belief evangelicals as a group have that it is their duty to control the national morality.
I think Trump should use crowdfunding to build The Wall. Ann Coulter, Alex Jones, and other Wallies of means, could put in seed dollars to give the fund some pizzaz. Fox could advertise the effort and then all the supporters could pour in money. It would be very democratic don't you think.
8
I could have never imagined how one man, DJT, would have the destructive power he does to so quickly undermine and threaten our democracy.
Since the start of his campaign and since his election, countless articles have been written in these pages by Mr. Blow and others that have told us what we already know. That DJT is a horrible human being. Frankly, though true, it really gets us nowhere. DJT was elected and he continues in office.
Our current Congress has been shown to be worthless and worse yet, complicit, as it sits back and watches this all happen. My fantasy is to flush the whole lot of them.
But alas I know that is not possible. I can only hope that more readers of these pages feel as I do make every attempt to vote in candidates in the mid terms and 2020 election who will do their sworn duty to uphold the constitution of the United States.
20
Many people claimed that the Russians interfered in Trump's election because Putin wanted a puppet installed in the White House. But, it now looks like the puppet master is Ann Coulter. She pulled his strings, and Trump started dancing like a madman. Mr. Blow is correct: Trump is consumed by fear. If he loses Coulter and her ilk, he'll have lost it all. He has no choice but to keep dancing and dancing.
4
Sadly, Mr. Blow, Ann C. is the person who advised trump to put the National Guard on the Mexican border to, once again, throw red meat to his base. This is not a good sign as of yet. Deems need to focus on how the red states were betrayed by trumps trade war and where are the jobs?
4
The only fear Trump experiences is that of losing his base.
The promised wall was easy - a real visual aid to define the xenophobic hatred and excuse used by him and his base for all the nation's ills. The Coulter interview blew open the empty promise so Trump just doubled down on the rhetoric and threw strongman tactics at the lie. That WILL appease the murmuring base for now.
Congress is on vacay, the budget has been signed so Trump just needs to lay low and distract with other stuff. This time he chose China and trade.
Trump is still the master of his universe. He is still directing and starring in his daily TV reality show and gets the best ratings ever. The script is written every morning by Fox Fake News and Trump quickly learns his lines and begins his day. This is the scary part. This is how Trump is governing our country. From Fox News to tweet. That is Trump's entire thought process.
Trump has gotten rid of all staff who might have insisted upon old fashioned governance, you know, like policy papers, history, debate and discussion.
The main stream media, nay all of America's social media is following Trump's lead. Trump defines and runs the daily narrative. His name still dominates the day's headlines based upon his tweets. At most he worries for 48 hours before he is able to change the talking point.
This guy is a master 21st century con man and his game is still going strong. He's got gorilla glue with his base.
246
I believe the author hit the nail on the head. I have seen Mr. Blow several times on Bill Maher, and agree 100% with his assessment of Donald Trump.
He is mortified by fear, and I mean many kinds. It is noticeable to even a casual observer; however, upon closer inspection, it is very clear: Trump is mortified by fear - his actions show this to be true.
He does it over and over again. I would like to make my own (possible) reasons for his present behavior, based on his prior actions;. Even further back, his upbringing.
Alas, I am no psychologist. That said, I am a student of the human condition. I love NYC. I lived there for almost 3 decades, and in doing so, I saw and met more 5 to 10 times more people than if I had not (lived there).
My point is, he is a very fearful person. That is a scary thing for everyone in the US, and even more so for the rest of this planet.
I think all of this makes him incredibly dangerous. Throughout history, most wars have begun because people were scared. Most fear is based on the simple truth that you will lose something you have, or not receive something you want.
In his case, it is hard to discern between what he wants and needs. This in itself raises caution flags across this globe, and the rightly. When you combine fear with a reactionary personality, it is quite a volatile mixture.
2
Given that Coulter was wrong in her predictions of Trump's greatness, I wouldn't put much stock in her new predictions. There has always been too much noise, too much lying and too little coherence around Trump -- if his supporters couldn't see it before, they probably won't see it now.
5
Thank you for this, Charles. It's among your very best.
10
He's the third President to send troops to the border, so sop feigning surprise.
It is however a waste of money since all the facts point to its not being needed.
As to the rest, you are correct, and some of what he's doing is very warm comfort indeed to dictators and autocrats around the word in addition to the wounds President Russia Nutso is doing almost daily to most of us.
1
You or correct. Last president that was this paranoid was Nixon. I think the similarities are staggering. The primary difference was that Nixon was smart and Trump is missing out on this ingredient. It also took Nixon to his second term and Trump won't make a second term. I don't think the country will be dumb enough to give him a second chance.
5
Charles, I read most you column thinking it was adding nothing to the conversation. Anyone who does not consider Trump an infant terrible at this point is not persuadable. While I generally agree with your assessment of Trump's character, I find this constant psychoanalysis of Trump by pundits posing as psychiatrists of little value beyond catharsis for their liberal readers. However, near the very end you hit on something that I think deserves more attention. I believe that Trump's whole stick has a limited shelf life. I do not think he will be reelected. By all historical precedent he should be, but I think at least 20 percent of his voters will tire of his antics and constant drama before 2020. And this is the biggest reason the Republicans are in trouble. At the same moment when Democratic fury is reaching a fevered pitch, Trump fatigue is beginning to set in.
4
Every day, he does something to stoke Democrats' fury, which, hopefully, will drive them to the polls in November.
1
Trump has shown what he can do to his country. Now his country needs to show Trump what it can do to him.
29
The fear pours out of Trump and affects me tremendously . I checked and psychologically that phenomenon is called emotional contagion . His base , in my opinion , suffers from it also . A normal person in Trump’s position would be churning and grinding emotionally inside . At his age and poor physical shape a serious health issue might be imminent .
