A Desperate Trump is a Dangerous Trump
We can't afford to take our eye off the ball. Donald Trump is growing more dangerous with every single day
With all the excitement about presumptive nominee Kamala Harris, and the building antipathy toward JD Vance, former president Donald Trump has receded to the background. It makes sense. Trump is tired. We’ve been putting up with his poisonous bullshit for nearly a decade now. His rallies and interviews are absurdist, offensive, and, quite frankly, pathetic.
But, unfortunately, for as long as Trump and the authoritarian cult he represents are factors in American politics and culture, we must be vigilant.
On Friday night, Trump addressed Turning Point, one of the most noxious Far Right groups in operation, and reminded us why we must take heed.
“Christians,” he said, “get out and vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”
You can parse this however you want. You can choose to believe Trump is simply saying that, with another term, he’ll “fix” the country to the point where Christians no longer have to worry. If that’s your direction, fine, but we are working with years of evidence with this man. A demagogue who has, since threw his hat in the 2016 race, repeatedly voiced his darkest and most disturbing desires. He has disrespected the will of the people. Told you over and over that he has no use for the democratic process, limitations on his power. Fantasized about defying constitutional term limits. We watched as he attempted to overthrow the 2020 Election and the government itself.
It isn’t hard to understand what he is promising. And the time for underestimating this man’s dark imagination and desires is long, long since passed.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. The failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania briefly changed the entire nature of the presidential race, leaving our media absolutely salivating for a Trump “pivot” and actively rooting for this authoritarian. Of course, Trump is incapable of any of that, and thankfully his convention address only reiterated his twisted worldview. Then, President Joe Biden deciding to forego his reelection bid changed the entire discourse, creating our present cycle. And, once more, the true nature of what Trump represents, and the techno-fascist, theocratic dictatorship he seeks to usher in, has been largely ignored.
For years now, since I was covering the 2016 Campaign and warning about the dangers of Trump and the MAGA Movement, I have had to sound an alarm. And now, for the thousandth time, I have to reiterate: we must, must, must not allow ourselves to get comfortable or look away from this existential threat.
And now, as Trump faces a renewed challenge for the presidency, he is perhaps more dangerous than ever.