Thank you, Chris!!! He's so much more than an asshole. He's a deeply malignant narcissist with sadistic tendencies, who behaves as if he's a psychopath, and is almost certainly a danger to others (and to himself, mental illness left untreated often seems to destroy one's relationships and one's life... This is a man who cannot laugh. This is a man who is a gigantic black hole of endless need...This is a very sick and very dangerous man.
Exactly. Having been raised by one, married to one, and now having my daughter out of a marriage with one, I can speak with some authority about malignant narcissists, They care about no one but themselves and what they want at a particular moment and are perfectly happy to metaphorically suck your life blood and leave you dying by the side of the road. I have never been able to understand why anyone admires him.
Your comment that he cannot laugh is important. My ex never laughed at anything others thought funny. He laughed only at things that he did or said because he found himself quite entertaining.
As someone who has dealt with the same problem from the opposite side (trust me, female malignant narcissists are just as bad), and came from a similar background of being raised by one, the real problem is that "birds of a feather flock together." I was damaged by what happened to me, and as a result I seem to attract those similarly (or worse) damaged. It's highly unlikely that you, me, or your daughter will ever not do this. I wish I knew a solution but 20 years of therapy only tells me the best thing I can do now is step out of the game. Which is my present course of action.
We'll be talking a lot about Trump in the months ahead, so I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on Hugh Hewitt. He seems to be treated as a rational conservative voice whose views are worthy of discussion. In fact, he's merely a politer (more politic?) version of Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck. He's a far right extremist who presents as sane if you focus on his demeanor rather than what he's actually saying, like calling AOC a "transgendered Joe Biden."
I'll agree with you there! Hewitt calmly states that, gee...Trump isn't really the problem--it's YOUR perceptions that are the problem! Huh. I've read stuff written by Hewitt that made my hairs stand on end!
And as for the dipshit woman from New Hamster who said that she considered Trump one of the best Presidents ever: he did everything he promised and she "felt safe" while he was Prez. You gotta be KIDDING!!!!! What planet was she living on that he fulfilled every promise that he made??? She felt safe while he was President? Let me just say that hundreds of millions of Americans definitely did NOT feel safe while ol' Yammie was President--quite the opposite!
He's played that "reasonable rational conservative" shtick for a long time - those years on PBS gave him lots of opportunity to learn how to say terrible things with a smile and to change clothes and get haircut regularly. But he's actually always been one of the worst.
One thing that bugged me after one of the debates or town halls where Hewitt was a moderator was when, the next morning, the Washington Post commented that Hewitt was a gaslighter and a hypocrit and was doing more of the same as moderator. The Washington Post also employs Hewitt as one of its token conservative columnists. I love the WaPo, but - come on.
I have had this argument with his enablers. He has diminished and damaged the office of the presidency - we expect the President to bring everyone up, not by constantly putting others down. The President should not have unfiltered access to social media - anyone who thinks this is a good idea is a fool.
More importantly - his being an asshole has empowered every ASSHOLE by making assholery the norm rather than the exception. I don't know how this genie gets put back in the bottle. God help us all.
The fact that he is an asshole is perhaps the most complimentary and least important aspect to Trump. Nobody says that being Mr. Congeniality is a requirement for presidential (although it helps to like the person and have a moral compass).
But this is a man who is a sociopath who uses the presidency for his own personal profit and power. Who doesn’t give a damn about actually doing the job of governing. He is a wannabe dictator who will bring down our democracy all the while claiming he is fighting for MAGA. As Chris points out, he will go after people he perceives as his enemies.
Completely laughable that his temperament is seen as his biggest problem.
You are 100% right on this one. The canard that Trump just says means things is a convenient excuse for people who are looking to justify their vote. These tend to be people who vote for whoever will keep taxes lowest. One point people don't make often enough is that Trump's term was an utter failure. All he passed were tax cuts, which ballooned the deficit. No promised wall. No check from Mexico. No promised infrastructure bill or new healthcare bill. And , of course, he mishandled Covid , endangering us all. None of his failures matter to the cult, who vote based on an assortment of prejudices and grievances. And they don't bother the "low taxes " voters either.
I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that we could be starting our last year as a democracy. I just never thought I'd live to see this. Just an asshole? I wish. Part of me wonders why I can't understand all his "followers" (or all the people around the world falling for other would be dictators); the other part thinks maybe it's good I can't. The whole thing is terrifying and it seems like half the country can't - or doesn't want to - see that.
