Greg Sergeant of the Washington Post insists that Trump is not “in denial” about the pandemic. He is malevolently ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Maybe it’s wishful evil thinking. Open the link to see his many links to sources.
To paraphrase George Orwell, when it comes to President Trump’s bottomless malevolence and depravity, accurately describing what’s right in front of our noses is a constant struggle — and a perfect example of this is the ubiquitous claim that Trump is “in denial” about coronavirus.
With Trump now launching a campaign to get schools reopened, versions of this are everywhere. The new push shows Trump has “learned nothing” about the perils of reopening society too quickly, declares CNN’s main Twitter feed.
Trump is lost in “magical thinking,” proclaims one health expert. Trump is “basically in denial,” insists one Democratic governor. Trump is “incapable of grasping that people are dying,” frets one advocate for educators.
But is the problem really that Trump is incapable of learning, or that he’s deceiving himself, or that he’s closed his eyes to reality?
The preponderance of the evidence points to something far worse.
Trump has been widely and repeatedly informed by his own and other experts for many months that his failure to take coronavirus more seriously could have utterly catastrophic consequences, that it could result in widespread suffering and needless deaths.
It isn’t enough to point out that Trump repeatedly ignored that advice. What’s more important is that Trump has repeatedly seen the predicted consequences of those failures come to pass, and is seeing that right now.
Yet Trump still continues not just to downplay the severity of the virus’s continuing toll, but also to actively discourage current efforts to mitigate the spread — by failing to set an example through mask-wearing, for instance — and to urge the very sort of rapid reopening that has already contributed to catastrophic outcomes.
The carnage is mounting once again. Total cases just hit 3 million. They have risen in 37 states over the last two weeks — hitting single-day records in six — and the national rolling average of 50,000 new daily cases is far outpacing June’s.
There’s no doubt that the decision to reopen rapidly in many states — which Trump urged — has played some kind of important role in the current surges. As a former Baltimore health commissioner noted: “The key is we did not have to be here right now.”
Yet Trump has shown zero signs of even trying to grapple with the cause and effect behind these new circumstances. Instead, he continues to lie about them, falsely claiming we have the lowest mortality rate in the world, falsely claiming that “99 percent” of cases are “totally harmless,” and absurdly claiming the virus will “disappear.”
Can this really be described as being in denial?
In the past five months, President Trump has repeatedly played down covid-19’s toll on the United States even as the number of cases and deaths has risen.
Trump was privately warned in January by his Health and Human Services secretary that a pandemic was coming. He dismissed this as “alarmist,” then largely refused to act for weeks, only to see coronavirus rampage out of control here as a result.
And experts loudly warned in April that a rapid reopening could prove disastrous. Trump urged it anyway, and we’re now learning the experts were right.
We know why Trump did these things. He feared that publicly taking coronavirus too seriously would spook the markets, which he sees as crucial to his reelection. His allies frankly admitted reopenings would fuel the impression of rapid rebound, helping his reelection (or so they thought).
In those cases, Trump made an active choice to prioritize his own perceived political needs over what experts — including his own — recommended as in the best interests of the country. He has now seen them proved right twice.
We’re seeing something similar once again. Trump’s own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that localities minimize crowds at voting places by pursuing “alternative voting methods” amid coronavirus’s new spread.
It is a certainty that Trump will continue falsely claiming that vote-by-mail is subject to massive fraud, to make it politically harder for local officials to scale it up. We know why Trump does this. He has told us himself: He fears vote-by-mail makes it more likely that Republicans will lose the election — meaning that he will lose.
When Trump repeats these lies about vote-by-mail in the wake of the CDC guidance, will we claim Trump is merely “in denial” about the dangers of discouraging such alternative voting options?
Not clueless and hapless. Malevolent.
Once we dispense with the idea that Trump remains “in denial,” we’re left with a few interpretations. The most charitable is that Trump continues to have principled disagreements with experts over these matters, but there are zero indications he has any substantively grounded views on them of any kind.
A far less charitable interpretation is that he’s merely indifferent to the catastrophic consequences that are resulting from these failures — and will continue to do so — and that he’s prioritizing nakedly self-interested political calculations over any such concerns.
Trump has been steadily wrong in these political calculations, to be sure. At each stage, he has believed not acting was in his immediate interests, only to discover the consequences of inaction proved politically worse.
