It’s universally known that Donald J. Trump is a lifelong narcissist and egomaniac. And it’s also no secret that those around him do their utmost to cater to his rampant narcissism and egomania.  

This includes those officials he has appointed to his White House cabinet. 

On June 12, 2017, polls showed that only 36% of Americans approved of his conduct. But from his Cabinet members, Trump got praise traditionally lavished on dictators like Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong On.  

While the Cabinet members sat around a mahogany table in the West Wing of the White House, Trump instructed each one to say a few words about the good work his administration was doing. 

“Start with Mike,” ordered Trump, referring to Vice President Mike Pence.

“It is the greatest privilege of my life to serve as the vice president to a president who is keeping his word to the American people,” Pence dutifully said.

Mike Pence

Then the rest of the Cabinet joined in:

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “It’s an honor to be able to serve you.” 
• Tom Price: “What an incredible honor it is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at this pivotal time under your leadership.” 
• Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta: “I can’t thank you enough for the privilege that you’ve given me, and the leadership you’ve shown.”
• Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao: “Thank you for coming over to the Department of Transportation.” 
• Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget: “At your direction, we were able to also focus on the forgotten men and women who are paying taxes, so I appreciate your support on pulling that budget together.”

To this sycophantic chorus must now be added the name of Ron DeSantis, the 2018 Republican nominee for governor of Florida. 

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis’ accomplishments are truly impressive:

• 2001 – Graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History. 
• 2004 – Sworn into the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Navy while still attending Harvard Law School (from which he graduated with a J.D. in 2005). 
• 2008 – Appointed by the U.S. Justice Department as a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida.
• 2012 – Elected to the House of Representatives for Florida’s Sixth Congressional district.
• 2018 – Announced his candidacy for Governor of Florida to succeed termed out Republican incumbent Rick Scott.

Instead of highlighting his series of impressive accomplishments, he chose to create an ad that was virtually a love-hymn to Donald Trump:

“Everyone knows my husband Ron DeSantis is endorsed by President Trump, but he’s also an amazing dad,” says DeSantis’ wife, Casey.

“Build the wall,” says DeSantis, as his daughter, Madison, creates a wall out of building blocks. 

“He reads stories—” says Casey. Then the ad cuts to DeSantis reading The Art of the Deal to his son, Mason: “Then Mr. Trump said, ‘You’re fired.’  I love that part.” 

“He’s teaching Madison to talk,” says Casey. The ad cuts to DeSantis showing Madison a “Trump: Make America Great Again” sign and pointing out each word: “Make America Great Again.”

Casey: “People say Ron’s all Trump, but he is so much more.” This is followed by a shot of Mason lying in a crib, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” T-shirt. 

Then the camera pulls back to show DeSantis standing over the crib, saying: “Bigly. So good.” 

Finally, Casey says: “I just thought you should know.” 

 

What voters should know is that Donald Trump has an insatiable appetite for flattery. And that Ron DeSantis is a sycophant eager to trade his dignity for Trump’s support.  

And Trump, in return, has offered it. 

For almost 30 years, through purges and starvation caused by enforced collections of farmers’ crops, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin slaughtered 20 to 60 million people. 

On Stalin’s 70th birthday—December 21, 1949—Russians furiously competed with each other to lavish praise on him:

Joseph Stalin  

• Novelist Leonid Lenov predicted that all the peoples of the earth would one day celebrate his birthday. The new calendar would begin with the birth of Stalin rather than with the birth of Christ. 
• Lavrenti P. Beria, Stalin’s sinister and feared secret police chief: “Millions of fighters for peace and democracy in all countries of the world are closing their ranks still firmer around Comrade Stalin.”
• Defense Commissar Kliment Voroshilov: “The mighty voice of the Great Stalin, defending the peace of the world, has penetrated into all corners of the globe.” 
• Central Committee Secretary Georgi Malenkov: “With a feeling of great gratitude, turning their eyes to Stalin, the peoples of the Soviet Union, and hundreds of millions of peoples in all countries of the world, and all progressive mankind, see in Comrade Stalin their beloved leader and teacher….”

In 1962, the Russian poet, Yevgeney Yevtushenko condemned those who had abjectly served as yes-men to such a madman.  

Entitled, “Conversation With an American Writer,” the opening lines of Yevtushenko’s poem stand as a burning indictment to the yes-men who sycophantically saluted Stalin:

“You have courage,’ they tell me.
It’s not true. I was never courageous.
I simply felt it unbecoming
to stoop to the cowardice of my colleagues.”    

Yevtushenko’s words equally indict those who now sycophantically salute Trump.