I feel the same way. At 64 years old I have honestly looked back in my life and cannot think of a single person I truly hated. But, I HATE Donald Trump with the heat of at least a gazillion suns!!
When my cousin said -- several years ago -- that George W. Bush was not his president, my mother (who grew up under FDR) said that it's okay to disagree with the president or vote against him in the next election but he's president of all Americans. Several years later, under Trump, my mother now said, "He's not my president."
Thank you, Chris, for an article that focuses on what is TRULY the danger of a second Trump presidency: his desire to be the “Day One Dictator”, his “irascibility” be damned!
And as you rightly point out, to make Biden’s age an equivalent issue with Trump’s promises to end American democracy, is not just a fallacy, it is mendacious, defies “journalistic ethics, and borders on complicity .
I’m not fond of Wills in general, as he’s a traditional conservative trying to put his anachronistic spin on a political situation that is no longer about liberal vs conservative but is very much about democracy vs fascism.
He is being HIGHLY disingenuous, possibly even mendacious, when he uses a couple of “acting” appointments, as well as a few lost court cases, as examples of Biden’s authoritarianism. Does he REALLY think we’re stupid enough to think that’s the equivalent to Project 2025 and Trump’s own “Day One Dictator”? Give me a fucking break!
Biden, given his DECADES in the Senate, thoroughly understands the need to build consensus and find compromises (without compromising integrity), and his legislative record proves it! CHIPs Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Inflation Reduction Act, and more.
And Trump? A tax cut for the wealthy and wealthy corporations that cranked up the deficit. Virtually nothing else, though he talked a good game (What ever happened to his “infrastructure week”? What happened to replacing the ACA with something “better”? Did Mexico ever give us a check for his wall?). And how about “I like ‘Acting’”?
Wills is a disgrace and it’s disgusting how stupid he thinks the WaPo readership is.
Well shitler got elected because every 24 hour news cycle he said something really efing stupid. The media ate it up. He had the echo chamber all to himself. That includes all of the media.
He got billions of dollars of free advertising. Now if you hear the same $hit during prime time on fox for 4 hours the brainwashing is complete.
His disciples only think and act the way he and fox tell them to act. Hell of a system we have here.
While I “liked” your comment, Kelly, I actually hated its truth!
I fear that the “mainstream media” will continue to highlight every stupid thing Trump says and keeping him in the limelight, while they continue to ignore the very real accomplishments of the Biden administration, will give him billions of dollars worth of outreach that ad dollars can’t buy.
And given their fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders, ie generating eyeballs and dollars, they won’t think twice about until it’s too late and Trump is directing his DOJ to target them, Fox likely included...
Well said, Chris. Trump is a sociopath, a bottomless pit of hate & corruption, etc.. I can not wrap my head around the fact that we are needing to be talking about this, AGAIN. He should have been long gone but his cult is stuck to him and thinks he’s God. Wow, who would think that the United States of America would be in this position for a 2nd time?? The other thing that amazes me is that grown ass men are terrified of him. They are drunk on power and money and can’t grow a set to band together, stand up, say ENOUGH. It’s truly terrifying to think of what can happen to us, as a country, win or lose in November.
But it's not just Trump. Behind him is an army of people who believe that a "benevolent dictatorship" is needed to restore 'murica. Trump just happens to be a charismatic super-salesman for the brand. And were he to be felled by a cheeseburger, that army would find another figurehead (say, Tucker Carlson?).
In arguendo, Karl, and with all due respect, there are a number of "would be Trump replacements" already on the stage, and they have, and are, proving there is more of an art than most give Trump credit for. Desantis, Ramaswamy, Giuliani, and so many others, have tried to mimic Trump, without much success. It is hard for most people to be able to lie so often and about so many obvious topics and not be betrayed by the tone and/or facial expressions when delivering the lies. Not even Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, or Tucker Carlson can pull it off. My sense is Trump is a one in one hundred million phenomenon, and replacing him will be much harder than many think. And keep in mind, even as good as he is, he is still not winning over a majority of the American public. If someone could eclipse Trump, they would be doing it now.
There is no figure on the political scene who can duplicate Trump's appeal at this time. Maybe there's one on the angertainment scene (Carlson?), but, more likely, the successor pied piper is someone not readily thought of. But that doesn't mean that one won't emerge. There's only room for one person doing that schtick at a time - and Trump's dominance results from 40 years of publicity that few-to-none have. My point is that the demise of Trump will not be the demise of the authoritarian movement.
