“He appeared to need enemies the way other men need friends, and his conduct assured that he would always have plenty of them.”
So wrote William Manchester about General Douglas MacArthur in his monumental 1978 biography, American Caesar. But he could have written this just as accurately about Donald Trump, both as Republican Presidential candidate and President.
As a Presidential candidate, Trump repeatedly used Twitter to attack hundreds of real and imagined enemies in politics, journalism, TV and films.
From June 15, 2015, when he launched his Presidential campaign, until October 24, 2016, Trump fired almost 4,000 angry, insulting tweets at 281 people and institutions that had somehow offended him.
Donald Trump
The New York Times needed two full pages of its print edition to showcase them. Among his targets:
- Hillary Clinton
- President Barack Obama
- Actress Meryl Streep
- Comedian John Oliver
- Singer Neil Young
- Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger
- News organizations
- Beauty pageant contestants
Others he clearly delighted in insulting during the campaign included:
- Women
- Blacks
- Hispanics
- Asians
- The disabled
- Prisoners-of-war
As President, he has continued to insult virtually everyone, verbally and on Twitter. His targets have included Democrats, Republicans, the media, foreign leaders (most notably North Korea’s “Little Rocket Man” Kim Jong On) and even members of his Cabinet.
The one major figure that Trump has never attacked is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But Trump has no such hesitation about insulting leaders of nations which have been America’s traditional allies—such as Canada.
On June 10, Larry Kudlow, Trump’s chief economic adviser, accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of undermining the US and its allies with comments he made at the G7 economic summit in Quebec.
Justin Trudeau
The G7 is comprised of France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, the United States and Italy.
“It was a betrayal,” Kudlow accused Trudeau on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He really kind of stabbed us in the back.”
Kudlow said the allies should have been more supportive of Trump because of his scheduled June 12 meeting in Singapore with North Korean dictator Kim Jong On.
“They should have said to him, ‘God speed, you are negotiating with the crazy nuclear tyrant in North Korea, and we are behind you.'”
Larry Kudlow
On June 9, the prime minister had said in a press conference that Canada would “move forward with retaliatory measures” on July 1.
The reason for this: Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico.
“I have made it very clear to the President that it is not something we relish doing, but it something that we absolutely will do,” Trudeau said. “Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around.”
And Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, went further: “There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.
“And that’s what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. That’s what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did, and that comes right from Air Force One.”
Given the sheer brutality of the language, there’s no reason to doubt that Navarro was absolutely reflecting Trump’s own venomous anger.
“He [Trump[ did him [Trudeau] a favor,” Navarro said. “He was even willing to sign that socialist communique.”
On June 10, Trump tweeted: “Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!,”
But while Trump has made clear his detestation of socialism, he has no qualms about rewarding the aggression of a hardcore Communist like Vladimir Putin. On June 9, he called for Russia to be readmitted to the G7.
“I think it would be an asset to have Russia back in,” he said during an impromptu press conference at the summit.
“I think it would be good for the world. I think it would be good for Russia. I think it would be good for the United States. I think it would be good for all of the countries of the current G7. I think the G8 would be better.”
Russia was ousted from the group in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea—the first violation of a European country’s borders since World War II.
“Today crystallizes precisely why Putin was so eager to see Trump elected,” said former Obama National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.
“For Putin, this is return on his investment, and it’s safe to say that his investment has paid off beyond even his wildest dreams,” he said in a statement to CNN.
And, in a turn of events that some might call poetic justice, moments after he arrived in Singapore for his meeting with Kim Jong On, Trump tweeted: “Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.”
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A REVOLUTION MAY BE COMING–AGAINST REPUBLICANS: PART ONE (OF TWO)
In Bureaucracy, History, Military, Politics, Social commentary, Uncategorized on November 17, 2020 at 12:20 amDonald Trump and his Right-wing allies have often threatened a second civil war in the United States.
During the 2016 Presidential race, supporters of Trump talked openly of staging a revolution if his opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the election.
Roger Stone, a longtime Right-wing political consultant and Trump strategist, was one of them.
Roger Stone
“The first thing that Trump needs to do is begin talking about [voter fraud] constantly. If there’s voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.
“I think he’s gotta put them on notice that their inauguration will be a rhetorical, and when I mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath… We will not stand for it.”
At one town hall meeting where his Vice Presidential running mate, Mike Pence, appeared, a woman named Rhonda stood up and announced: “One of the things that I can tell you that a lot of us are scared of is this voter fraud.
“For me personally, if Hillary Clinton gets in, I myself am ready for a revolution.”
In Cincinnati, a Trump supporter threatened to forcibly remove Clinton from the White House if she won the Presidential race: “I feel like Hillary needs to be taken out if she gets in the government. I’ll do everything in my power to take her out of power–which, if I have to be a patriot, I will.”
As President, Trump has continued to threaten those who oppose him with massive violence.
“You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny,” the President told Breibart’s Matthew Boyle. “I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay?
“I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump—I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough—until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”
On October 8, 2020,13 Right-wingers were charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They intended to “try” and executer her for “treason.”
Gretchen Whitmer
Their chief grievance: Whitmer’s stay-at-home order to control the fast-moving spread of Coronavirus throughout Michigan. By no small coincidence, that happened to be the theme of Trump’s attacks on her.
On October 18, at a Trump campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan, the crowd chanted “Lock her up!” against Whitmer. Trump smiled, chuckled and said, “Lock them all up.”
In the 1840s and 1850s, Southern oligarchs and their allies repeatedly threatened to secede from the Union. They demanded that:
And they warned that if those favoring Union tried to stop them from seceding, there would be all-out war.
On April 12, 1861, those Southern threats finally came true. Confederate artillery batteries in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, opened fire on Union Fort Sumter. Forty-eight hours later the fort was forced to surrender—and the American Civil War was on.
Four years later—on April 9, 1865—Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered unconditionally to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
The Right may soon get its wish for a second civil war. And that outcome may prove as devastating to its members as the first one did to the Confederacy.
On November 3, almost 75 million voters elected Joe Biden President of the United States. Yet 14 days later, Trump has refused to accept their verdict.
Joe Biden
He has repeatedly filed legal challenges to the vote, claiming himself the victim of massive fraud. This despite the utter lack of evidence of it.
And courts have responded: On November 13, nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden’s win in key states were denied or dropped.
And a law firm challenging the vote count in Pennsylvania withdrew from the effort.
Trump’s refusal to admit defeat has not prevented world leaders from congratulating Biden. Among these:
And after a lengthy period of silence, China offered its congratulations.
Meanwhile, top Republicans—such as Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—have refused to congratulate Biden as the winner.
Political commentators have acted as though these Republicans are living in a “delusional” universe, and it’s only a matter of time before they “wake up.”
On the contrary: It’s far more likely they are testing the waters—to see if they can strongarm their way into positions of absolute power despite the wishes of the electorate.
Trump has often “joked” about being “President-for-Life.” And Republicans have long believed they should be the only legal political party in the country.
But they are risking a second civil war such as they cannot imagine.
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