1
Fear is the basis of hatred, and the biggest factor in envy, vanity, and guilt. One of the many things that I liked about Obama, the antithesis of Trump, is that as president Obama was fearless.
6
TRUMP HAS A SERIOUS NPD problem. Read what the Mayo Clinic says about NPD;
narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they're not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships unfulfilling, and others may not enjoy being around them.
Treatment for narcissistic personality disorder centers around talk therapy (psychotherapy).
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and the severity of symptoms vary. People with the disorder can:
Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration
Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerate achievements and talents
Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people
Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior
Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations
Take advantage of others to get what they want
Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
6
Your clarity, again, makes me weep. Will this country ever recover?
4
Given Trump's sudden refocusing on keeping his "build that wall" campaign promise, it's clear he also reads the NY Times, or at least Frank Bruni. I've finally found something I have in common with the president.
1
I am quite disappointed! First let me say this, I didn't vote for him but I was hoping to see disruptions of the establishment and the administrative state. Instead, I see destruction of the country. Enough is enough. Just try to look at the bright side. (1) Christianitianity preached by Evangelical Christianitians is so fake! Where is their moral high ground? Christianitianity in this country is down to gay marriage and abortion. Evangelical Christianitians have lost their principles and they only care about Supreme Court Justices. (2) GOP is becoming a joke! Paul Ryan should not run again if he still has an inch of decency left. Where are the pride, integrity, decency, character and morality? How could these people still go to church on Sunday and pretend everything is normal?
Finally, Ivanka and Jared should really start working on plan B to save the Presidency and their business empires. (1) Make peace with North Korea on a good term so Trump and Kim will win Noble Peace Prize. (2) Negotiate with China to open their market and to force them following the international laws. (3) Push immigration reform through by legalizing DACA people but limit chain migration and eliminate green card lottery. Also immigration should be based on merits. (4) Open up infrastructures to private investments and fund those undesirable but necessary projects through government supports.
However, I am not hopeful. This is probably the worst presidency in the history of this country. Sad!
2
I am curious as to what you and others mean when they say they want to see “disruptions in the administrative state.” It seems to me that without a viable government, which can work only through civil servants and an administrative structure, we would be left with anarchy and a banana republic - a nation of men, not laws. Indeed, the Trump “I alone can fix it” mentality leads to the disruption of the administrative state. Be careful what you wish for.
2
Mr Blow is absolutely correct but leaves out the corollary to Trump's fears as well as the fix to our current dilemma.
Trump, much as I detest him and his apologists, is a fighter for his personal survival. His fear drives him to actions that any normal, thinking person would find reprehensible. Trump will throw anyone and everyone under the bus to escape personal punishment or humiliation.
Unfortunately for Americans, the most likely punishment and humiliation for Trump looming on the horizon is Mr Mueller. Since the consequences for Trump of Mr Mueller's investigation will be life changing, Trump will become ever the more cunning in his otherwise irrational actions. Diversion, throwing red meat to his base, are just the starters.
Which once again raises the stakes for Congress and for the American electorate.
By now it should be obvious to any thinking person that republican politicians have become complicit in Trump's actions, least of all his likely coordination of actions with Russian oligarchs on a wide range of money laundering and campaign dirty tricks.
The only way to curb this irrationality is to vote republicans out of office. At every level of governance. The republican party must learn that the country's democracy matters more than their cultural civil war. The only way they will learn is to lose elections.
591
Spot on: REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!
23
Trump doesn't deserve to survive.
10
Maybe the media should take a one day break and not mention Trump in any way, shape or form, unless we have a national emergency.
Just imagine, one day without anyone liking or sharing his tweets, one day without Trump in the news, online, cable or print, one day without the stress this creature is inflicting on our country.
Trump's obsession with himself will be unable to handle this and hopefuly, his dementia will be so obvious that no one ignore it.
33
I have been critical in the past of his Draft Board for excusing him from military service on account of his phoney-baloney bone spurs.
But it turns out, I was wrong and owe them an apology.
They knew exactly what they were doing when they concluded that this man wasn’t fit for military duty.
7
This is no way to run a country, unless your intention is to run it into the ground." ~ Asked and answered.
Trump is the distraction. The government has continued to move in ONE solid direction, a fascist, oligarchical state. There was a time when this country had a 2 party system, but not for a number of years now. The military/industrial complex is firmly entrenched. The "Dems" whine about the GOP and vice versa when the balance shifts, but the government has stayed a true course for many years, regardless of who is in charge. Education, Transportation, Electric grid, Potable water distribution have ALL deteriorated since the Sixties. The only thing that has not is the Military. The American dream is dead.
WE are unsustainable in the current state we are in today.
2
This column is exactly on target. Fear is at the root of Trump's decision making. He never wants to do the right thing or the decent thing no less the honorable thing. He doesn't think ahead of what the consequences of his actions will be nor does he care. We are in a nightmare every day we wake up.
1
Beautifully and poetically said! Thank you.
1
"He is afraid of diversity of thought — or complex thought, for that matter — so he churns through members of his administration."
Thought, Charles. No adjectives, no modifying phrases necessary. Trump fears thought. We all fear that of which we are incapable.
3
I submit that guilt plays no part in his emotions. He clearly has never felt bad about anything he has done.
3
Yes, his severely dysfunctional personality craves and creates opposition and antagonism ... instead of creativity, problem solving, improving relationships, it thrives on chaos and conflict ... this will continue (it is deep seated psychologically) and these problems may synergistically reinforce each other ... the great thing is that new positive energies are arising to counter it at all levels ...
2
I doubt that Mr. Trump, who once observed that he could murder someone in cold blood without losing support, is fearful of losing his base. If he doesn't "deliver," well, Republicans have been running against the system they largely control for many years. Mr. Trump does, however, make policy "from the podium," as Mr. Blow points out. Fox & the right wing media jerk his chain, and he does the same for his supporters.
