He’s got something. Some kind of carnival-barker charisma or home-shopping network pull that gets people following everything he says, lining his pockets and pledging undying loyalty. If/when he leaves this mortal coil (since I don’t think he’ll being going to jail anytime soon) who will next sit the golden throne of Trumplandia? He had a framework of being a celebrity and a “New York tough guy” to build on that DeSantis lacks, for example.
Who are the serious contenders?
I think it will be a long time before a politician comes around again who has trump’s particular combination of utter cluelessness, hatefulness, complete disregard for laws and rules, and the ability to con enough of the population to make the first three characteristics have political impact.
So, in that sense, extremely irreplaceable.
I don’t know if there are any. I don’t know if anyone else has the same combination of scumbaggery, raging id, coarseness, and carnival charisma. And no one comes close to just naturally pissing off liberals - which I’m convinced is his single most attractive characteristic to his strongest supporters. They are just ragingly furious at liberals and progressives, and the prevailing culture, and Trump had the same perfect enemies. DeSantis sucks, but he’s just another Republican asshole politician. He doesn’t piss me off with every word and deed, not even close.
But we’ll see.
i guess I sort of ninja’d you, but I think you said it much better.
In some sense, Trump is like “Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby”.
And there – oh dear, it was terrible. Mistakes, fearful mistakes – why, he never did anything that was right – nothing but mistakes. But, you see, nobody knew the secret of how stupid he really was. Everybody misunderstood his actions. They saw his stupid mistakes as works of great intelligence. They did, honestly!
His smallest mistakes made a man in his right mind cry, and shout and scream too – to himself, of course. And what kept me in a continual fear was the fact that every mistake he made increased his glory and fame. I kept saying to myself that when at last they find out about him, it will be like the sun falling out of the sky.
The battle grew hotter. The English and their allies were steadily retreating all over the field. Our regiment occupied a position that was extremely important. One mistake now would bring total disaster. And what did Scoresby do this time – he just mistook his left hand for his right hand…that was all. An order came for him to fall back and support our right. Instead, he moved forward and went over the hill to the left. We were over the hill before this insane movement could be discovered and stopped. And what did we find? A large and unsuspected Russian army waiting! And what happened – were we all killed? That is exactly what would have happened in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. But no – those surprised Russians thought that no one regiment by itself would come around there at such a time.
It must be the whole British army, they thought. They turned tail, away they went over the hill and down into the field in wild disorder, and we after them. In no time, there was the greatest turn around you ever saw. The allies turned defeat into a sweeping and shining victory.
The allied commander looked on, his head spinning with wonder, surprise and joy. He sent right off for Scoresby, and put his arms around him and hugged him on the field in front of all the armies. Scoresby became famous that day as a great military leader – honored throughout the world. That honor will never disappear while history books last.
Not precisely the same situation, but the general point is that in some sense Trump’s ignorance and stupidity and arrogance are a source of his populist appeal. Because as a result of these, he is much less cowed by conventional wisdom than anyone else, not being aware that it’s conventional wisdom, if he’s even aware of it altogether. This gives him a lot more populist appeal than would be possible for someone who tried to stay within the bounds of normal, and thus was seen as part of “the establishment” to some extent.
Of course, what helps Trump out in this regard is that much of the country is similarly ignorant, and are thus predisposed to seeing Trump’s act as “telling it like it is” rather than “being a complete idiot”.
Combine that with brazen self-confidence, a bit of talent for pitter-patter and sense of humor, and long track record as a businessman and all-purpose celebrity, and what you get is Trump’s success in politics.
In that sense, Trump is probably unique. But the important thing is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. It’s a mistake to focus on how likely it is that someone else could come along with that exact set of qualities. Another person of his ilk could come along with a different basis for appeal. The important lesson of the Trump era is that a person with that degree of moral and character flaws has the capacity to attract a high level of support from the public. Once that’s possible, then all bets are off, whether due to Trump’s specific characteristics or some other set.
Trump is definitely a black swan.
Which is ironic considering what a racist son-of-a-bitch he is.
The whole thing is a cult at this point, with him at the top. He will be martyred once he is gone, but his disciples will likely carry the torch for the same causes he has championed, and maintain the flock. Take a look at any cult once it’s leader is gone. I could even see Trump Jr taking his place, like the Kims in North Korea. This thing has legs, even if Trump himself is not around.
I don’t think Junior has much appeal. He’s just a stoned wanna be.
We probably haven’t met the next “Trump” yet. I think he’ll come out of nowhere. Makes me glad I’m old, I tell ya.
I think Trump has singularly redefined conservatism in North America. I think there will be imitators. Smarter people than Trump are watching and learning. In the absence of strong and fundamental changes to the electoral systems and protection of voting rights, I expect a newer and smoother carnival barker will emerge after Trump, with lessons learned from Trump’s term, to pursue a similar agenda. And the base will be ready to support them.
The next one might be sooner than you think.
I would have said it was primarily his audience that created him (as opposed to him developing a following), but the thoughtful comments in this thread have me rethinking that. For one thing, it is the same mob now as last year and no one has captured their heart yet and there are plenty of contenders.
