I would love to see him show up for the debate, and FOX says ‘What debate’?
This whole mess is because ABC canceled his stupid, inane show. Always remember that this is a man that craves attention. He lost that. He thought that he would lose and then start the anti-Hillary channel that would make FOX look fair and balanced. But then the asshole won.
I’m not sure this is quite the right thread for this, but …
This an opinion piece for the WaPo, and it brings up an interesting concept:
Trump’s essential inability to care about anything but himself = no wear and tear, minimal aging due to stress.
But I think it’s fair to say that the strain of the presidency shows itself in pretty much everyone who leaves the office — in worry lines in the face, gauntness from lack of sleep, creaking backs and failing knees.
There’s no escaping the fact that Trump still seems a good deal younger than Biden. He appears to be nourished by a bottomless wellspring of rage.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/12/trump-age-feel-weight-history-presidency/
gift link because I don’t know why the preview isn’t showing:
https://wapo.st/3Afb7zS
It’s not odd. Trump wasn’t too keen on campaigning even when he was in court. When he had the time, Trump wasn’t exactly tearing up the campaign trail even back then. I recall some pundits calling him out for golfing when he had been complaining about being unable to campaign. His lack of campaigning in 2024 isn’t exactly new, it’s just more noticable now that we’re so close to the election and the Harris campaign is super stoked. I think there’s a combination of factors that are contributing to his lack of campaigning this year.
- Money troubles. Raising funds for the Trump campaign has been difficult and what funds were raised went to legal fees and I wouldn’t be surprised if it went to some other grift. Trump also has unpaid bills from venues/towns from previous years which limits campaigning in 2024.
- Mental decline. It seems like years ago, but Trump’s legal problems were clearly taking a toll on him. Every day he spoke to the press during his criminal and civil trial you could see how scared he really was. He’s become increasingly unhinged and it’s even worse now that the race changed directions entirely with Biden bowing out. This isn’t even taking into account the possibility of PTSD or age related problems.
Might I add my own speculation that he’s having trouble securing venues? Outdoor venues have been deemed too dangerous due to the difficulty of securing the perimeter and controlling the crowd, so he’s stuck with indoor rallies. But it’s well-known that he stiffs the cities and venue owners when it comes to paying the bills for the extra police presence and rental fees. Add in the fear of being blamed (like the local police were in Pennsylvania) if something should go wrong, and I’d bet that securing a site that trump deems appropriately large enough for his always “record-breaking crowds, the likes of which have never been seen before in this cosmos or any other” is quite the large order.
I think he’s looking to make bank off the “Eating a Harris-Burger!” jokes.
I’ve said it before, it’s because Trump is used to being a Boss.
All his life, this has been the way it is. He orders something done, and everyone else around him does the actual work to get it done. “Put my name on that building! Take out a bigger loan on that property! Paint that toilet gold!” Having money and control of his private business meant that his word was law.
He never quite understood that being President didn’t work that way. This is why he complained that all the dictators out there had better countries than he did - because they could just give orders, none of this “convincing people” nonsense needed.
Somebody said on a radio program I listened to that even if he loses the election, with the rest of his legal issues he won’t go away meaning 2025 will still probably have him front and centre of the news. And that he will use this to mount a comeback in 2028. That really sunk in that even two term presidents like Bush, who had an administration which felt like twenty years, and Obama who was probably the most pop-culture president we’ve ever had, left office when they had to and stayed pretty quiet.
In 2028 he will be four years older than now. Will his mind be sharper? If he loses two elections, will the Republicans support him without reluctance? His command over them now is considerable because they think he can win and permit political projects.
He’s not in great shape. I don’t expect him to be doing much in 4 years.
If Trump isn’t elected in 2024 I don’t see much of a future for him. He’s going to be mired in legal problems, both civil and criminal, and at his age it seems very unlikely he’ll be able to run for office. He might try to play kingmaker, but I think whatever political power he has will wane quickly. We’re going to be dealing with the after effects of Trumpism for many years though.
NBC, but possibly so.
It’s like Truman said about Eisenhower:
He’ll sit here, and he’ll say, “Do this! Do that!” And nothing will happen. Poor Ike—it won’t be a bit like the Army. He’ll find it very frustrating.
Hit it on the nose. There’s no way a four-years-further-diminished Trump, after losing two elections in a row, gets sufficient party support. There are true MAGA zealots in power (e.g., MTG) but most of those currently in the Trump fold are principle-less opportunists. At that point, they cut bait.
Trump is appealing to the GOP as long as he offers the promise of winning. As soon as he’s an indisputable albatross, they’ll stick in the dagger. If Harris wins, he’s toast as a candidate.
Also, if he loses this one the incentive for his “friends” to delay his remaining trials and cover for him dwindles rapidly. Not to mention the funding drying up.
Truth social, his financial lifeline, drops to penny stock.
Supporting someone else? What’s in it for him? Never going to happen, supporting other people does not compute in his tiny 8088.
It’s well on its way. Down another 4% today.
If Trump loses in November and drags down rest of the GOP candidates (as in 2020), there’s no freaking way that the party will support him in another presidential bid.
Agreed. They say you never know, but with narcissists, you do.
Trump doesn’t have a problem supporting other people when it’s in his own interest. If his political career is pretty much over, I bet he’d be willing to endorse other people just to stroke his own ego. Trump has said he likes people who kiss his ass. Of course Trump doesn’t really like people in the same sense you or I might. He only likes them insofar as they are useful to him in some way. But I absolutely belive someone could gain Trump’s endorsement by stroking his ego. How many Republicans have made that deal with the devil over the last few years?