The Attraction of a Dangerously Damaged Individual
From Socialite To Comic Book Villain
I really don’t want to spend any more time, emotional capital or energy writing about D. J. Trump. I wrote extensively about him from 2015 through 2020, when I felt it was a responsibility to shout out what I thought should have been obvious to everyone.
I knew there was something terribly wrong with him in 2015, when he said, and I quote, “I know where she went. It’s disgusting. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s too disgusting. Don’t say it. It’s disgusting. Let’s not talk, we want to be very, very straight up, OK?” Who talks like that!! He was referring to something that took place at a debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination. I knew there was something deeply wrong with him and so did 27 psychiatrists, who in 2017 wrote essays for a book titled The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.
Many of his initial voters supported his views on immigration and tax cuts. There were others that were attracted to his T.V. persona and displays of machismo. These supporters welcomed a chance to feel some power and camaraderie, much like participating in a mob. His incitement to violence is well documented. His lying, misogyny and use of invectives were not turn-offs to his group of supporters. Paying $50(allegedly) a person to stand behind him at rallies, hold up signs, wear hats, and applaud everything he said was an effective method of energizing and solidifying a base.
I understand that a trade off of common sense and renewed participation in the Democratic process, for power and tribalism, is something many are willing to accept. There is a notion felt by many of his base that although he is not who they thought he was, they are still willing to accept the consequences, rather than admit they were wrong. The realization that he is not someone interested in benefiting the common good, is not something they have arrived at yet. His motivations are more closely aligned with being part of a triumvirate with Putin and Xi.
His lack of a work ethic is legendary. By his own admission he liked to shoot from the hip when making business decisions. On his first day in office he pulled the U.S. out of the TPP, and threatened to take the U.S. out of NATO. Any organization that would require him to share authority was anathema to him.
To truly understand this man, you must first understand two fundamental characteristics of his nature. He has disdain for everyone and he likes to f*** with everybody.
Roy Cohn, a disbarred lawyer and Trump mentor, was the poster boy for abrasive and amoral behavior. It is these traits that Trump emulates today. RJB