Donald’s World

Like a number of my recent posts, I am not linking this to social media, but posting it here as a way of getting the rumblings out of my mind.

Donald Trump seems to live in a world of his own imagination. Those who are attracted to this world are welcome to join him, as long as they accept his version of truth. Those who question him are angrily expelled. When reality conflicts with his world, he dismisses it as fake. This was evident in his interaction with his rivals for the Republican nomination for President in 2015-16. Rather than engage in dialog he ridiculed and mocked them. He attacked the institution of the free press as fake news, not just challenges to specific news outlets. Especially in the realms of climate change and environmental stewardship, he disdained science as an opponent of his agenda. When covid-19 was first recognized in December 2019, he dismissed it as a political attack first from his favorite nemesis China and then cast the US CDC as his political enemy rather than accepting it as a partner in addressing the public health of the citizens of the US. The rejection of science carried over into discouraging common sense measure of health protection and promotion of inappropriate and even dangerous prevention and treatments. When he lost re-election in 2020, he has persisted in insisting that he won by a landslide and that the election was stolen by fraud, even though dozens of suits in courts with Republican and even Trump appointed judges – including the US Supreme Court with his own appointees there, Republican governors and legislatures, and Republican election officials – even his own appointees in his own cabinet – affirmed again and again that the election results were correct. Whether he intended it or not, his words to his ardent supporters in Washington, D.C. did incite their storming of the US Capitol. This disrupted and delayed their work of certifying the votes of the Electoral College. Even now he insists he won the election, and thousands who want to live in that world with him persist not just in agreement but determination to continue to fight for the Trump imaginary world. Yesterday’s events do seem to have jolted some politicians with reality, but they will certainly face Donald Trump’s wrath, as he seems unable to tolerate variation of opinion or constructive dialog, even among those who have shared his world.