Understatement of the month at least, possibly the year. If Trump (while president) had once walked on water the headlines would have read "TRUMP CAN'T SWIM!"
The thing is, Donald Trump isn't a quiet quitter. I don't care about his personality faults, and character foibles, the lies no one should take seriously. He is a producer, he's actually held a damned job, created a lasting legacy that will stand the test of time. His actions, the ones I care about, speak louder than his words. I know I'm sounding like a Trump apologist, but that's not what I'm doing. I'm defending his Presidency (before that I knew little about him and what I did know didn't encourage my esteem) because he did more good for this country than any president in my lifetime along with blatantly exposing the demonology that is in fact what fuels and runs our government and comprises legacy media.
I didn't want him to run again. His time is over, even though I wish it wasn't. But if he wins the primary I will vote for him. The democratic party needs to be extinguished from the face of the earth, and the Republicans need to join them.
I think I’d rather have a 2nd Trump term than any Democrat because I no longer trust Democrats. If some Dem candidate came up and said all the right things my thinking would be we won’t be fooled again. Also so many Republicans just feel weak in the end with no real principles but instead just mouthing the words they’re supposed to say. Trump doesn’t so much act like a Republican rather than a walking talking bad dad joke but one who actually seems to stand up for his children, who doesn’t want us in another war, who doesn’t want us taken advantage of and who for some reason blurts out whatever is on his mind (and I wonder if that’s pathological or whether it’s a clue to authenticity, yeah, that sounds weird). Long ago when I first started seeing him (1980’s) I thought of him as a big blow hard and narcissist). At some point during his running for president I saw the obvious outsider but also someone who really seems to care about the U.S. Does he or is it just him trying to be HUGE? I hope it’s that he cares, that under that crazy hair and orange skin there is a good heart that can and will eventually do good or at least point us in a better direction than the status quo that now seems hell bent on turning boys into girls and girls into boys in this mixed up, muddled up, shook up world forever and amen. So if I can I most likely will vote for the bad dad joke who somehow won me over.
Thank you so much for your brilliant take on this subject. You were able to help me verbalize many of my exact, jumbled thoughts, concerning this. I did not vote for Trump in 16, enthusiastically did in 20, and given no alternative outside Biden / Harris / Clinton or any other of the current slate of would be candidates from the Democrats, will reluctantly vote for him in 24. Unfortunately, I currently do not have any confidence that voting actually really matters any longer; especially after the recent results in Pennsylvania, the inability of Arizona and Nevada to count, and the screwy state of Alaska vote counting laws that allow a candidate with less votes than their opponent to win.
I don't agree with Hillary Clinton on anything and get some evil vibes from her and Trump seemed like the much better option in 2016. His policies working prior to COVID proved I was right. I vote based on merit rather than personality and he did the job.
Even with all that I didn't vote for him in 2020 as I wanted to vote more Libertarian (especially after his response to COVID). There may be a problem with him splitting the vote as you say. I hope not though. I don't think our country can survive another Ultra-Democrat-Communistic-Type President and I don't think they'd run a Middle-of-the-road Democrat any longer.
Though in a primary I might have voted for DeSantis, the idea of Trump splitting the vote might make me choose Trump over him, because I think DeSantis would step down if Trump won, but Trump might not if things were reversed.
I don't like that we have bad options. I have a whole list of things Trump has done that makes me want to go more Libertarian. I wish we could have more debates with all candidates so people can see how a Libertarian would respond.
The solution to not caring who our president is in taking away the federal power from them and bringing that power closer- to the states. It's amazing to me that most people don't see that as a solution they want. It seems like Democrats and Republicans alike don't want to give up that federal power even if it would make their lives better.
"Trump’s supporters, we were told, took him seriously but not literally. The people who scoffed at the very idea that Trump could win did so because they took him literally but not seriously."
Great article. Very reasoned, self-reflective, and your model for coping with Trump was mostly spot on.