I have to admit that Trump’s rabid base is beyond my ability to comprehend. I really wish there were not so many hateful, deluded, misinformed morons in this nation but I am not going to resist the obvious just because it offends me.
What amazes me is the somewhat (or formerly) sane Republicans and conservatives who just give him a pass. I contend as I did a year ago that Fox’s big three could bring him down within a week inside his rabid base. (Five nights in row of Ingraham, Hannity, and Carlson attacking Trump would ruin him in my opinion. But the not so supportive moderate conservatives who are willing to say: “That damn guy, I wish he would shut up more often” but still vote for him and support him – and at least some of them have to be sending him money are where his genius lies.
I have a friend who is a retired pastor and is now a trial lawyer. Quite conservative socially and absolutely does NOT care for Trump – but somehow he sees Biden as worse!!! This man is smart and contemplative and is truly not nearly as reactive as the rest of the Republicans I have to deal with. He tolerates him in many ways however despite the fact that he corrected his 2016 mistake by voting against T in 2020.
Those die hard supporters are baffling and far too numerous, but they are not very smart and easily led by those in the right wing media. It is the others who genuinely know better but put up with Trump’s carnie barker persona that worry me. I think that is where his magic lies, he manages to get otherwise decent people to believe these guys:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1VFKB_enUS664US664&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=carnie+barker&fir=MpFmN0yr5Nj91M%252CGffXoT16F9zl8M%252C_%253BMTR4sEu7oc6i8M%252CCXyoaJBWEdIhkM%252C_%253BCZ8Xm-vadpOCTM%252Crirfb4r1jy11nM%252C_%253Boyh7QkxtqQk8DM%252CCXyoaJBWEdIhkM%252C_%253Bzgp_YJ01I44O0M%252Cai-ek9hxwdLsHM%252C_%253BrbrgVlSILuM2hM%252CGz0J1ZDhpi0lJM%252C_%253BwwB4LrOwLzcmqM%252Crirfb4r1jy11nM%252C_%253BkhbXChgLQ7EfpM%252CCXyoaJBWEdIhkM%252C_%253BmF6Vl3bnKK5SgM%252CioU_3RcgAMCjuM%252C_%253BfCGH-bX93TWSEM%252CWDPVRhrPITC3iM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kRZYgNIYGjzAYM44zTrZJodASgeVQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIjvbLrof2AhUXI0QIHdN4BAQQjJkEegQIGxAC&biw=1440&bih=789&dpr=1
I heard a guy on the radio yesterday. He was trashing trump, called him a clown, incompetent, etc., but said he voted for him, and if the next election was Trump vs. Biden, he’d vote for Trump again. I think they don’t really think Trump is that bad, but they’re embarrassed to say so. So they go along with the trashing, but would vote for him over any conceivable opponent, including Jesus Christ.
Yeah I hear and see this a lot, too. IMHO, it’s the whole voting straight ‘R’ down the ballot mentality, and the belief that Democrats are evul, racist commies wanting to turn this country into a stinking cesspool of socialism.
Trump’s the King of the Jews already (and I know the one has nothing to do with the other), according to the man himself.
I think that if Trump were to die tomorrow, it would take all of 10 minutes for someone to step into the void. Probably someone even worse, no doubt. It’s becoming pretty clear that the right wing media could deputize whomever they agree upon and 40% of the voters are going to vote for him. If Fox News, (along with all the other usual suspects), say today that a conservative must believe X, then those voters will believe X. If Fox says the next day a conservative can never believe X, those voters will vilify anyone who does. If anything, Trump has shown smarter people what they can get away with.
Trumps way was paved partly by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the seeds of distrust he sowed over many decades on talk radio. it was Trump who capitalized on it, telling the people who wanted what Rush was saying to be true exactly what they wanted to hear and thus legitimizing ‘alternative facts’. I think there will be some who follow in this, but hopefully none who can pull it all together like Trump has, but the book of Revelation does mention a second beast will follow, so who knows.
I don’t think so. I’m not certain, but I think what the Trump people liked is that everyone hated Trump. Even Fox News didn’t really get onboard until it was clear Trump was going to be the nominee. Like it or not, Trump really was grassroots - the rank and file of the Republican base. It turns out they really really wanted a huge scumbag. They wanted someone who radiated hatred and anger and pissed off all the squares. I don’t know who even could take it afterwards. Maybe David Duke? Trump Jr is just a pathetic shell of his dad in all those characteristics.
All of Trump’s worst qualities are features, not bugs, for his biggest supporters, and no one else has all those qualities together.
Trump would have sold himself to liberals if they were buying, just as naturally as reactionaries. He has no ideology at all. As I recall, his first presidential bid was initially pitched to liberals and centrists, and when he got no traction with that he quickly changed to embodying white nativist hatred.
“Euryhaline organisms are able to adapt to a wide range of salinities.”
Beware of Ivanka and Jared. Melania would probably end up Secretary of State, Don Jr. and Eric would hold ‘high’ positions too. Especially Don Jr.