The truth is that Fox and its imitators have been driving the Republican party for a long time. The establishment GOP have rarely hesitated to benefit from the conspiracy theories and lies (Senator McCain's insistence to a supporter that Obama was a Christian being the only exception I can recall). The rest of us have pretended that there existed some undefined line of integrity separating the GOP's establishment politicians, and its voters, from the crackpots on the airwaves. The installation of one of the silliest crackpots in the White House, with his party's support, should make us question our assumptions. Mr. Pence and Mr. McConnell have, if anything, less integrity than Mr. Trump, since they may be smart enough to know better. Yet we blame Mr. Trump for what the country had become long before he declared his candidacy. So what motivates us? Is it fear? Or are we, along with the Republican base, simply fighting the battles that Fox & Mr. Trump sell us?
3
Nearly all fear is justified. Irrational fear is just normal fear magnified by neurosis and hatred, often based in self hatred.
What made America great was the conquering of fear. What is bringing it down is our capitulation to it.
Trump represents the same fear that drives America's racism, its gun obsession. His racism is the justifiable fear of strangers, magnified by lack of compassion and curiosity. The scary thing is that the one thing he is not afraid of is the truth. The truth is a hot house orchid which he tramples on in golf shoes. He conquered truth long ago, and his greatest asset to his fans is that he gets away with it.
3
I agree with your thesis except for one detail. Why do put the word “alas” in the last sentence? It is not only out of sync with the sentiments f the article, it is plain wrong. If American democracy has any chance of work, it will require that voters who were suckered by Trump’s hollow rhetoric (sic) finally vote responsibly.
Trump is frightened? So am I, man. When George W. Bush was elected, I was mildly concerned because I considered it the first time in my life that I might be more intelligent than the President. I found that preposterous. I cried out, “This should never be!” Then Obama came along. “A president younger than I!” It took his first term before I was comfortable with that.
Now, like Charles, I fear for America and it’s Constitution, because I KNOW that, as a lawyer, ex-Foreign Service Officer, ex-immigration petition adjudicator, and ex-assistant district attorney, I am more competent to run the US government that the guy who calls himself President. This should never be!
3
Don't forget that policy seems to be driven now by Ann Coulter's derisive columns and the latest talking points from Fox & Friends. With Republicans shirking their duty to rein in the most unfit chief executive in the nation's history, it has become critical that the Democrats retake the House in November.
1
Mr. Blow, your statement that Democrats will move to impeach if they win either the House or Senate, or both, is incorrect. Nancy Pelosi has vigorously made it clear that she will NOT take impeachment up in the House, and I can’t picture Chuck Schumer fighting her on it in the Senate. They both practice kumbaya/turn the other cheek politics and will say they should move on “for the good of the country.” Too much faith is put in them, and Robert Mueller. It’s entirely likely that Rod Rosenstein, and subsequently Paul Ryan, will suppress any findings they are presented with by Mueller, and the American people will never know the extent to which their president is not only incompetent, but compromised by a foreign country.
Good article Mr. Blow-The truly shameful thing about this Presidency isn’t the minions that have entrusted their faith in a showman is the silent GOP Congress and Senate-I have a feeling we will be limping into the November elections-
1
Charles, you are hopeful that "burnout is inevitable" when it comes to Trump. But I believe you are sadly mistaken in this regard. Please read the article in yesterday's Washington Post, in which Trump's aides "say Trump is more confident in his job than at any other point in his 14 months as president and feels empowered to act upon things he has long wanted to do." https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-easy-campaign-promises-ru....
Per usual, The Post interviewed many WH insiders, who described Trump as "emboldened," "freed from the caution of former advisors" and citing "rising poll numbers in recent weeks as a reason he should do it his own way" (even though his poll numbers are actually falling). He "remains pleased he made the moves" to start a trade war and "there is little evidence that any of the resistance [to his moves] has caused Trump to rethink his decision to refocus his administration on . . . nationalist policies . . ."
So, rather than experiencing burnout, Trump is even more energized and determined to do things "his way." Doesn't this article ring true to you? It does to me.
Every single day under the administration of this Dumpster-Fire-In-Chief president has been worse than the day before. Based on this latest reporting, if we think things have been bad up until now, we need to think again. And VOTE.
1
"I have never thought I would be quoting the hideous Ann Coulter in agreement, but one thing she told my colleague Frank Bruni last week was correct: His former supporters, whom he has disappointed, will feel betrayed and vindictive."
And how will his former supporters show their vindictiveness? By voting for someone more insane and more evil than Trump. Trump was not evil enough for them. His supporters feel emboldened and will not go quietly into the night.
2
Never elect or marry a needy man with "Daddy" issues who craves being "loved" but is constantly fearful that he doesn't measure up to "Daddy's" expectations and doubles down on the obnoxiousness and ignorance that makes him even more unlovable.
4
In most real world systems, the input into the system leads to an output from the system with some modifications that take place because of the internal characteristics of the system. Trump's primary inputs are Fox News and the sycophants who populate Mar-a-lago hoping to curry favor. What the country is getting in output is pure Fox News that is massaged a little by his pals at the Winter White House. In Trump world, this constitutes "governance."
2
Mr. Blow, you speak the truth, but the problem now isn't Trump himself, it's the complicit GOP Congress that allows this abomination of a "presidency" to continue unchecked. We all know that had Hillary been accused of ONE of the many unethical and immoral acts that trump has actually DONE, she' d have been impeached in a heartbeat. Almost as disappointing is the Democratic Party's almost eerie silence about him as well.
7
I have noticed that president Trump is actually correct in one of his pronouncements: The rest of the world is laughing at us.
6
The most amazing thing about the Trump presidency is that the Country has survived it for15 months.
