Donald Trump’s new world disorder
Donald Trump is a former reality TV performer, which fits nicely with his narcissistic personality. He, like most people with this disorder, is primarily concerned with his image. All of his energy goes to his mask and the stagecraft that supports it. This week, his image-making factory was on full display during his listening session with citizens affected by gun violence. He vetted the people in the room so that many of the comments and questions were softballs that didn’t interfere with his image much. He also had a piece of paper in his hand with notes on how to conduct himself.
He pretended to listen and then offered his own solutions anyway. He should have called it the “not listening session.” To the deaf, dumb, and blind – in other words the MAGA crowd, he probably seemed presidential.
In reality, he offered bait to the trolls that delight in dividing folks. America is not ever going to arm its teachers because this nation is centrist at its core and the majority don’t want that. The trolls do want that and as you can see today, that’s what many people are talking about.
For Trump, this focus on what he says and not what he does, is a win. He gets to placate his NRA handlers, appease the deplorables, and look as though he’s doing something to the rest of us.
He also gets to distract from Russiagate, which is the biggest scandal ever to hit the United States and barely just beginning. It also takes the focus off of his sex scandals and his failing marriage. Don Jr. was in India but that was barely covered in the mainstream media either.
The former reality TV personality is still performing, in the people’s house, on the people’s dime. No one knows what will happen at given moment, but the Palmer Report is here to cover it.
Cyndi Root is a writer and artist. She graduated from Yale University (turned down Harvard), where she was an All-American field hockey forward.