"Getting back at" the people they perceive as having stolen their greatness, though each of them knows in his or her heart that they really are lifetime losers from Flyover Loserville and really are deplorable.
I've said that if we brought back the traditional punishment for treason and then put hanging, drawing, and quartering Trump on PPV, we'd be able to pay for the entire war in Ukraine and then some.
Another thing that people don't write about is that a President has to be President to and for EVERY AMERICAN, whether they voted for you or not. Trump has never agreed to that. He is only President to those who worship him. Every other American can go to hell.
ONE SIMPLE QUESTION: IF THE ORANGE JESUS IS NOT GUILTY OF A CRIME; WHY IS HE INSISTING HE IS COVERED BY PRES. IMMUNITY? FOR WHAT CRIME DOES HE NEED IMMUNITY?
Great piece, Chris, with your usual insight and cut-to-the-chase style! You certainly speak the truth.
As a Brit who has lived in Canada for almost 50 years, I hesitate to express an opinion about something that is so obviously none of my concern as your political system and the way it is currently being hijacked. That being said, I can express utter despair at watching what is happening in your country right now. It's almost incomprehensible that you have found yourselves facing the distinct possibility of a second Trump presidency with all its inherent promise of authoritarianism and an end to democracy as you have practiced it. People grumble about our parliamentary system all the time, but there's a distinct feeling of wanting to wrap our arms around it and hold on as tight as we can when we see what is playing out south of the border.
My heart goes out to you all, and I hope and pray that cooler heads will prevail and you will get through this election cycle with your constitution intact and with some clear idea of what it will take to heal your society as a whole. The world needs the US too much and in so many ways to have it fail now.
Thank you, Chris!!! He's so much more than an asshole. He's a deeply malignant narcissist with sadistic tendencies, who behaves as if he's a psychopath, and is almost certainly a danger to others (and to himself, mental illness left untreated often seems to destroy one's relationships and one's life... This is a man who cannot laugh. This is a man who is a gigantic black hole of endless need...This is a very sick and very dangerous man.
Exactly. Having been raised by one, married to one, and now having my daughter out of a marriage with one, I can speak with some authority about malignant narcissists, They care about no one but themselves and what they want at a particular moment and are perfectly happy to metaphorically suck your life blood and leave you dying by the side of the road. I have never been able to understand why anyone admires him.
Your comment that he cannot laugh is important. My ex never laughed at anything others thought funny. He laughed only at things that he did or said because he found himself quite entertaining.
Congratulations to you and your daughter, Rebecca!
Thanks! I'm coming up on ten years of blessed freedom, and her divorce was final two weeks ago. :)
As someone who has dealt with the same problem from the opposite side (trust me, female malignant narcissists are just as bad), and came from a similar background of being raised by one, the real problem is that "birds of a feather flock together." I was damaged by what happened to me, and as a result I seem to attract those similarly (or worse) damaged. It's highly unlikely that you, me, or your daughter will ever not do this. I wish I knew a solution but 20 years of therapy only tells me the best thing I can do now is step out of the game. Which is my present course of action.
Same here! And that's fine with me.
We'll be talking a lot about Trump in the months ahead, so I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on Hugh Hewitt. He seems to be treated as a rational conservative voice whose views are worthy of discussion. In fact, he's merely a politer (more politic?) version of Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck. He's a far right extremist who presents as sane if you focus on his demeanor rather than what he's actually saying, like calling AOC a "transgendered Joe Biden."
I'll agree with you there! Hewitt calmly states that, gee...Trump isn't really the problem--it's YOUR perceptions that are the problem! Huh. I've read stuff written by Hewitt that made my hairs stand on end!
And as for the dipshit woman from New Hamster who said that she considered Trump one of the best Presidents ever: he did everything he promised and she "felt safe" while he was Prez. You gotta be KIDDING!!!!! What planet was she living on that he fulfilled every promise that he made??? She felt safe while he was President? Let me just say that hundreds of millions of Americans definitely did NOT feel safe while ol' Yammie was President--quite the opposite!
He's played that "reasonable rational conservative" shtick for a long time - those years on PBS gave him lots of opportunity to learn how to say terrible things with a smile and to change clothes and get haircut regularly. But he's actually always been one of the worst.
