President Trump continues to command unprecedented attention. Never mind that this is because he’s wreaking the kind of havoc in the world of politics that a tornado wreaks in the alley of the Great Plains. But only this havoc explains the worldwide rubbernecking at his black-swan, norm-busting presidency – complete with his snarky tweets and juvenile antics.
Even worse, instead of rescuing their party from his cult of personality, Republican leaders are falling deeper under his spell. Nobody should expect them to put Trump in check the way their predecessors put Nixon in check. Therefore, the fate of this republic is in the hands of federal judges who can block his dictatorial initiatives, and voters who can retire his spellbound congressional enablers … as well as Trump himself.
Yet I do marvel at this curious thing:
Before running for president, Trump was a libertine liberal who supported all the hot-button issues that define the Democratic Party, most notably abortion rights, gun control, universal healthcare, and even Bill and Hillary Clinton (who were guests of honor at his and Melania’s wedding in 2005). This is why, when he began rebranding himself during his presidential campaign as a Christian conservative, people who knew him assumed he was just doing the traditional Republican thing: campaigning to the right while fully intending to govern to the left.
Mind you, given his ideological leanings, some of us wondered why Trump chose to run as a Republican …
In any event, once he accomplished the improbable feat of winning not only the nomination but the presidency, his xenophobic Muslim ban summarily dashed any hope that he would govern to the left. Actually, everything Trump has said and done since day one of his presidency has reinforced the impression that he experienced a Saul of Tarsus-like conversion along the campaign trail: from libertine liberal to Christian conservative – politically even if not spiritually.
But it is noteworthy that, when Trump was just one of 16 presidential candidates, he was already boasting that Republicans are so loyal to him, he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue in broad daylight and not lose any support.
Not to mention that he inspired such devotion among evangelical Christians that I felt moved to write the damning commentary “Evangelicals Supporting Donald Trump like Israelites Worshipping Golden Calf,” January 20, 2016.
Hell, given the spell he has on all Republicans, Trump could probably get away with governing like a libertine liberal. Yet there’s been no hint of his former views in anything he has said and done since taking the oath of office.
Mind you, Trump’s soul has always seemed impervious to conversion (of any kind). Indeed, his “true north” seems to be anything that flatters his preternatural narcissism. Never mind that it manifests in buffoonish bluffing, blustering, and bullying, which even a lay psychologist like me can see are the preemptive tactics he uses to shield his insecurities — about everything from his low IQ to his weird hairdo.
Indeed, President Trump is reputedly the most powerful man in the world. Yet memes about him being a man-child prone to juvenile tantrums resonate everywhere. Not to mention that nothing betrays his insecurities quite like juxtaposing his exaggerated boasts about being tough and strong with his notorious fear of firing people and pathetic weakness for idle flattery.
Coming full circle, the simple willingness of banana Republicans to flatter him unconditionally might explain his championing their right-wing policies—even after becoming their de facto cult leader.
Incidentally, for many, making racism fashionable (again) is the most shocking feature of Trump’s betrayal of liberal ideology. Except that this is the same Trump who
- condemned the innocent Central Park Five to death
- discriminated against blacks in his housing developments
- insisted that he only allows Jews to handle his money
- led the racist, anti-Obama “birther” movement.
This record makes clear that the racism he’s championing today is entirely consistent with his long-held views. The same cannot be said, however, for his betrayal on other liberal issues like abortion rights, gun control, and universal healthcare.
Still, the flip-flopping between Trump’s libertine and conservative inclinations pales in comparison to the tug-of-war between his dictatorial predilections and America’s democratic imperatives. I’m betting on the imperatives to prevail.
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