This will be a short post about a topic that has baffled most of us … why so many adore Trump with cult like adoration. In the past, we all saw politicians come along where we shuddered at the acclaim given them. However, they might have compensating charm or glibness or looks or even oratory skill. But none of this explains the Trump phenomenon (though he was good looking in his youth).

Here we have a man whose only talent in life has been conning a diminishing number of banks out of loans that he would squander on failed businesses before landing a gig on TV as a successful entrepreneur who would say ‘your fired’ to young candidates aspiring to work for him. Even during his younger, brasher years in New York, he was a pariah (as the Ed Koch quote suggests).

My next door neighbor started his professional career doing PR work in the Big Apple. He insists that even as early as the 70s, most saw Trump as an entitled con man and snake oil salesman. There were little doubts about his character even out of the starting gate.

I can’t go on to catelogue all his sins … his incessant lying, his bullying of all accept the most obsequious sycophants, his total lack of real friendships or even a pet, his pathological narcissism, and his total lack of empathy. Those professionals who have viewed his disturbing behavior from the outside over years have agreed thar he suffers from borderline personality disorders. Malignant narcissism is the easiest to diagnose but an even more disturbing sociopathic personality disorder is not far behind. It is not comforting having a President who is certifiably nuts. I’ve read some of the books written by those who served under him in his administration. Utterly frightening the lengths they had to go through to prevent this evil man from wreaking total chaos on the country and the globe.

But all that is obvious to those of us who live in the real world. What about those millions who have followed this crackpot with undying adoration. These are the ones who still donate their dollars to his defense funds, even as he claims to be a multi-billionaire. These are the ones who still insist that he won in 2020 despite zero evidence that this is true. These are the ones who believe that Hillary is running a pedophilia ring disguised as pizza shops, that Biden is the most corrupt President in American history (again with no proof), and that a ‘dark state’ is secretly threatening the American right and treasured freedoms. This is paranoia on steroids.

Despite all the evidence and legal indictments against those who committed treason by attempting to stop the constitutional passing of power, the fundamental tenet of the American experiment in American Democracy. The mob running through the Capitol on January 6, maiming the police standing in their way were no more than curious tourists in their eyes. If you believe that, I have a tin hat for you.

My basic question is this. How could the most moronic, self centered, and evil person of our generation rise to levels of such adoration. How could self-described evangelical Christians accept this total loser as Christ’s anointed one while rejecting Jimmy Carter as a real follower of Christ’s message. Someone explain this one to me.

Sure, I’ve considered the usual explanations with the most common one being that some are embarrassed that they were conned and doubled down. Other explanations focus on our fractured communication systems that permit the most bizarre beliefs to go unchecked. I get all that and more.

At the end of the day, I yet look about me and wonder. Is all this based on pure hate. Does this vile creature represent and legitimize an essential vitriolic disgust by thise on the hard right with people like me, those that they see us as pampered elites. 😳 But I was never pampered. I was a working class kid who started out with paper routes and never stopped until I had doctorate, which only gave me the opportunity to work much harder than most people.

If the Trump phenomenon is a matter of vitriolic hate, then I wonder if we can survive this break in our society absent some violence. Perhaps the second act of our Civil War is inevitable. While I hope not, it is discomforting that we live in this divided society. One side may be wrong on some matters but remains attached to reality while the other side is off in a fantasy world. I don’t know if any communication is even possible.