I was not a fan of Donald Trump, never watched the apprentice, and never read any of his books. However, I did spend a day and one night at a Trump casino in Atlantic City years and years ago.
So, when Trump and Melania came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, I was not enthusiastic. I was interested in one of the Republican governors, I think governors are better equiped to handle the Executive Branch. Hillary Clinton was never an option for me - she's gross, corrupt, and plays a role in Biden's failing regime.
As the Republican primaries rolled on, Trump was the only candidate talking about things important to a wide swath of Americans, especially in the mid-west, south, and the rust-belt. The other Republican candidates were talking from the same old, same old GOP talking points: tax cuts, "free-trade", comprehensive immigration reform, endless wars, blah, blah, blah.
By the middle of the summer, Donald Trump became the most investigated, and most negatively reported on, candidate for president in history. Reporting was highly negative towards Trump, and his family, is exaggerated and caricatured, and much of it blood-libel level lies against Trump, and his family.
Trump was elected anyway, and was treated as a criminal and harrassed non-stop by weaponized federal law enforcement agencies, the intelligence community, the DNC, and factions within the GOP for going on seven years now.
Regardless, before Covid, the economy was booming, low inflation, wars were winding down, with no new wars on the horizon, and, in the middle east, peace was booming not bombs.
The author's clever model ranking lies and catagorizing them into one of three levels, with 1 and 2 being and how one would rank lies. One disagreement in your reasoning to include Trump's knowledge hird-level lies, he knew covid was dangerous but said otherwise.
Flawed Model: Trump took Covid seriously by shutting down travel between China and the USA, which he took a lot of heat for: Trump is a racist, anti-Chinese, xenophopic, blah, blah.
Catagorizing Trump's reticence to alarm the public as a third-level lie is misplaced. Besides, people used Trump's supposedly unprecedented level of dishonesty well before Covid. Thus, please provide another so-called "third-level" lie prior to Covid.
> The media has also told untruths about him.
*snerk!*
Understatement of the month at least, possibly the year. If Trump (while president) had once walked on water the headlines would have read "TRUMP CAN'T SWIM!"
The thing is, Donald Trump isn't a quiet quitter. I don't care about his personality faults, and character foibles, the lies no one should take seriously. He is a producer, he's actually held a damned job, created a lasting legacy that will stand the test of time. His actions, the ones I care about, speak louder than his words. I know I'm sounding like a Trump apologist, but that's not what I'm doing. I'm defending his Presidency (before that I knew little about him and what I did know didn't encourage my esteem) because he did more good for this country than any president in my lifetime along with blatantly exposing the demonology that is in fact what fuels and runs our government and comprises legacy media.
I didn't want him to run again. His time is over, even though I wish it wasn't. But if he wins the primary I will vote for him. The democratic party needs to be extinguished from the face of the earth, and the Republicans need to join them.
I think I’d rather have a 2nd Trump term than any Democrat because I no longer trust Democrats. If some Dem candidate came up and said all the right things my thinking would be we won’t be fooled again. Also so many Republicans just feel weak in the end with no real principles but instead just mouthing the words they’re supposed to say. Trump doesn’t so much act like a Republican rather than a walking talking bad dad joke but one who actually seems to stand up for his children, who doesn’t want us in another war, who doesn’t want us taken advantage of and who for some reason blurts out whatever is on his mind (and I wonder if that’s pathological or whether it’s a clue to authenticity, yeah, that sounds weird). Long ago when I first started seeing him (1980’s) I thought of him as a big blow hard and narcissist). At some point during his running for president I saw the obvious outsider but also someone who really seems to care about the U.S. Does he or is it just him trying to be HUGE? I hope it’s that he cares, that under that crazy hair and orange skin there is a good heart that can and will eventually do good or at least point us in a better direction than the status quo that now seems hell bent on turning boys into girls and girls into boys in this mixed up, muddled up, shook up world forever and amen. So if I can I most likely will vote for the bad dad joke who somehow won me over.