There may have been a species of denial at play in those faulty political calculations — a misguided faith in his magical ability to re-create his political reality through the force of will and tweet. But we can’t pretend any longer that Trump isn’t perfectly aware of what the real-world consequences of his actions — or inactions — will be.
The press critic Jay Rosen has repeatedly suggested that the effort to obscure Trump’s role in this ongoing fiasco is producing one of the biggest propaganda and disinformation campaigns in modern history. Central to getting this right is dispensing with the idea that Trump is a hapless, clueless actor rather than a deliberate and malevolent one.
I read Mary Trump’s book and was depressed for 2 days before I was able to work through my disgust for the DUMPster.
Dump is a traitorous liar and a big, fat bully. He’s always gotten his way.
All I can say is think “Epstein.” Dump went to his parties and I can only imagine the disgusting behavior and the horror of those affairs.
SNIP: “There may have been a species of denial at play in those faulty political calculations — a misguided faith in his magical ability to re-create his political reality through the force of will and tweet. But we can’t pretend any longer that Trump isn’t perfectly aware of what the real-world consequences of his actions — or inactions — will be.”
Who really knows? However, speculating from his past performance, I CAN see that, from his view that Trump is the ULTIMATE measure and maker of all reality, he can just blame others for those real-world consequences. There is no such thing as a “reality” beyond the conflict between Trump loyalists, and those who aren’t.
The irony is that, with his presidential power and ability to blithely break laws and norms, he really IS creating his own ego-made reality–the one we all have to respond to–and where (in true fascist form) knowledge of real-truth seems to be a sign of weakness.
The big difference, however, is that WE see a reality that happens to be the case (true), and is not in our complete control, like the virus; and WE understand what is true or not beyond our mere wants, like the truth that the virus is real and not a hoax.
Whereas with Trump, there is NO REALITY beyond what he wants or already thinks and those who oppose him–a consciousness that is tailor made for conspiracy theorists.
SNIP: “Central to getting this right is dispensing with the idea that Trump is a hapless, clueless actor rather than a deliberate and malevolent one.”
That’s the wrong choice: Rather, it’s a simplistic win or lose by his view of things. Trump is a combination of a severely stunted and misdirected consciousness and the deliberate malevolence the article speaks of, apparently supported by a lifetime of habituation. There’s nothing new in him from a psychologist’s point of view. What’s new is that he mirrors and complements so much of the electorate. CBK
Addendum: The main insight there is that a person cannot “be in denial” unless they at least have some deep-set awareness of WHAT they are denying.
But we cannot deny what, from our own horizon, we cannot see or be aware of, even in the deep-set arena of unconscious resonant recognition.
Trump is so cavalier, gleeful, and vindictive about what WE think he is denying, if there IS any resonance with the truth/good/reality that WE understand, it’s so covered over and stunted that he really is “clueless.” CBK
Catherine, I would go a step beyond Trump and suggest the Republicans and right wing Dems are in denial over their failed market ideology.Trump is republicanism. Governments run by Republicans have ruthlessly dismantled what was left of our social safety net in the name of tax cuts and austerity. We can’t even supply gowns, masks, PPE and ventilators to mitigate this crisis. Congress, that in the name of PayGo, decided unemployment must end this month. When these paltry unemployment payments end thousands will lose their apartments & homes because they can’t pay their rents/mortgages.
We are living the reality of Reagan’s dog-whistles about welfare queens and Bill Clinton’s attack on black populations via the drug war & privatized prisons. It was the Bush WH that told Ron Suskind (reporter at the Times) that he lived in reality, whereas they & the Iraq war designers, “created reality”.
COVID is spreading & Republicans are pretending it\’s under control, doesn’t exist, whatever lie du jour matches Trump’s mood.
You are spot on with this assertion, except I’d change one thing:
“Trump is a combination of a severely stunted and misdirected consciousness and the deliberate malevolence the article speaks of, apparently supported by a lifetime of habituation. There’s nothing new in him from a psychologist’s point of view. What’s new is that he mirrors and complements so much of the” Republican party.
jcgrim I said this elsewhere, but will say it again. I think it’s plausible that the Congressional Republicans went home before renewing unemployment and COVID payments in order to DELAY the payments until closer to the election. . . . when those who are without work and funds NOW will be oh-so-grateful to the Republicans for getting those payments to them . . . and which they think will turn into R votes. How jaundiced is it for me to think THAT. CBK
That’s possible. A confounding feature for Republican plans is the pandemic, which they are unwilling to control.