One thing that bugged me after one of the debates or town halls where Hewitt was a moderator was when, the next morning, the Washington Post commented that Hewitt was a gaslighter and a hypocrit and was doing more of the same as moderator. The Washington Post also employs Hewitt as one of its token conservative columnists. I love the WaPo, but - come on.
I have had this argument with his enablers. He has diminished and damaged the office of the presidency - we expect the President to bring everyone up, not by constantly putting others down. The President should not have unfiltered access to social media - anyone who thinks this is a good idea is a fool.
More importantly - his being an asshole has empowered every ASSHOLE by making assholery the norm rather than the exception. I don't know how this genie gets put back in the bottle. God help us all.
The fact that he is an asshole is perhaps the most complimentary and least important aspect to Trump. Nobody says that being Mr. Congeniality is a requirement for presidential (although it helps to like the person and have a moral compass).
But this is a man who is a sociopath who uses the presidency for his own personal profit and power. Who doesn’t give a damn about actually doing the job of governing. He is a wannabe dictator who will bring down our democracy all the while claiming he is fighting for MAGA. As Chris points out, he will go after people he perceives as his enemies.
Completely laughable that his temperament is seen as his biggest problem.
GET REAL AND WAKE UP! (grrrrrrr)
You are 100% right on this one. The canard that Trump just says means things is a convenient excuse for people who are looking to justify their vote. These tend to be people who vote for whoever will keep taxes lowest. One point people don't make often enough is that Trump's term was an utter failure. All he passed were tax cuts, which ballooned the deficit. No promised wall. No check from Mexico. No promised infrastructure bill or new healthcare bill. And , of course, he mishandled Covid , endangering us all. None of his failures matter to the cult, who vote based on an assortment of prejudices and grievances. And they don't bother the "low taxes " voters either.
I laugh out loud when adyone says they liked his policies. WHAT POLICIES???
I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that we could be starting our last year as a democracy. I just never thought I'd live to see this. Just an asshole? I wish. Part of me wonders why I can't understand all his "followers" (or all the people around the world falling for other would be dictators); the other part thinks maybe it's good I can't. The whole thing is terrifying and it seems like half the country can't - or doesn't want to - see that.
Trump is a very danger to democracy. I hate him with a passion I didn't know I had.
I feel the same way. At 64 years old I have honestly looked back in my life and cannot think of a single person I truly hated. But, I HATE Donald Trump with the heat of at least a gazillion suns!!
When my cousin said -- several years ago -- that George W. Bush was not his president, my mother (who grew up under FDR) said that it's okay to disagree with the president or vote against him in the next election but he's president of all Americans. Several years later, under Trump, my mother now said, "He's not my president."
Yes indeed. Maybe 100 gazillion.
Thank you, Chris, for an article that focuses on what is TRULY the danger of a second Trump presidency: his desire to be the “Day One Dictator”, his “irascibility” be damned!
And as you rightly point out, to make Biden’s age an equivalent issue with Trump’s promises to end American democracy, is not just a fallacy, it is mendacious, defies “journalistic ethics, and borders on complicity .
Did you see George Will's opinion in WaPo this morning? It was quite something.
I’m not fond of Wills in general, as he’s a traditional conservative trying to put his anachronistic spin on a political situation that is no longer about liberal vs conservative but is very much about democracy vs fascism.
He is being HIGHLY disingenuous, possibly even mendacious, when he uses a couple of “acting” appointments, as well as a few lost court cases, as examples of Biden’s authoritarianism. Does he REALLY think we’re stupid enough to think that’s the equivalent to Project 2025 and Trump’s own “Day One Dictator”? Give me a fucking break!
Biden, given his DECADES in the Senate, thoroughly understands the need to build consensus and find compromises (without compromising integrity), and his legislative record proves it! CHIPs Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Inflation Reduction Act, and more.
And Trump? A tax cut for the wealthy and wealthy corporations that cranked up the deficit. Virtually nothing else, though he talked a good game (What ever happened to his “infrastructure week”? What happened to replacing the ACA with something “better”? Did Mexico ever give us a check for his wall?). And how about “I like ‘Acting’”?
Wills is a disgrace and it’s disgusting how stupid he thinks the WaPo readership is.
Well shitler got elected because every 24 hour news cycle he said something really efing stupid. The media ate it up. He had the echo chamber all to himself. That includes all of the media.
He got billions of dollars of free advertising. Now if you hear the same $hit during prime time on fox for 4 hours the brainwashing is complete.