It's amazing that the stock market hasn't collapsed, that someone hasn't invaded us, that he hasn't gone Full-Trump and declared martial law.
It's doubtful that the Country has ever in the past survived this long a stretch without even a modicum of genuine leadership.
We have survived, it would seem, 15 months on nothing but bluster.
Kind of amazing when you think about it.
2
That we as a country established a merit based Civil Service has much to do with that.
I was in DC in mid-March for my mother’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetary. My visit allowed me to join in with the kids as the marched to the Capitol Building 3/14/18.
I noted to members of the Capitol Police force about their professionalism — a level I aspire to achieve. I noted that too with the staff at the Library of Congress, a place I knew I could seek momentary refuge from Trump.
2
Bill,
I do not dispute your anecdotal experiences but I believe that the only thing presently keeping democracy in play is the members of the responsible media.
Without that, we have no serious opposition to the daily assaults.
Trump's has many, many demons. It's certainly plausible that fear is his primary driver, but all his impulses appear to come from a very dark place. How about sadism -- deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others. Ask Andrew McCabe about that.
Trump reportedly believes he is hitting his stride as "president" and feels more confident in trusting his gut. He's not, and he shouldn't. There will be no turning point for Trump; he can't be "fixed." He will only get worse until he implodes. Or we do.
3
Fear? It sure isn't political fear.
He is the only president I'm aware of, that has publicly suggested dealing with the national debt. He sacrifices his comforts for what he believes, and continues to strive for everyday -- as he is now. Consider his very health; threatened by Progressive and jihadi whack jobs, along with the desperate tactics of a paranoid establishment.
1
Goodness. You understand he has "dealt with the national debt" by signing a tax cut that will send it soaring, right?
2
It's been obvious all along that Trump is afraid. The only way to make himself feel bigger is to tear down anyone, if not everyone, else. He's an empty, sad little man who could be pitied if he weren't so dangerous.
4
Trumps emotional makeup is his greatest weakness and our country’s greatest threat. As you say when the attention goes so goes any rational judgment.
At this point he will be the most dangerous man in the world. Since he became president I have felt this sense of dread constantly hovering over our future and now it is all to real, his demons are slowly closing in and for the first time I see the worst may be the inevitable.
1
Trump's is being driven by fear right off a moral cliff. He is being investigated by the best defenders of our laws in the world while he is consumed by avarice and a career spent in the shadows of an immoral life.
May justice prevail.
3
Mr. Trump is that old sotted curmudgeon at the end of the bar raving about anything and everything. Whatever we do, he will remain chained to his delusions, baying at the moon.
We can easily choose to leave the bar and perhaps find another respite. But leaving this country is very difficult and leaving the planet is impossible.
Just as the curmudgeon's drinking and warped visions will do him in, so will Mr. Trump's rants. We can only hope the damage to the countries of the world including ours will not be irreparable after his death or departure for cause.
2
I lived through Breznev’s Politburo and submissive East European dictatorships, then through Perestroika followed by transition from totalitarian state to one run by the mafia enabled by former communist party members. I have seen a thing or two in my life so far. The Fox and Sinclair networks are a close match to the media and propaganda machine of the former USSR and the Eastern Block. However, they don’t and shouldn’t be just because of the fact that we live in a free country and are entitled to freedom of speech and assembly. The very existence and success of media establishments like Fox and Sinclair is scary, because it shows how many people want to live in an alternative reality fed by fear, hatred and crazy conspiracy theories of all kinds. And now we have a zombie-lunatic-bigot for president, supported and advised by his own kind and enabled by unpatriotic and greedy politicians, who is running the country into the ground before our eyes. Ideologically this is as ugly as it was 30 years ago, way back in the communist countries.
3
Your assessment of Trump is on point as usual, Mr. Blow. I would disagree in one small respect -- I think the ruling emotion of this grotesqueness is hatred, not fear. I will never forget the monstrous canard he told about President Obama's place of birth. To me that should have been a capital offense. You should not be able to attack the political stability of the country with a demonstrable lie under the guise of "free speech."
That lie alone is all the proof we need that he is rotten to the core. That is all we should focus on, day after day. He should not be allowed to move on from that.
7
Hatred and fear are two sides of the same coin. Fear is the impetus, hatred the fuel, and Trump is the flame that sets it all on fire.
There's a sort of euphoric mania that sets in when watching huge fires burn things to the ground, but who has and will maintain passion for the renewal. Trump and his supporters? I doubt it. Arsonists love the fire, rarely stick around for the clean up.
It's hard to look away when your house is on fire. I know. As a kid I watched our farmhouse burn to the ground, felt the exhilaration, the power and beauty of that fire, not even registering that we had to find another place to sleep that night.
4
Yes, it's all been about fear.
But more so on the part of Trump's supporters and voters than on Trump's.
Trump's got plenty of fears, I'm sure, probably starting with what might be revealed by Russian kompromat--but we wouldn't have to be much concerned with any of it if it weren't for the fears of the voters who got him into office.
Apparently, those voters fear a black/brown/female/LGBTQ planet; they fear the loss of the economic and racial privileges they took for granted for a long time, and they fear having to rapidly adjust to a rapidly changing world. And the fear has been very motivating, whereas the need for dealing with reality has not.
A lot of pundits think Trump got elected on the idea of "draining the swamp" and disrupting the status quo, doing things differently. I'll submit he got elected on "back to the future"--bringing things back to the way they were in the good old days, when blue collar white men had industrial jobs (and non-white blue collar people didn't), when sexual "weirdos" knew their place (generally, in the closet or at the bottom of a ravine), when never was heard a word of Spanish, when everyone went to church, when men were men, women were women (and livestock was nervous).
Fear, of course, can be turned to anger by the proper demagogue--fear of THEM turned to repression of THEM. We have yet to see if fear OF that fear motivates others to the type of anger expressed in ballots to the extent the original fear apparently did.