Diane I don’t KNOW that for a fact. It’s just that, given what we already know about the behavior of Trump and the R’s in Congress, it’s entirely plausible . . . vintage Mitch. CBK
CK Not jaundiced enough! 🙂 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/the-cruelty-is-the-point/572104/
“The cruelty of the Trump administration’s policies, and the ritual rhetorical flaying of his targets before his supporters, are intimately connected. As Lili Loofbourow wrote of the Kavanaugh incident in Slate, adolescent male cruelty toward women is a bonding mechanism, a vehicle for intimacy through contempt. The white men in the lynching photos are smiling not merely because of what they have done, but because they have done it together.”
They’ll do anything to hold on to power.
Trump has Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Other people? He is completely indifferent. Watch him meeting with victims of natural disasters or of our wars overseas. Indifference. He’s looking off elsewhere, smiling for the photo op.
He is a narcissistic sociopath. He is incapable of altruistic impulses.
With friends like Pompeo, who needs Putin? Pompeo in Iowa, “This administration appreciates and knows that our rights come from God, not government. Can I get an amen to that?”
From a Guardian article, 7-26, ” Pompeo elevated religious and property freedoms over other human rights.”
The Trump WH succeeds with the help of the religious right voters. The religious right was created by an extremist Catholic funded by the Koch’s and, an evangelical. When the nation came to understand Barr’s commitment to introducing religion at every opportunity, democracy’s fate was sealed.
So Pompeo discounts the Constitution. That explains a lot.
Rule of God not, rule of man’s law. The former is open to interpretation untethered to rationale thought and rife with prejudice with the usual victims, women, gay people and people of darker complexion.
Diane I don’t think Pompeo, Barr, or Trump, even get as far as “discounting the Constitution” for religion. I think both are just pure political animals.
I think Linda is right if she thinks that SOME from the religious right desire to make the US into a theocracy, including Betsy. But it’s not Pompeo, Barr, or Trump (or the oligarch-others) that are about making that happen, any more than Hitler, Putin, or Stalin in their times, or any banana-republic, for that matter.
Also, where the Republican Senate is concerned, my guess is that they went home and plan to pass a bill AFTER huge numbers of people have run out of money and into poverty, and just BEFORE the election . . . so that many will start getting checks, to their great relief, just before they vote. How thankful they will be to Trump and the Republicans.
And yes, I think most Republicans in Congress have shown themselves to be THAT careless, jaundiced, and even contemptuous of the American public. CBK
Diane In brief, their god is brute power, not anything vaguely associated with Christianity or with Christian ethics or even politics . . . give to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s. CBK
Pompeo is as duplicitous as Trump is where the religious right is concerned. Like any good fascist, once they get hold of power, whoever is in the outer circles will be de-voiced or even “disappeared.”
Also, insofar as fascism is less a political ideology than the expression of a personality disorder (to put it mildly) writ-large, Trump doesn’t need to know the definition of “fascism” to actually be one. CBK
Have you read Pompeo’s.latest sally against China [Thurs]? He ‘s pulling out all the stops. Sounds to me like a big shiny object to distract fromTrump’s mismgt of covid-19.
Trump and gang are throwing out lots of distractions to try to change the subject
Trump’s gang of fascist criminals are looking for a magic bullet that will save them, and they are firing a lot of them.
He and his whole vile family have no concept of service. Not one member of the family has ever served in the military or done anything of consequence for anyone else. Trump’s charity was a sham just like him The family’s sole goal is to serve themselves at the expense of others and line their pockets. While Trump may be the worst of them, the rotten fruit does not fall far from the rotten tree. They are all parasitic opportunists.
New York State found that Trump’s “foundation” was a fraud, used for business and political purpose. He is barred from ever operating a foundation in New York again. It is hard to keep track of the many times the members of this family have been sanctioned for theft and fraud.
retired teacher From the Trump Family Horizon, they can ONLY think that others think the same way they do. To them, everyone is duplicitous, and so anything goes to get and keep power . . . from their point of view, “just like everyone else is doing.”
