After President Trump threw Steve Bannon under the bus, some asked who would be spokesperson of “Trumpism”? What is Trumpism?
Trumpism is not so much a philosophy. It’s more like an instinct. For example, a shark has no philosophy, no world view. A shark has an instinct to survive, to feed. A shark will eat you, if it’s hungry. It has no interest in you, except as a potential meal.
We don’t ask sharks, who is the spokesperson for Sharkism? But, if a shark were president, we might.
Trumpism is simply the instinct to feed the ego of Donald Trump. Supporters or detractors make the mistake of debating the merits or evils of some “philosophy” they assign to Trump. But, he has no philosophy, merely the instinct to feed his ego.
The issue is not whether Trump is racist. He is worse than racist. He is amoral. He acts like a racist when that brings him glory. On the other hand, he claims to be “the least racist person” when that brings him glory.
Trump has no Republican or Democratic ideals. Trump has no ideals at all. Jesus described people like Trump as neither hot nor cold, but “lukewarm” water, which Jesus will spit out. Revelation 3:16. Amen!
Bannon remained in Trump’s favor as long as he fed Trump’s ego, until he was fired and vilified, when he did not. Trump eventually throws everyone under the bus. The list is long, and getting longer.
This explains Trump. It reconciles his apparent inconsistencies. He demands blind loyalty, but gives none. He criticizes others as liars, while abusing the truth. He condemns lack of integrity in others, but lacks character himself.
All this comes together when Trump insists that others lie for him. E.g. Sen. Perdue and Cotton were first silent in response to news that Trump opposed immigration from “shithole” countries. Then, they unconvincingly said they did not “hear” or “remember” the President’s comments. Finally, they became positive that Trump did not make the statements, and attacked as misrepresentations the statements to the contrary by another senator. Trump did not deny his comments after he made them; he denied them only after he confirmed that Sen. Perdue and Cotton would back up his denial.
The bigger issue for me is not Trump. I understand Trump. He will not change. My question is, “What about the Trump Republican Defenders?” How far, how low, will they go to support/defend Trump?
The only way you can believe Trump is a good president, or good person, is to ignore the mountain of evidence that he is neither.
The favorable opinion of Trump Republican Defenders is not based on facts, but on “motivated belief.” They belief Trump is wonderful, because they want to. Trying to convince Trump Republican Defenders of the errors of their beliefs is like trying to convince someone their favorite color choice is wrong.
This does not bode well for the Republican Party or our country. Remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”