Trumpistas like to snark that criticisms of Dim Don are indications of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS). This seems to me to be complete projection, as it is Trump that seems to take reason away from persons who get drawn into his orbit. Unless all the posters on the various “below the line” comments on many news websites (apart from The Guardian, of course) are all Russian, his apologists seem to be impervious to argument based on evidence; they still, for example, seem to have a rather blithe attitude to coronavirus. Is that all he and his appeal is: trolling liberals to appease his ego?
He is, I will concede, great at winding people up and getting people to feed his ego, but as a way of life, it doesn’t go very far, and it looks like everyone unaffected by TDS will vote against him. Seems to me most are now bored and tired of him, and he is desperately trying to get them back. Where will his supporters go when he loses? Will they say “we never supported him”? Will someone ever say “Every thought you’ve been had?”, and people realise he was, well, shit?
If he loses, prepare for lots of books from his aides and allies, distancing themselves from the fat fool. If its a Biden landslide and the Republicans turn on Trump’s inner circle, there’ll be lots of current WH staffers pleading the “I was only following orders” or “He would have been worse had it not been for me” line in months and years to come.
God love you (as they say in this part of the world, before they pat someone on the head) Vincent – you seem to think that when he loses he’s going to go away.
No-one else could see a reason to keep holding campaign rallies once he was actually president, but you can be sure the mass hate-ins will continue (the fact that he’s less newsworthy out of office is easily remedied by being more appallingly unignorable than heretofore).
Then there’s the likely prospect of TrumpAnon News. All keeping things ticking over until the campaign for the next election begins in less than two years..
One thing he has unwittingly exposed is that one President can only do so much. We have a mad man here and hopefully he goes soon – but the US as an entity continues with every chance of recovery.
What he is doing now is desperate. I think his disrespect shown towards the military and veterans is his downfall.
His ranting at his fanbase won the college last time but he can’t seem to grasp that the secret to widening his appeal is not to shout louder. Will no one think of the tiny fish?
I thought this piece by Jon Sopel was astute, and showed how he is powered by adoration, and will go to greater lengths with diminishing results to win it back when he doesn’t get it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/58ewrgxuoa/us-election-2020-donald-trump
If he’s a one term president presumably he can run again?
Yes that’s right. But by then he’ll be 78 but given he is seemingly immune to coronavirus he might live to 150.
PERFECT! PHYSICAL! SPECIMEN!
So about Biden’s current age. He wouldn’t run as a Republican if he can run again but as an independent probably. Anyway, sadly I believe he will win next month or whenever the result is declared.
Whether he wins or not, what he represents isn’t going anywhere. It’s going to be Trump’s America, Trump’s world, for a long time. We ain’t seen nothin’ yet, indeed.
I disagree. Trumpism,if anything, is the dying knockings of a breed of angry White men who blame everyone but themselves for where they are in life. “We used to get to get all the jobs but now they let foreigners…….and even Women get jobs”
Goodbye to that breed. Demographics will hasten their departure. The Trump Presidency was their last vainglorious tilt at the top.
Na. Lots of young folk at Trump rallies. Bigotry isn’t the preserve of the old.
Yebbut…Kj is right in that a wholesale clearout of the McConnell generation of Republicans will at least inject a bit of fresh air into the system, even though there are plenty of scumbags lining up behind him.
I have had this same perspective since roughly 1979 but I refuse to give up. 41 years isn’t that long (sobs…).
What gives me a smidge of hope is that young people in the main don’t “debate” things like climate change and talk about things a lot more openly than our generation did. For example, we had a boy in our year who was clearly more feminine in nature than the rest of us and was bullied mercilessly. That wouldn’t happen to the same extent now.
There will always be loudmouth thickos and sometimes it feels like they are taking over- but they are generally shit at the admin and they stuff it all up eventually.
When Kerry Packer took all our best cricket players I remember being very alarmed indeed. The old man over the fence next door (he looked like Prince Phillip does now, to give you an idea) instructed me sternly not to worry – he talked about young players like Botham and Gower and it might actually be a good thing! I didn’t understand how he, at his age, could be so optimistic – but in the end he was right. I remember his optimistic attitude generally and it showed me that it is possible to be like that and not get jaded.
He has a double digit lead in the National polls and is ahead in the key marginals. I know that electoral history has taught us that optimism is rarely rewarded, but there might, just might, be a cautious case for expecting the bad guy to lose this time.
I watched Bill Maher last night, and he gave what seemed like a convincing explanation of how Trump and Republican controlled states could bring the entire election to a halt. The arcane machinations of the electoral college system do not exclude the possibility in law that state legislatures can override the popular vote if there is legitimate suspicion of wrongdoing. If Republican governors declare inconsistencies – then legislators can send electors to the electoral college based on who they think would have won the popular vote, had it been fair. There are 26 states with legislatures wholly under Republican control.
I don’t claim to understand this very well, or its legality, but Maher was arguing that this was a path that Trump might try to follow. Maher’s perspective is that Trump’ team is scouring all state and federal laws for any loopholes they can exploit.
I saw that too. A genuinely frightening prospect.
The Democrats are focussing on turning Republican electoral colleges blue for that very reason. Many are being voted for in November.
I think that if Trump loses by any kind of margin, there’s a good chance the GOP won’t just walk away from him, they will run. His ability to cling on to power without their support will be limited and could aslo require the funding he alone doesn’t have.
If the Sunday Times is to be believed, Johnson has decided now is the time to cuddle up to Joe.