As I have stated many, many times over the course of writing these blogs, I just cannot fathom why people are so attracted to Trump. Politics aside, he is the antithesis of everything I find good in a person – he is an inveterate liar, has zero compassion or empathy, is loud and obnoxious, is a failed businessman (despite the myth) and is tragically narcissistic. Every time we think that he can’t do anything more outrageous or set the bar any lower, he descends even deeper in the abyss of disgust.
It was despicable enough when he continued to denigrate Senator John McCain after his death but, now he has taken to whatever social media he has left to bad mouth General Colin Powell, who just passed away. He released a statement saying:
“Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media. Hope that happens to me someday. He was a classic RINO, if even that, always being the first to attack other Republicans. He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!”1
It is inconceivable to me that anyone believes a person who would release such a statement is someone they would want to be president of this country. General Powell, despite the infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) mess in Iraq (which Powell later regretted), was widely regarded with esteem and respect on both sides of the political aisle. And, yet, I’m sure just like very few Republicans loudly condemned Trump’s attacks on Senator McCain, we can expect no less of a disgusting and gutless chorus of silence from Trump’s Republican defenders. What the hell has this country come to?
Reflecting back upon the recent book I read by Stephanie Grisham, “I’ll Take You Questions Now,” she wrote several times about how much Trump is obsessed about the news coverage he receives and how self-centered he is. One can only imagine that all of this favorable press about General Powell was really getting to him so rather than show some character and just keep quiet, he was compelled to throw out this outrageous press release so the attention turns back towards him. It’s like an addiction with him. Some people are addicted to heroin, meth or alcohol. Trump is addicted to press coverage. He just has to be the center of attention.
“There is no such thing as bad publicity,” is often attributed to P.T. Barnum. I think that P.T. Barnum and Donald J. Trump have a lot in common. They were both showmen and con men who craved wealth and attention. When I was reading about Barnum, I came across the following description:
“Although driven at the outset of his career by a desire for wealth and fame, Barnum may have been basically motivated by less selfish reasons. “This is a trading world,” he wrote, “and men, women, and children, who cannot live on gravity alone, need something to satisfy their gayer, lighter moods and hours, and he who ministers to this want is in a business established by the Author of our nature.” Playing upon the public’s interest in the unusual and bizarre, Barnum scoured the world for curiosities, living or dead, genuine or fake. By means of outrageous stunts, repetitive advertising, and exaggerated publicity, Barnum excited international attention and made his showcase of wonders a landmark.”
If those words don’t also describe Trump, I don’t know what does. Whereas Barnum exploited people’s curiosity for the bizarre, Trump exploits people’s desire to be heard or those who are feeling threatened by a changing world. Both of them surrounded themselves with clowns and human oddities (Steve Bannon?) throughout most of their lives. The Barnum and Bailey circus went out of business after 146 years in May 2017. The reasons cited for this were increasing costs of putting on the show, waning popularity, and increasing problems with animal rights organizations. We can only hope that we don’t have to wait 146 years for the ‘Trump show’ to go out of business.
Despite the similarities between Barnum and Trump, there is one big difference. Barnum’s antics, showmanship and con man attitude were really designed to separate people from their money. “There’s a sucker born every minute,” is a quote often attributed to Barnum. Trump’s antics, on the other hand, are meant to separate America from its democracy. We just can’t afford another Trump (or Trump clone) administration. Many of us have developed a serious phobia – coulrophobia – a fear of clowns!