4
Pancho Villa is currently amassing hundreds of banditos and an invasion of Laredo is imminent.
9
.....paging General Pershing....
2
Mr. Rothstein - I really enjoy your sense of humor as much as the intelligence of your comments. You, Socrates and Gemli keep me going some days - thanks!
2
Mr. Blow, Thanks for the spot on analysis. In Trump’s orbit, you have to do something, anything to keep the focus on him. Facts have nothing to do with it especially when your followers get all their news from TV (Fox) and don’t read newspapers.
Trust me, there is a reckoning coming this November and water carriers like Paul Ryan know it because he hasn’t declared that he’s running for re-election.
The “house” is burning down and Trump is the person in the theatre trying to get your attention by yelling fire. Although in this case, it’s to take your attention away from his awful policy decisions like blowing up NAFTA, rolling back automobile mileage goals and going after our trading partners with tariffs which will accomplish nothing accept depleting your 401K stock holdings. Mueller has to be waiting until we get closer to November before he reveals what he’s got on Trump. I’m betting it’s “huge.”
313
Alas, the blue wave predicted by talking heads will be blunted by the severe gerrymandering that still exists along with red state efforts to suppress the vote. If Democrats want to win they need to turn out over 50% of the vote. That has rarely been done even when people voted enthusiastically for Obama! Oh, some seats will be won, but I suspect that not enough to stall this incompetent President or even to impeach.
12
Pat, I hope you are right, but the reckoning can't come soon enough. I really don't see Paul Ryan not running for re-election and the barriers to Democrats taking over in some States, like Ohio are huge.
Meanwhile States like Ohio are passing laws detrimental to fair voting, the environment, education and women's rights.
17
Hope you are correct!!! Please encourage voter registration everywhere you go and to everyone you speak with who is also appalled. Carry voter registration forms to give out.
10
""In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
In 1981 Ronald Reagan made the above statement in his inaugural address and in doing so he set this country on the path which led us to a man like Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States. It gave the GOP permission to begin the dismantling of our government in favor of the oligarchs ruling our entire country. The payoff for many citizens was that they found something to blame for their problems along with a righteous and, most often misguided anger, at a changing world. This anger gave us Newt Gingrich, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and the many GOP politicians who have successfully built a career on destroying the Federal Government.
I never forget for one moment that as awful as Donald Trump might be he does not exist in a vacuum. As painful and frightening as Trump is we all need to remember why he is President as he could not exist without the politicians who have worked steadily for decades to destroy our democracy. The question is will Americans stand up and take back democracy? Will we understand the painful lessons of now and change course? Our future as a cohesive and free country depends on what we do from this point - The Donald is simply the result of the anger of the right along with too much apathy from the good people of this country.
62
Yes, the Reagan quote is now the catechism of most Americans, and we are all lessened by it.
12
Well stated. Thank you for pointing out that Trump is failing even as the fall guy. Being merely a symptom that personifies the disease, he exposes what the Republican Party has been doing to this country for almost 40 years: subverting government.
10
Pulling out of the ME, is a good thing. We have to understand we have no business being in that region of the world, when we have so many pressing domestic issues to deal with, assign resources to. We also have to understand that ISIS and such forces exist as a reaction to western presence in the ME. The moment we withdraw, they will have nothing to react to. Same goes for Israel, if they really want to live and breathe peacefully in a small country surrounded by perceived hostile forces, all they need to do is withdraw their over reach into Palestine and leave them alone.
7
Your idea of "fear" is my idea of wanting to deliver on all of those policies that he promised he would either accomplish or support. Disliking failure is something most politicos only associate with getting re-elected unlike the president.
3
I had found it confusing that a man who lies so much actually tells the truth. I now think of it this way: he tells us truthfully what he intends to do and then makes up stories to justify and garner approval for doing it. His intent, however, is instinctive and not based on experience in the current arenas; the more absurd the instinct the more absurd the stories to support it.
30
The Bruni- Coulter interview was a game changer for Trump. Coulter knows how to play his fiddle. After watching the interview, it was predictable how Trump would react, and he didn't disappoint her. She wrote the script and he delivered the performance. Coulter must be swooning with a sense of her own power. Who's running this country?
281
More Wall in certain areas makes some sense as does careful humane immigration and naturalization policy. Why not impose a tax on all personal incomes one million or more, also a death tax on estates over twenty million (joint) and use the proceeds to build a protective barrier along parts of the border? Also, use proceeds to set up a fund to assist those countries south of the border unable to control population growth and violence.
19
How about a tax on all personal remissions to foreign countries instead. That way those benefiting pay and anybody coming has less of a reason to do so. We already have massive issues controlling our population growth and violence, address them first and allow foreign countries to do that themselves.
1
Also, how about Mexico pays for this wall, as Trump promised they would? (Yes, this is sarcasm.) Why are we even entertaining this?
7
The "massive issues" in America are not population growth or violence by immigrants (population isn't growing much, but is becoming less white -- thus your fear -- and immigrants have lower crime levels than native whites). Our greatest threat is a terminally malicious Republican Party and its cult of Trump.
11
"More Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico than have migrated to the United States since the end of the 2007-2009 Great Recession, according to a recent report from Pew Research Center."
So build your wall, Trump. It will be a lasting monument to your demagoguery, and thus to the darkest period in the nation's history. Hopefully not a monument to our final days, although that will be determined in November.
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Yes, the wall designed to prevent entry, will also inhibit exit. Defies logic but where in our government do we find logic?
28
How foolish you can easily leave at any border control point.
Not only in our government but among too many citizens of our country, the (will try to be kind) "intellectually incurious" ones. Michael's fact is probably of little surprise to most readers of this media outlet but I would bet my bottom dollar that it has never been mentioned on the "news(ish) outlets" that too many of our fellow citizens rely on.