From that view, it’s a weakness (or again, duplicitous, like them) to be morally principled, public-oriented, politically democratic, or caring. If you don’t secure and serve yourself, then others will “win” instead of you, and you will be a “loser.” CBK
Malevolent-
Today in the Guardian, “Zuckerberg for Trump?”
His wife said it all: “I really don’t care. Do you?”
Malevolence and denial are not mutually exclusive.
Ifor example, I’m pretty sure Trump denies that he is malevolent.
Yeah, I guess I have to stipulate to this headline. No other explanation suffices.
We’ve just hit 4 million cases. It only took 15 days to get from 3 million cases to 4 million.
“The press critic Jay Rosen has repeatedly suggested that the effort to obscure Trump’s role in this ongoing fiasco is producing one of the biggest propaganda and disinformation campaigns in modern history. Central to getting this right is dispensing with the idea that Trump is a hapless, clueless actor rather than a deliberate and malevolent one.”
This is so important to call out. It is not the right wing media, but the mainstream (so-called “liberal”) media that is responsible for enabling Trump. It was evident in the way that two NYT reporters covered AOC’s amazing speech as an exercise in “promoting her brand” — assigning a very negative motive to AOC’s actions and positions in the exact same way that the NYT spent all of 2016 assigning very negative and malevolent motives to HRC’s positions and actions but never to Trump’s.
That NYT story that framed the AOC speech as a brand-promoting exercise did not assign any negative motives at all to Ted Yoho even when his actions — unlike AOC — were actually wrong by every standard of fact! Yoho may have acted wrongly, but he was doing it because he had strong Christian principles only. In other words, the NYT framed the entire AOC speech in the same way they frame every story about Donald Trump and William Barr. Where the Democrats who criticize Trump have bad motives — the kindest motives are promoting their brand or political gain, but often the motive ascribed to democrats is greed or doing the bidding of their billionaire overlords. Whereas in the very same stories, the Republicans like Yoho and Trump and Barr may be factually wrong, but they are sticking their principles or at worst, “confused”. Their character is never besmirched the way the character of the Democrats — even when they are in the right! — is ALWAYS besmirched.
And what makes it worse is when I see a few on the left doing the same thing! (Thankfully, most don’t, but the ones they do are – not coincidentally – the ones who promote the false view that whether Trump wins or Biden wins makes no difference.) When there is any post that points out how malevolent or dangerous Trump is, they might reply with a post that ignores any negative motives of Trump , and instead ascribes the most negative motives to Trump’s critics! They “don’t approve” of Trump and say they “don’t like” most of his policies, but the people who have really bad motives and are just acting for political reasons are the Democrats and Trump critics! It is an exact repeat of the false narrative pushed in 2016 — “I may not agree with all of Trump’s policies and the Democrats’ are offering much better policies, but since the democrats are liars and you can’t trust them since they have very bad motives, and Trump is just being Trump, I’ll vote for him. Or I’ll vote for anyone but the Democrat.”
It’s ironic to see how much those critics on the left mimic the view of the NYT reporters which mimics the view of the entire Republican establishment and Trump voters. Where the only people who should not be trusted because of their very bad motives are the Democrats. All the Democrats are – at best – just like AOC and every action they take is about promoting their brand or personal gain. And Republicans, even when they are wrong, are wrong because of their strong principles! Or just “confused” like Trump.
Trump and the Republicans have very bad motives. Trump and the Republicans cannot be trusted to do anything except what benefits a few people in power who call the shots and especially hate people who are feminists, from countries that aren’t European, or who actually speak up to counter lies with facts. They have absolutely no scruples and will hurt anyone if harming them will keep them in power. Getting Republicans out of power is the only thing that matters in this election. The only thing. There cannot be democracy when those who would harm anyone to stay in power are in power. That is why Russia is not a democracy and never will be until Putin and those who think like Putin (who now rule the White House) are completely disempowered.
Denial? Malevolent? Ok. That’s him.
But how do you explain the Silence of the Senators and Representatives – GOP and Democrat? And, the media?
Not a word from GOP members of Congress. Are they that afraid of him?
How do they sleep at night knowing that this president’s inaction made virus worse – outrageously and deadly worse?
How do they sleep at night knowing that this president’s sending troops to – wait for it – Portland and Seattle – made the protests worst – and he knew that would happen.
