Certainly a lot of MAGAs aren’t happy about Trump’s reneging on the Epstein files, but I doubt this will cause more than a tiny percentage to really turn against him. Most of the rest will continue to do what they’re doing now, which is blaming Bondi or others in the administration for mishandling the whole affair, before moving on to the next shiny object.
Yep. I remember all the way back in 2015 when he mocked a disabled reporter, thinking that that was the incident which was going to finally sink his candidacy. Pundits all along the political spectrum said that this was just too far beyond the pale and that even his most ardent supporters would have to step back, their heads hung in shame.
Instead he became like an evil Obi-Wan Kenobi. Whenever something came along that appeared to have the potential to doom his political career, he just emerged more powerful than you could ever imagine.
Agreed – those posts that are quoted around about MAGAs expressing upset or disappointment at Trump? They’ll fall back in the instant he provides the slightest cover for it. “Dammit, sir, you must tell us all”, they post? That really means "please, make up something, anything, we can use to excuse sticking with you". They’re looking for whatever way to say “oh, look, man, you scared us, now we see we should have trusted you!”
There is a curious phenomenon at play. I’ve seen it play out a dozen times, but the most obvious was after the January 6th putsch. When something seriously goes against Trump, the cult is silent until someone tells them what to say. Once that happens, they all start echoing the same thing at the same time.
I realized, once Trump came back from the putsch, that there was nothing he could say or do that would turn his followers against him. He could literally start nuking Democrat cities, and the cult would find a way to cheer him on.
If it was an exit ramp for them to get out of the cult and retreat from political life, never voting again, fine. But that’s not honorable, that’s just a way for society to shed a bunch of dangerous fascists and we should let them take the exit.
But honorable would be to admit their mistake, acknowledge the harm they have caused, and work tirelessly to correct that wrong. For the rest of their lives.
Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who last week called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to review the Epstein files, said on his “War Room” show Friday, “In fact, we made the recommendations that are the best for President Trump in this movement, which is President Trump is best when it’s attack, attack, attack. This is the deep state. This is the ruling class in America. They’re trying to use it to destroy President Trump.”
On the podcast, Bannon asked MAGA podcaster and influencer Jack Posobiec, “Where are we in all of this, sir?”
“We’re so back. Look. Everyone is firing on all cylinders. The MAGA movement is completely united behind this fight right now,” Posobiec said.
The next stage after that is to just pretend they don’t know what you’re talking about, they’re not sure who Epstein is and to say the libs have Trump derangement syndrome.
I was never MAGA but I left the Republican Party when state legislatures started impeaching Democratic members for representing their constituents. And let’s not forget the 1/6 insurrection. And the attempts to substitute Republican slates of electors for the Democratic ones lawfully selected. If they are not going to leave MAGA because of its direct attack on American democracy, then why the hell would they leave because of Epstein?
I don’t think so. He could roll out universal healthcare, paid for by the government, and claim he was making good on his promise to get rid of Obamacare, and his base really would insist this was the most patriotic and capitalistic thing ever. Truth. Does. Not. Matter.
You can always tell when Trump is guilty; he starts crying “Hoax!!” and blaming Obama and others for the mess he’s gotten himself into. It gives his base a way to hold him blameless because he’s just a victim just like they are. I’ve said before that he will never have to pay for his crimes and never spend a day in jail. I’ll settle for him dying before I do. I think it’s a realistic goal, and while I likely won’t be able to piss on his grave, I will definitely do a happy dance.
He could go full on communist. He could abolish religion, mandate abortion, and forbid the possession of private property, and MAGA will still claim everyone else is a “Marxist” or a “Leftist”.
A wise man once told me to be very wary of anyone throwing around the term “Marxist” or “leftist” as a pejorative. Given the fact that I’ve debated with plenty of Marxists and leftists in the past, the idea that these ideologies exist in America is laughable.
But our biggest danger right now is that these ideologies may just emerge as a backlash to MAGAs reactionism. If that happens, none of us are safe.
Come to think of it, that friend is very pro gun, and she might well have read the NRA propaganda. She detests Trump with all her soul, though. Your comment has given me much to think over, and I have many neighbors about me who love their guns. Which one of them will come for me? Sobering times… But I am pushing 70, and though I am energetic for my age, I just donate and vote. I am shocked at how violent our society has become, but that has always been true. It is just now it is more out in the open.