If there is good news, it is that Trump's mindless, manic and erratic thrashing around and lashing out is beginning to concern if not anger people far more important and potent when it comes to his future as president and as a businessman after he leaves office. Because he literally does not know what he is doing or comprehend the interconnected nuances of the economy, foreign or domestic policy or the overlap in seemingly opposed political interests, he is alarming if not offending important interests from Wall Street to Main Street. Once they decide his time is up, no amount of appeals to his never-large base of 'deplorables' will save him. And the revenge they will take against his & his family's business interests after he is out of office will not be pretty.
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The Trump's and Kushner's should be afraid, very afraid.
12
I suppose you feel strongly about karma in this lifetime...for all. I wouldn't hold my breath.
3
We can only hope! Revenge is sometimes sweet!
15
Week-in and week-out, Mr. Blow writes about and promotes fear - fear of each other, fear of one group against another. Fear.
I have frequently visited the USA and have lived there for almost 10 years. Each day, people get along well, by and large. How about writing about that?
6
Reality and things that actually matter are not worthy of his or almost anybody here attention.
1
Mr. Blow is harsh in much of his criticism, especially in his criticism of Trump. But he does not promote fear. That apparently is one of the functions of the executive branch - at least under the Trump regime.
Yeah, I get along with my neighbors in general. But that’s hardly news. We have a manic egotist creating potential chaos literally every single day. Mr. Blow reports on that, and he criticizes that. And I say, “Good for him!”
11
Just because we’re getting along and not digging bomb shelters in our back yards doesn’t mean that we’re not fearful. I do manage to keep going and get along publicly but I'm constantly aware that my "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are dependent on a the whims of a madman who encourages us by word and example that we need to fear black people, brown people and anyone who has more guns than us.
10
Can we afford these ploys to fool his base The cost is huge. The federal government will pay the cost of National Guard soldiers deployed at the border. That will not be a small sum, and what about the cost to these soldiers full time civilian employers?
April is the month that many of our farmers and contractors and developers begin to need the migrant workers, doing jobs that Americans don't want or unable to fill.
We will feel the cost of higher food costs , higher home costs, and delays in needed maintenance.
100
The silver lining on that National Guard dark cloud expense is that the government is sending out cash to working folks in the Guard; that type of person is exactly who can and will use it to stimulate the economy, unlike the fat cats who invest overseas perhaps, if at all.
1
"April is the cruelest month..."
t s eliot
4
If I remember correctly, already last summer some farmers were unable to find U.S. citizens willing to harvest crops at the 'slave wages' desperate immigrants were forced to accept so some crops were left rotting in the fields of from tree branches. This year farmers are even more likely to face this scenario. I agree that farmers are likely to raise the cost of crops they sell to our food industries. But isn't it also likely that the cost of imported produce will jump as well? Oh! That's right! DTs can solve THAT problem by inflicting tariffs on foreign exporters of crops! ;-) Silly me.
11
Mr. Blow writes, "We now have a president whose actions are governed by emotions: envy, vanity, guilt, hatred and, chief among them, fear." That statement could have been written about past presidents, Richard Nixon, in particular. Bits and pieces of that statement could be applied to all presidents past in one way or another. But for me and many other Americans, Donald J. Trump was the best choice in November 2016, the lesser of two evils. I view his call for a "Wall" as symbolic; I personally doubt that it will be built, but it shows that he is serious about immigration reform which the USA needs more than ever. Had Hillary Rodham Clinton been elected, what barriers that now exist along the border probably would have been removed and replaced by big welcome mats and banners and voter registration tables. I support the President. I support Trump! Thank you.
7
The "border wall" was & is a deliberate campaign sop code term to an emotional base to solve a "problem" that in reality was & is nowhere close to the biggest or most immediate issue faced by the country.
I'd hazard a guess most people would be more concerned with *actual* chaos, gross mismanagement, & unnecessary war-mongering (trade or otherwise), as opposed to any imagined boogeymen conjured up in a campaign frenzy designed to appeal to thinking-by-viscera instead of thinking-by-brain as the Creator intended.
15
Had Hillary Clinton been elected, the USA would not have been the laughing stock of the world it is now, the borders would have been as secure as they are now, and we’d have better health insurance and a stronger middle and working class, not to mention the political will to ensure our social safety net.
22
Southern Boy's comment shows that it's fear that also drives Trump voters - fear of our country being overwhelmed by immigrants. I think that's a big reason many Trump supporters are in the south, they're on the 'front lines' of immigration. Democrats would do well to take their concerns seriously.
7
"And he is probably afraid that the Democrats could gain control of the House, which would increase the possibility of impeachment proceedings should Mueller reveal something damning."
Who is this kidding? Democrats have made it clear that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for impeachment.
That may or may not be wise, but it is what Dems are selling with everything they've got.
12
It is what true Americans are resisting about, and this presidency will either ruin Trump or ruin America. You can't save democracy from a fascist unless you oppose him.
5
If not impeachment, investigations.
5
"Democrats have made it clear that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for impeachment". Really, Mark Thomason?
Democrats know that this country has a nit-wit. uninformed, dangerous wannabe banana Republic autocrat in the Oval Office, one who lacks any semblance of complex or critical thinking, while at the same time enriching himself and his mob like family on the backs of the tax payers'.
What Democrats are and have been actually "selling", if you paid attention, is that this country lacks far behind other advanced nations with stable social safety nets, e.g. universal healthcare, free higher education, job security, fair pay, K-12 education, etc., etc. But all that is considered being socialism pure if not even pinko policies in Republican circles.
On the other hand the US of A has the great honor of being Numero One in inequality of all advanced nations. USA, USA, USA.
