Donald Trump’s ugly encounter with reality
It is said by people who knew him that the recently departed (and unlamented) butcher of two human beings, OJ Simpson, was mostly immune to the antipathy of hostile crowds and individuals alike. Where we heard boos he heard silence, or even cheers. When someone called him “murderer” he would smile and thank them.
That is one manifestation of the narcissist. Some are so completely self-involved and delusional that the negative opinions of others just don’t register. To a limited extent that can be said of Donald Trump. True, he obviously does hear criticism, and he’s bizarrely thin-skinned and vindictive whenever he does. But I don’t think he fully comprehends the extent to which he is hated, and when confronted with animosity in large crowds he sometimes responds to it in odd ways that reminds us that he doesn’t process it the same way a normal person would.
That’s why I don’t think Trump fully understood the almost universal hatred he encountered at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night. Their shouts of “bullshit” and “fuck you” during his speech did not appear to diminish his delusion that he remains “your favourite president.” Trump is a desperately sick man, and sick people don’t confront reality the way you and I do.
Taking the stage, Trump was confronted by the larger core of Libertarians — oddball, unsavory cultists in their own right — who have their own factional agenda. A candidate who captures the Libertarian crowd could move the needle by as much as three percent in their favor. But they’re not worth the effort, because for every Libertarian you bring onboard you’ll lose one or more votes of an independent.
In other words, Trump’s attempt to woo the Libertarian vote was a stupid mistake, in a campaign characterised by stupid mistakes. If he’d come away with a victory it would have been a Pyrrhic one. Joe Biden wisely wastes no time on Libertarians.
What Trump did instead is give us more ammunition against him. Every time he addresses a crowd that isn’t composed of a majority of MAGAs he reminds undecided voters how deeply hated he is, and he loses more votes on that account. Joe Biden is not so handicapped. His appeal is broader and crosses more boundaries, so he can more safely and more effectively address a wider range of audiences.
Another problem Trump faces is MAGA enthusiasm for him is diminishing. Even when addressing audiences in red states MAGA attendance is getting smaller. Trump’s rambling, increasingly incoherent speeches cause many to leave early. Videos of red-hatted, disappointed fools heading back to their cars while Trump is still speaking is an optic that can only further hurt his campaign.
Trump’s campaign managers are slowly becoming aware of the unassailable fact that he can’t win with MAGA alone. But that’s all he has, and it’s simply too late to try an appeal elsewhere. And because MAGA has become so radically extreme, there isn’t anywhere else for him to go.
The momentum of 2016 is no longer available to Trump. It’s looking more and more like he doesn’t have what he needs to win, and with criminal trials mounting and time running out, his prospects for changing that lethal reality get worse and worse. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.