Not one contrary word – just like the three cops watching George Floyd being killed – silent about separating families, pardoning crooks who openly say they lied to protect him, silent about screwing up the last six months…
Not a whole lot from Democrats
Are they saving their attacks for October? Why aren’t they explaining all of this to their republican and independent constituents that this is not normal. That this is all wrong. No – that’s not a “well, duh” moment. The country is numbed.
Name three bad (illegal, unethical) things the president did TWO weeks ago. Already forgotten.
WHY AREN’T THEY TELLING THEIR his base – the OUTSTATE, RURAL, AND SUBURBAN REPUBLICANS THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T CARE IF THEIR KIDS ARE SAFE IN SCHOOL ARE NOT. THAT THEIR GOP REPUBLICAN CHILDREN ARE BEING PUT AT RISK BECAUSE OF HIM (bullying, no funding, …)
Where’s the journalistic grilling?
Maybe in your state but not around our place – our red state senators names do not appear in the paper – not an interview, not a question, not a “should the president…” “do you agree with…? I’m not talking Sunday talk shows – I’m talking dog them everywhere they go until they talk.
INot sure what you are looking for from press. I follow it daily. I’m seeing, e.g., lotsa protests from moms & vets & regular citizens against Trump’s camouflaged fed forces in Portland, plus his planned similar sashays against Chicago et al “Democratic-run cities.” And hearing Pelosi regularly lambaste him for this. And seeing lawsuits against fed for this.
Stay tuned.
Diane, You wrote ” Open the link to see his many links to sources.”
FYI, There is a rather simple way to include all the links in articles in WordPress by using Word. (This will work with Word compatible software, too.). To show you, I did it at my previously unpublished WordPress site (See link below).
First, I highlighted and copied the entire WaPo article and then I pasted it into a new Word document. Then I deleted the things I didn’t want to include, like ads and pictures. Then I copied the remaining text (by highlighting it or by clicking “select all”) in Word and I pasted that directly into WordPress. All links remain active in Word AND in WordPress. Please see the article with links here: https://wordpress.com/page/reteach4america.wordpress.com/3
Hope this helps!
The article is behind a paywall.
I thought COVID-19 articles on WaPo are free now. I got behind the paywall with no problem and I thought Diane did too. At any rate, you should be able to see my copy of the article with links included on WordPress without issue.
Reteach,
I will try that. I blog mostly on my iPad or cellphone. I’ll try it in Word on my laptop.
It all makes me want to go back and read what intelligent political scientists and philosophers have said about the dangers of demagogues in a democracy -from now all the way back for thousands of years.
Of course, we are living such a tragedy.
I keep looking for beauty and wisdom during this time since so much of what we are witnessing is vulgar and evil.
I have to wonder…..do all the people who put a Trump campaign sign on their lawns these days comprehend what they are endorsing?
If “no” that’s bad.
If “yes”, that’s even worse.
Either way we’ve got a sizeable portion of our citizenry who are really messed up.
I truly hope that Kanye West is unable to get on the ballot in any state. I’m sorry, I cannot right now find/cite the source: Kanye is quoted as having said, “I hope this takes votes away from Biden.”
A little plot developed, probably, by WHit & ‘Ye.
Kanye is a SICK person. He’s got major issues and is enabled, just like that dump because he has $$$$$.
Back in June, Newsweek and other media that West reportedly dropped out o the race.
https://www.newsweek.com/kanye-west-dropping-out-presidential-race-2020-1517880
Three days ago, VOX reported, “Kanye West is running for president of the United States.
“Is he for real? West has sent a few stray tweets suggesting a write-in campaign and held one event. He’s not being included in many polls, and it would be a surprise if he made it onto the debate stage with President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the fall. Yet he’s getting on the ballot in a few states, where he could play conceivably spoiler if the general election is close.
“The necessary administrative grunt work to being a viable independent candidate for president — namely, filing the forms to get one’s name placed on the November ballot — is largely getting outsourced to Republican political operatives.
“All of this comes across, to the political world, as a wayward effort to potentially help Trump, the incumbent with whom West has forged a strange kind of alliance over the past few years. …
https://www.vox.com/2020/8/17/21365350/kanye-west-for-president-2020-trump-ballot
This is a good piece to read. West is not serious. He is doing this as a stunt and/or as a spoiler to help Trump win.