10
Thank you Charles Blow for stating so clearly the core of what drives Trump. Fear-based thinking comes from our limbic system, an important part of our being, though when in over-drive prevents us from using the more evolved part of our brain, the cerebral cortex. Fear results in strong feelings and sensations that seem real, but are not always true. Fear closes us from accessing compassion, spontaneity, creativity, and communication - all things we need to navigate the complex reality of humankind. Here’s to hope that his example awakens more wisdom in all of us.
151
'Pavlov said the dogs were demonstrating classical conditioning: there's a neutral stimulus (the bell), which by itself will not produce a response-salivation. There's also a non-neutral or unconditioned stimulus (the food), which will produce an unconditioned response -salivation'...
15
"Not even the most ardent Trumpsters can maintain their enthusiasm, even if they maintain their support."
The thing is, all of that was already clearly visible _before_ Mr. Trump was elected. Yet they elected Mr. Trump, and continue to support him. The only conclusion I can come to given that, is that the defects clearly manifest in Mr. Trump's character and in his administration are the _feature_, not the bug, as far as Mr. Trump's supporters (who continue to support him nevertheless) are concerned.
To all who thought that becoming President of the United States improves your character, I can only hope that now you see that the office doesn't improve your character; it reveals or exposes your character. A certain Michelle Obama was once known to have said something like that.
342
an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:45
1
The problem for the presidential huckster is the product never quite works the way you advertise it. In the old days, the seller of useless potions would just move on. His "customers" left holding the bag with no recourse for the sugar water they found useless. Now you have a guy who has advertised his "product" (insert tariffs, border walls, troop withdrawal) will give them the answer to their prayers. And when it turns out the "product" creates more problems than it solves, you simply empty the bottles the shelves and sell hot air instead. And the reason all this works is because in town after town, there will always be a crowd that "comes right on up" to take advantage of the cure that will change their lives. And when Professor Trumpo leaves town, they will tell their friends how much better they feel. No matter how much their joints still ache.
180
Ahhh, yes, the Politico Placebo Effect! It’s as alive and well as today’s versions of snake oil. I would name a few, but true believers will attack me with anecdotes and testimonials--such is the way of the interwebs.
10
Nice comment. It's occurred to me many times that Trump is not such a revolutionary new persona in America, but is simply a 19th century character, the con man, transplanted from door-to-door sales to national politics. Americans have always been fascinated by this type (consider Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man"), and forget that these con men usually leave a wake of economic and psychological destruction. Your comment captures that well. Thank you.
14
DJT is the “as seen on TV” president.
7
Mr. Blow points out that we are all subject to “the erratic whims of an egomaniac.” More precisely, we are subject to the erratic whims of a willfully uninformed egomaniac with a serious personality disorder. Many politicians are egomaniacs, but have the mental and emotional stability to make informed decisions pursuant to facts and the wise counsel of others. We are in uncharted territory with Trump, especially since the Republican Party seems content to expose us to the extraordinary danger posed by his erratic and ignorant impulses.
412
Charles Blow has nailed the paradox of Trump's personality: the greater the lie, the greater the fear it will be exposed.
This is a man who knows he can get away with many "little" lies, as long as he holds on to his hard-core base who love Trump's rabid rhetoric more than his "wins," such as they are.
But now his biggest campaign promise, the useless and costly wall, serves as a metaphor for his entire presidency: it's such overreach financially and politically that it remains perpetually out of reach.
So this failure to deliver strikes fear in Trump's soul just as the Russia investigation does. Only he knows exactly what he did; his behavior betrays desperation that it never see the light of day.
The more Trump feels cornered, the greater the terror of many like myself, wondering what additional mayhem he can unleash--war, firing the special counsel, autocratic crackdowns, civil unrest.
While we still have our freedom, I hope the fear Trump generates among voters far exceeds his own desperation, driving record turnout this November and dramatic results for the opposition.
533
Well said!
11
The Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov proved that many of us are not deep thinkers, but respond to direct stimuli. Link that stimuli to pleasure or profit--to a perceived benefit--and the mob can be programmed without a thought to consequences or the future. Action becomes a reflex.
Intelligence is marked by spontaneity--but not impulse! Impulse invites dangers by ignoring dead ends, declines, and difficulties to assume everything is easy, once the bell is rung. Intelligence knows better. But the bell that tolls for Trump and for many has conditioned them to popular narratives of comfort: racism, easy blame, privileged victims (the real ones are denied), the media misidentifies as anger.
*Part 2 below.
70
The point: each President follows a bell, an internal one that rings. Each leader rings a bell, one that summons society. American leadership is a tale of two bells, two narratives; one that looks forward to wider opportunities; one that looks to power and places barriers to progress. But new bell ringing relies on deception; it peals that barriers are progress, that limits increase everyone's chances, that inclusion is not winning, that deception is no different than any other bell.
Trump is a blind mule following his instincts. He has bells in his head. It is not reasonable to measure him by reason or rationality, but to see him exactly as he is.
Wishful thinking is winsome, but it suffers from the same flight from reality that signifies Trump. Brutal honesty removes the barriers to clarity, not musings or sensitivity. Brutal honesty tells us Trump loves the alarms, the bell ringing of power, money, greed, ego, and bragging about empty victories. It's time for us to stop repeating the obvious. The bell of liberty demands we take a stand (make a plan!) to vote him out and rang a new bell of honor and wisdom, of peace and prosperity, different Pavlovian harmony.
81
'Pavlov said the dogs were demonstrating classical conditioning: there's a neutral stimulus (the bell), which by itself will not produce a response-salivation.
There's also a non-neutral or unconditioned stimulus (the food), which will produce an unconditioned response-salivation'...
10
Fear is very potent but can also galvanize those who want to see change. I surely hope this will be the case for the midterm elections. America is way better than Trump.
303
35-40% aren’t.