His disciples only think and act the way he and fox tell them to act. Hell of a system we have here.
While I “liked” your comment, Kelly, I actually hated its truth!
I fear that the “mainstream media” will continue to highlight every stupid thing Trump says and keeping him in the limelight, while they continue to ignore the very real accomplishments of the Biden administration, will give him billions of dollars worth of outreach that ad dollars can’t buy.
And given their fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders, ie generating eyeballs and dollars, they won’t think twice about until it’s too late and Trump is directing his DOJ to target them, Fox likely included...
It does suck. But do you really think that the orange one is going to willingly pay for anything? The media eats this shit up.
Well said, Chris. Trump is a sociopath, a bottomless pit of hate & corruption, etc.. I can not wrap my head around the fact that we are needing to be talking about this, AGAIN. He should have been long gone but his cult is stuck to him and thinks he’s God. Wow, who would think that the United States of America would be in this position for a 2nd time?? The other thing that amazes me is that grown ass men are terrified of him. They are drunk on power and money and can’t grow a set to band together, stand up, say ENOUGH. It’s truly terrifying to think of what can happen to us, as a country, win or lose in November.
But it's not just Trump. Behind him is an army of people who believe that a "benevolent dictatorship" is needed to restore 'murica. Trump just happens to be a charismatic super-salesman for the brand. And were he to be felled by a cheeseburger, that army would find another figurehead (say, Tucker Carlson?).
In arguendo, Karl, and with all due respect, there are a number of "would be Trump replacements" already on the stage, and they have, and are, proving there is more of an art than most give Trump credit for. Desantis, Ramaswamy, Giuliani, and so many others, have tried to mimic Trump, without much success. It is hard for most people to be able to lie so often and about so many obvious topics and not be betrayed by the tone and/or facial expressions when delivering the lies. Not even Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, or Tucker Carlson can pull it off. My sense is Trump is a one in one hundred million phenomenon, and replacing him will be much harder than many think. And keep in mind, even as good as he is, he is still not winning over a majority of the American public. If someone could eclipse Trump, they would be doing it now.
There is no figure on the political scene who can duplicate Trump's appeal at this time. Maybe there's one on the angertainment scene (Carlson?), but, more likely, the successor pied piper is someone not readily thought of. But that doesn't mean that one won't emerge. There's only room for one person doing that schtick at a time - and Trump's dominance results from 40 years of publicity that few-to-none have. My point is that the demise of Trump will not be the demise of the authoritarian movement.
Most people weren't as thoroughly twisted by their father as he was.
Yes, but by and large, his supporters don't care if democracy in this country is ended. It's all about power and "owning the libs" for them.
"Getting back at" the people they perceive as having stolen their greatness, though each of them knows in his or her heart that they really are lifetime losers from Flyover Loserville and really are deplorable.
My wife has said many times: "I just wish that Trump would drop dead." I can only imagine the wide range of reactions that such news would bring.
I've said that if we brought back the traditional punishment for treason and then put hanging, drawing, and quartering Trump on PPV, we'd be able to pay for the entire war in Ukraine and then some.
Where can I sign up for that lol?
Another thing that people don't write about is that a President has to be President to and for EVERY AMERICAN, whether they voted for you or not. Trump has never agreed to that. He is only President to those who worship him. Every other American can go to hell.
ONE SIMPLE QUESTION: IF THE ORANGE JESUS IS NOT GUILTY OF A CRIME; WHY IS HE INSISTING HE IS COVERED BY PRES. IMMUNITY? FOR WHAT CRIME DOES HE NEED IMMUNITY?
JUST ASKING.
Great piece, Chris, with your usual insight and cut-to-the-chase style! You certainly speak the truth.
As a Brit who has lived in Canada for almost 50 years, I hesitate to express an opinion about something that is so obviously none of my concern as your political system and the way it is currently being hijacked. That being said, I can express utter despair at watching what is happening in your country right now. It's almost incomprehensible that you have found yourselves facing the distinct possibility of a second Trump presidency with all its inherent promise of authoritarianism and an end to democracy as you have practiced it. People grumble about our parliamentary system all the time, but there's a distinct feeling of wanting to wrap our arms around it and hold on as tight as we can when we see what is playing out south of the border.
My heart goes out to you all, and I hope and pray that cooler heads will prevail and you will get through this election cycle with your constitution intact and with some clear idea of what it will take to heal your society as a whole. The world needs the US too much and in so many ways to have it fail now.