Thank you so much for your brilliant take on this subject. You were able to help me verbalize many of my exact, jumbled thoughts, concerning this. I did not vote for Trump in 16, enthusiastically did in 20, and given no alternative outside Biden / Harris / Clinton or any other of the current slate of would be candidates from the Democrats, will reluctantly vote for him in 24. Unfortunately, I currently do not have any confidence that voting actually really matters any longer; especially after the recent results in Pennsylvania, the inability of Arizona and Nevada to count, and the screwy state of Alaska vote counting laws that allow a candidate with less votes than their opponent to win.
I don't agree with Hillary Clinton on anything and get some evil vibes from her and Trump seemed like the much better option in 2016. His policies working prior to COVID proved I was right. I vote based on merit rather than personality and he did the job.
Even with all that I didn't vote for him in 2020 as I wanted to vote more Libertarian (especially after his response to COVID). There may be a problem with him splitting the vote as you say. I hope not though. I don't think our country can survive another Ultra-Democrat-Communistic-Type President and I don't think they'd run a Middle-of-the-road Democrat any longer.
Though in a primary I might have voted for DeSantis, the idea of Trump splitting the vote might make me choose Trump over him, because I think DeSantis would step down if Trump won, but Trump might not if things were reversed.
I don't like that we have bad options. I have a whole list of things Trump has done that makes me want to go more Libertarian. I wish we could have more debates with all candidates so people can see how a Libertarian would respond.
The solution to not caring who our president is in taking away the federal power from them and bringing that power closer- to the states. It's amazing to me that most people don't see that as a solution they want. It seems like Democrats and Republicans alike don't want to give up that federal power even if it would make their lives better.
This is a brilliant analysis.
"Trump’s supporters, we were told, took him seriously but not literally. The people who scoffed at the very idea that Trump could win did so because they took him literally but not seriously."
Sums everything up so well and elegantly.
I applaud everything about this write up.
Great article. Very reasoned, self-reflective, and your model for coping with Trump was mostly spot on.
I was not a fan of Donald Trump, never watched the apprentice, and never read any of his books. However, I did spend a day and one night at a Trump casino in Atlantic City years and years ago.
So, when Trump and Melania came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, I was not enthusiastic. I was interested in one of the Republican governors, I think governors are better equiped to handle the Executive Branch. Hillary Clinton was never an option for me - she's gross, corrupt, and plays a role in Biden's failing regime.
As the Republican primaries rolled on, Trump was the only candidate talking about things important to a wide swath of Americans, especially in the mid-west, south, and the rust-belt. The other Republican candidates were talking from the same old, same old GOP talking points: tax cuts, "free-trade", comprehensive immigration reform, endless wars, blah, blah, blah.
By the middle of the summer, Donald Trump became the most investigated, and most negatively reported on, candidate for president in history. Reporting was highly negative towards Trump, and his family, is exaggerated and caricatured, and much of it blood-libel level lies against Trump, and his family.
Trump was elected anyway, and was treated as a criminal and harrassed non-stop by weaponized federal law enforcement agencies, the intelligence community, the DNC, and factions within the GOP for going on seven years now.
Regardless, before Covid, the economy was booming, low inflation, wars were winding down, with no new wars on the horizon, and, in the middle east, peace was booming not bombs.
The author's clever model ranking lies and catagorizing them into one of three levels, with 1 and 2 being and how one would rank lies. One disagreement in your reasoning to include Trump's knowledge hird-level lies, he knew covid was dangerous but said otherwise.
Flawed Model: Trump took Covid seriously by shutting down travel between China and the USA, which he took a lot of heat for: Trump is a racist, anti-Chinese, xenophopic, blah, blah.
Catagorizing Trump's reticence to alarm the public as a third-level lie is misplaced. Besides, people used Trump's supposedly unprecedented level of dishonesty well before Covid. Thus, please provide another so-called "third-level" lie prior to Covid.