13
And that 35% to 40% is a very worrisome amount of people. Their willful ignoring of the present level of corruption and acceptance of a constant barrage of personal attacks from the man who is supposed to be president of us all scares me more than he does.
Everything you say is correct. However, a major problem is Ryan and McConnell and the rest of the GOP's failure to show any courage and stop him from doing anymore damage to our country.
The GOP has a lot to worry about, with the election of a liberal judge in Wisconsin being the latest canary in a coal mine.
636
I’m cautiously optimistic, but let’s wait to see if we finally rid ourselves of the mini-Trump, Scott Walker. (We also soundly defeated a referendum highly favored by Walker and his ilk.)
72
Showing courage was never in their playbook. Donnie is their fall guy. When Mueller`s Swat Team heads for the White House Ryan and McConnell will hand Donnie a pen and get him to fall on it rather than letting this Fake Man spill the beans. Anything Mueller comes up with must be taken all the way to ensure complete disclosure of the Republican Conspiracy. He must be stopped before he can fall on the pen and resign.
8
I think that the Coulter interview is one of the reasons he is currently on this immigration tear. She called him a "failure" precisely because he did not build the promised wall. Now he is stoking the xenophobic fear of his base about a horde of dark skinned people heading for our borders, calling out the army to "protect" us, and trying to use the military to blackmail the Congress into passing related laws he wants (undoing 'catch & release' and not allowing some immigrants to apply for citizenship). I fully expect that he will add funding for his outrageous, useless wall to his blackmail list. Yes, he's afraid - "Trump wins" is the only acceptable outcome for his weak mind, so someone calling him a "failure" is simply unmanageable. His base is happiest when it is angry, has an enemy (dark skinned folks work well) on which to focus, and sees justification for being armed (so that they can 'defend' themselves and their families from the approaching horde).
605
I wonder whether we should devise a greater propaganda ploy about "zero sum,", including its meaning, i.e. that that is not what life is or needs to be.
10
When Coulter called him a failure, he also heard Ayn Rand, and possibly his father, calling him a sissy. He's fearful of being the former, but terrified of being the latter. Now review his public speaking and take note of his elaborate hand gestures, then ask yourself if that's not mincing.
35
Of course Coulter's comments are behind this week's Presidential actions-----But consider how sad and potentially dangerous it is that another self-promoting, cynical and arrogant flame thrower has more influence on the President than anybody else.
21
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, probably envies Trump his exuberant head of hair.
As it happens, Trump’s brinkmanship avoided a trade war with Europe, Canada, Australia and, so far, Mexico, as I predicted here (and others predicted elsewhere) that it would; while putting our allies on notice that we intend to re-negotiate bilateral trade agreements that traditionally treated us as suckers. As I also predicted, it probably won’t avoid a small one with China, but we have some issues to resolve with them that couldn’t be put off forever, and not merely on trade.
If voters believed that Trump’s methods for doing business (carry a big stick, threaten incessantly to use it but be willing to settle for what he can get) were too déclassé for their sensibilities, then they shouldn’t have elected him president in just the right numbers situated in just the right places. But they did, primarily because Charles failed at getting Hillary elected. But that’s all right, because if Charles had succeeded, absolutely nothing would have gotten done for four MORE years with this Congress, and HRC would have been a lame duck from her inauguration date. But we know that to some propriety is FAR more important than actual performance, even to emerge from a dreadful six years when NOTHING material was accomplished.
12
Trump’s “inferno” has been blazing now for well-over forty years, and he shows no signs of “burnout” at all. And I’d wager that “the hideous” Ann Coulter and her supporters are again solidly behind Trump since he’s about to mobilize the National Guard to protect our southern border against a clear invasion that’s been suffered to continue for years.
19
Nothing has been accomplished except a diminishing of our nation's standing in the world as the useful idiot of Putin is doing the Kremlin's bidding.
I trust that you are happy with your tax cut, even though your ability to deduct your SALT is now limited.
Your predictions are worthless and based on the conceit that you think Trump actually has a strategy.
Keep up the good work, Richard, incessantly repeating the untruth that electing Trump was necessary to avoid Washington gridlock.
Comrade Donald is already a lame duck, and his petulant trade war and border distraction is the action of a man with the knowledge that the game is over.
131
Had Hillary Clinton been elected, Richard, the Republican controlled House would have been very busy drafting articles of Impeachment against her right now.
28
Correct in all respects.
And Americans should never forget the reason this rolling, careening dumpster fire of an autocrat got to where he has can be blamed entirely on the GOP'ers who let him get on a ballot, instead of insisting he follow some rules and norms regarding producing his tax returns, etc.
The reason the party leaders placated the blustering bully was because they were willing to risk their party's existence - along with the country's future, our international reputation, and the very brand of 'Democracy' - in order to get a SCOTUS appointment, their taxes reduced, and repeal Obamacare.
Their deeply corrupt calculating mistakes have taught them nothing, as reinforced each time the world is treated to (yet) another round of obsequious bowing and scraping by Cabinet officials and the V.P. before cameras, and as each new Stormy Daniels comes forward.
From such repeated, deliberate acts of dereliction and malfeasance which materially damage the country, our democratic processes, and the very brand 'Democracy', these GOP'ers should not ever imagine they will be allowed to reboot/rehabilitate themselves.
907
It is not so. About 50% of the population voted for him. Sure the GOP was and is a train wreck and Trump is an insult to an insult. But the problem for the nation are the voters that are integral to that nation. Do not confuse causes and symptoms.
13
@r.law. "I remember it well " when someone several years ago commended your post by noting that someone from Texas actually thinks logically.You remain a pleasure to read and, in most cases, to agree with (apologies to Winston Chrurchill).
59
The U.S. population is about 300 million. Trump got about 60 million votes. So only 20% of the population, not 50% voted for Trump.