Donald Trump’s “reign” is over
This morning Donald Trump tweeted “The Silent Majority will reign!” It set off a firestorm because no President of the United States should ever be talking about a “reign.” This is a democracy. We don’t have a King. Even talking like this should be disqualifying from office. But the real story here isn’t that Trump is trying to flex these muscles – it’s that Trump doesn’t have these muscles.
I remember how defiant Saddam Hussein sounded just before the U.S. started bombing him in the first Gulf War. I remember how defiant Yasser Arafat sounded when he was on the phone with CNN while Israel was driving a bulldozer through his house. We’ll never know for sure if these leaders truly believed the bravado they were displaying in those moments when the walls were about to come down on them. But if they truly believed it, they were delusional.
Donald Trump isn’t some guy in a position of strength who’s consolidating power and seizing dictatorial controls. No matter how many pundits might trot out that particular trope, it simply doesn’t fit the facts. Look around. Trump’s approval rating is so low, he’s in severe danger of being thrown out of power in a few months. The Supreme Court just essentially ruled that if he loses the election, he goes to prison for his financial crimes. Most of his own allies are defending tepidly if at all. And his own oldest “friend” just weakened him even further by forcing him to commute his prison sentence.
This isn’t a guy who’s succeeding on any level. In fact Donald Trump is failing on every level. No U.S. President has ever been in this weak and vulnerable of a position. He can yell around about his “reign” all he wants; it doesn’t magically help his situation. Either Trump has become completely delusional under the pressure of losing and failure, or he knows he’s toast and he’s trying to fool us. Either way, the only way he can get back in the game is if we cower to him at this, his weakest moment.