It is apparent to me that this is Trump’s idea. Trump is ignorant enough to think that because his crazy buddy West is black, voters of color will vote for him just because of his skin color causing Biden to lose millions of votes and the election.
I do not think it will work.
Trump is worse than malevolent. He is more dangerous than that. The proper term is Malignity.
Malevolence is a smoldering ill will.
Malignity is a deep-seated and virulent disposition to injure; it is more dangerous than malevolence, because it is not only more completely concealed but it often instigates harmful acts: The malignity of Donald Trump’s nature was shocking.
Trump’s rancor is a lasting, corrosive, and implacable hatred and resentment.
Trump has bragged in interviews and to other billionaires that he always gets revenge for anyone that will not help him out when he is in financial trouble and anyone that will not praise and worship him.
Since U.S. banks will not loan money to Trump, what kind of revenge does he want to do to our banks and the country’s economy?
Who cares whether Trump is in denial or malevolent? “In denial” is therapy-speak. “Malevolent” is a moral judgment. Who cares?!? “In denial” [therapy-speak] suggests there’s some forgivable mental issue afoot. “Malevolent” suggests some over-the-top churchy judgment. . Face it, Trump is who he is; He has neither beliefs nor moral strictures, and any therapeutical diagnosis is irrelevant.
I agree with you. I think that’s why I favor just recognizing that the guy is a narcissistic sociopath. That designation just tells you what to expect from the guy.
speduktr It’s not either/or. We need a good analysis to understand what we are dealing with. But it’s certainly not enough.
The other half of that analysis is the WHY of those who voted for him, and who continue to do so.
Only when we have an adequate analysis can be know how to stop the train of horrors we are riding on. Only then are those who CAN stop it equipped to implement that knowledge.
We already have a good amount of the “troubling” analysis right. But those who CAN stop the train and who CAN implement the HOW of THAT knowledge, are presently in failure mode. CBK
I’m not tracking with you. What’s not either/or? If you are referring to denial or malignancy, I don’t think that particular dichotomy matters in any way. I think the man is seriously psychologically compromised. It defines his behavior. He is not going to change. He has surrounded himself with people who for whatever reason encourage his dysfunctional behavior. I am even more sickened by the behavior of the Senate Republicans, in particular. At this point, our only alternative, as I see it, is to get out the VOTE. Perhaps some more people like those in the Lincoln Project will join the fight to end his tenancy.
speduktr I think all of us would like to hold the vote tomorrow. We’re all afraid of what Trump, the Republican operatives, and the Russians have up their sleeves for the next few months. CBK
I want to suggest you upgrade what you call “the guy” from a “narcissistic sociopath” to a “malignant narcissistic psychopath”.
The suggested upgrade is MUCH worse than just a “narcissistic sociopath.”
“Malignant narcissism refers to a specific, less common manifestation of narcissistic personality disorder. Some experts consider this presentation of narcissism the most severe subtype.”
https://www.healthline.com/health/malignant-narcissism
“Psychopaths are usually deemed more dangerous than sociopaths because they show no remorse for their actions due to their lack of empathy.
“Psychopaths are extremely manipulative and can easily gain other’s trust, however they do not form attachments to others. Individuals with psychopathic traits lack empathy and therefore feel no remorse when causing harm to another individual.”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-is-state-mind/201902/the-difference-between-sociopathy-and-psychopathy
I haven’t read Mary Trump’s book to hear what labels she applies, but psychologists continue to argue about terminology. My point is that the man’s behavior has been a pretty clear indicator that he is incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities as President. I don’t see how spending energy on attaching labels is going to inform our decisions. His gross inability to lead his apparent to anyone who wants to see. Our efforts needs to be directed toward removing him from office.
Mary Trump quotes an aunt (Donald’s sister) who says she is shocked he was elected because he’s a clown
I could take a clown. Donald Trump is not a clown. Well, maybe of the Stephen King variety.
Could Donald Trump be “the Joker”?
I think Mary Trump’s aunt is onto something (& she should know). His revolving-door of staff/ appointees absolutely resembles a “clown car”– or as I like to call it, a “clone car.”
WHit is definitely malignant.
Oh, & I misquoted my neighbor’s clever yard sign: the upper left corner had big letters:
STD 2020 & then it said: “Stop The Donald, 2020.” & then something about “stop the spread of the infection.”