On Wednesday, MSNBC anchor Joy Reid said that former President Donald Trump had “long suffered from delusions of grandeur.”
Reid continued, “When it comes to his mounting legal issues, he likes to portray himself as a martyr, a victim of political persecution. Just a few months ago, he was comparing himself to a truly historic figure.”
At a campaign rally on October 23, 2023, Trump said, “I’ll tell you what I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela because I’m doing it for a reason. I’m doing it for a reason. I’m doing it for a reason. We’ve got to save our country from these fascists, these lunatics we’re dealing with. They’re horrible people.”
Discussing the New York fraud verdict on Fox News, Trump said, “It is a form of Navalny. It is a form of communism or fascism. Navalny was a very sad situation. And he’s very brave. He was a very brave guy… It’s a horrible thing, but it’s happening in our country, too. We are turning into a communist country in many ways.”
Much of Trump’s rhetoric and style is familiar. His often incoherent ramblings, falsehoods, indecent asides, and sophomoric insults of his many “enemies” in both parties.
I’ve written several times about how I hoped that a Trump presidency would bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. How naive was I?
Trump’s gutter-level English speaks to a distinct group of supporters. I find it disconcerting that a US president can not string together several coherent sentences. The use of the word ‘very’ in his rants and rumblings shows his disdain for the English language.
And the way he groups communism and fascism in the same sentences shows that he does not understand their explicit configuration. Maybe he just does not care. Or maybe he is ignorant of the facts, which seem more likely.
To me, it is astounding that the groups that support Trump can’t or will not see him for what he is – a fairground shyster.
Most it would seem are also educationally challenged.
The title of Alan Paton’s 1948 novel on South Africa ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’ can well apply to America 2024.