TRUMP FATIGUE

It is hard to believe that Trump has only been President for a year. He has bombarded the media to such an extent that one can hardly recall when he wasn’t President. It is a sad state of affairs that when Trump appears on TV, or a team of pundits discuss his latest tweet - that supposedly represents a policy statement, that the sheer exhaustion and frustration at the same old same old sends one grabbing for the remote. An op -ed piece appears in a newspaper debating his position like he is an adult or a blog appears on the internet extolling or decimating his virtues receives similar treatment. 

Sad because Trump is the President of the United States of America that up till a short time ago was the leader of the free world.

WHY THE FATIGUE?

You see there are already over two thousand lies documented in Fact Checker in his first year in Office, so what is the sense in documenting and debating yet another one?

He changes his position on virtually every subject without batting an eyelid. The most recent example, on TV, in full view of the nation he undertakes to sign any legislation on DACA brought to him by a bipartisan group. In less than a few days he is outright rejecting a hard worked out compromise brought to him by senior senators Durbin and Graham. So why take note of what he has just said?

With monotonously regularity he embarrasses his office and the country with obscenities that he follows up with justifications then denials. That behavior is coupled with untenable alliances and positions that are totally at odds with America’s tradition of fair play and democracy. So better ignore it all and just let the world know that he is a minority President and we are ashamed. 

To a very serious breach of America’s security by the Russians into the integrity of America’s democracy he instinctively lashes out at the Security and Justice apparatus that the country is dependent on for its safety and sanity. In Goebbel’s style he screams at the mounting evidence of his entanglement with Russian thugs and evidence of their assistance in his ersatz election. He claims that the State apparatus entrusted with law and order and protecting the nation are in a conspiracy, with Hillary Clinton to bring him down. When on the topic of the investigation he punctuates every second sentence claiming that there is “no collusion” claiming that the whole endeavor is a “hoax”. Likewise he responds to the overwhelming evidence that he obstructed justice with, “everybody knows there was no collusion” Who needs to hear this all yet one more time?

To a certain extent his egregious behavior has been accepted as the norm. A book detailing the chaotic inner workings of his day to day relationships and decision making, (sic), closely followed by shocking revelations of pay offs to women to shut up, barely can sustain the headlines for two days running. So why wait to hear his customary denials and threats to litigate? 

Every appearance is dominated by his narcissism and rationalizations. His past devastating failures are characterized as triumphs. So who wants to be regaled, once again, that his four bankruptcies totaling close on a billion dollars illustrated his genius at manipulating the American financial and business scene and therefore qualifies him to be President of the United Sates? 

If The Davos bound Donald knew one line of Shakespeare it would be, “All the world’s a stage”.

To sum it all up, “Who the hell can believe a word he says?”. Jay H. Ell will tell you - about thirty percent of the electorate who come hell or high water are part of the cult that represents Trumpism. The “believers” fall into several categories.

THE BELIEVERS.

 While obviously several of the members of the Trump cult have more than one motivation for their much appreciated “loyalty”, for simplicity sake Jay H. Ell will divide them into groups. 

At the one end of the spectrum is the angry sector of the electorate that feel neglected and have suffered as a result of changing economic circumstances. They were particularly antagonistic to the existing “self serving” Washington Establishment - the swamp. This is Trump’s true base who can hear no evil let alone speak any. Here Trump in his Nuremberg style rallies successfully sells his bill of goods as an “outsider” - populism, nativism and the scapegoating of immigrants.

On the other end of the spectrum are the legislators who hold their noses, enable and kiss the ring so as to get Republican legislation passed. A sub group of these are running heavy interference to the Mueller investigation by helping to smear the key members of the agency and delegitimize the whole security establishment. They are arguing that Hillary Clinton is really the one who colluded with the Russians, presumably to get Trump elected. Added to this group are the door revolving crowd in the WhiteHouse who have not challenged Michael Wolf’s assertion that a hundred percent of them treat him like a child.

Then there is the alt right wing delivered by Bannon and backed by the paranoid pundits like Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh who are waiting for the wall which they believe will be Trump’s defining legacy.

Another group that cynically backed a President that made Bill Clinton look like a vestal virgin were the Evangelicals. The thrice married POTUS, an unashamed adulterer who had backed abortion and Planned Parenthood and whose fornication credentials are kept continually in the public eye, most recently with his exploits with porn artist Stormy Daniels was considered a prime candidate for redemption.

WHAT AND TO WHOM HAS TRUMP DELIVERED?

The major beneficiaries are the Evangelicals with a host of life time judicial appointees including Supreme Court Judge Gorsich. It would take a lot to persuade them that Trump cannot be saved from damnation.

The tax bill is getting the full treatment as an achievement. However this is not Trump policy it is traditional Republican policy as interpreted by Paul Ryan. Trump’s financial legislation was supposed to be populist and for the little man. This predominantly helps the fat cats, the swamp. It also remains to be seen whether trickle down economics will really work - it never has. In addition prepare for major inflation with a weaker dollar and all this money now in circulation. Added to the borrowing needed to make up for tax loss, interests rates are going to go higher than anticipated.

There are the executive order sops to the deregulators, financial free marketeers, the climate change disbelievers but most of all for the immigration bigots and believers of Make America White Again.

He has gained much support for backing Israel and declaring Jerusalem the capitol. By so doing he may be ending any hope for an American brokered peace solution, but that is Bibi’s problem. He is more than mindful that the Jerusalem move pleases his Evangelicals more than anyone else, even Jared. They are the most intensely Zionist group in America believing that without Israel there can be no messiah. 

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

The group that have fled the Trump coop and are helping rake up the dramatic electoral reversals are the Independents, the blue collar workers that originally believed his spiel and moderate Republicans who can no longer hold their noses. 

The Mueller investigation is speeding up apace. The polls are all over sixty percent in favor of Trump testifying. This Russian investigation, one way or another will be Trump’s undoing.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

What makes the whole situation so banal is that the Trump responses are always the same - unbridled narcissism, lies, crooked Hillary, no collusion and smearing the opposition.  All so predictable and infuriating - leading to Trump fatigue and reaching for the remote or turning the page….SAD