When I was recently in London, an educated native with an enchanting “upper-class” accent quietly asked me, “Has America lost its mind? How is it possible that Donald Trump could be reelected?”
Her questions reflect the exasperation of half of U.S. voters, with “half” being the operative word. Everyone knows Trump voters with whom it is challenging to discuss facts that clash with their “alternative facts.” But why does Trump have his unique ability to say just about anything, no matter how unbefitting a presidential candidate, and potentially still win?
The overarching problem is that truth appears to be relative and twisted to justify the former president’s past/present/future actions. Furthermore, many voters don’t know what to believe since “truth” is expendable, bendable and sometimes artificially created. Meanwhile, our warped media outlets promote the truth that pleases their audiences.
This week, an ominous warning appeared in a respected study. It found that 67 percent of Republicans “will most trust Trump and his campaign about the election outcome.” Worse, a survey-based Washington Post headline screamed: “A quarter of Republicans think Trump should seize power even if he loses” — thankfully, 81 percent of Americans disagreed.
Tuesday night’s contentious debate added another layer of electoral conflict concerning facts and truth. The moderators performed on-air fact-checking only on Trump for his most egregious utterances. An uproar followed, and accusations of bias culminated with Trump demanding the shutdown of ABC News. Nevertheless, the debate will be irrelevant if swing state polls remain tied by the end of next week.
Meanwhile, I’m curious as to whether my Trump-loving friends and other Trump voters listen to what he says and posts on Truth Social. His outrageous rants are geared to generate national headlines and clicks for Trump’s financially failing platform. Its stock declined again this week after the Harris showdown, despite Trump saying it was his “best debate ever.” The truth is that Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has essentially become his political betting market, reflecting Trump’s chance of winning.
Since Trump has failed to lead Trump media, how will he lead the nation? Given his overall business, political and legal record, no publicly traded Fortune 500 company would dare hire him as its CEO. Yet Trump has a 50 percent chance of being rehired as the chief executive and commander in chief of the world’s largest economy and military. Why?
A devout Christian friend texted me a widely held belief popularized after Trump survived a failed assassination attempt: “God spared Trump so that he could uncover the evils within our government.”
When I raise concerns about what I believe are Trump’s authoritarian leanings, I repeatedly hear the talking point, “God saved him,” along with, “He did not act like a dictator when he was president,” That brings us to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, where truth has been selectively sanitized.
On Monday, I spoke to “Scott,” a Trumpy friend who lives in Georgia and jokingly casts himself as “a reliable right-wing extremist.” Scott is well-informed, white-collar, and solidly MAGA. Naturally, he watches Fox News. I asked, “How do you justify Jan. 6?” Scott immediately questioned the idea that it was an insurrection, because “How can you have an insurrection without guns?” Scott believes “Trump did not use inflammatory language in his J6 speech in front of millions of people.” He added, “All Trump wanted Pence to do was to throw the Electoral College votes back to the states where they would have ten days to certify.”
Scott was angry that the “Jan. 6 House Committee destroyed evidence” and “Nancy Pelosi impeached Trump twice for nothing.” Many Trump supporters like Scott say that Democrats continuously “attempt to destroy Trump.” The perception that Trump is a victim helps explain why the former president can say anything, and his supporters refuse to hold him accountable, believing that only Trump can save America from decline, wokeism, inflation, and the migrant invasion. My friend thinks, “Only Trump has leadership stature; imagine Harris facing off against Putin or Netanyahu.”
Most alarming is Scott’s belief that “Democrats will steal this election.” He adds: “There is distrust in our election, and trust must be restored.”
I mentioned it was “coincidental” that widespread election distrust began with Trump. Our nation was founded and has thrived on citizens trusting the integrity of our decentralized voting system. Now, however, “election integrity” is the Republican code for ensuring a Trump victory.
Scott also mentioned the movie “2,000 Mules” as an example of election distrust. But I informed him that in May, Dinesh D’Souza’s film and book were thoroughly debunked and withdrawn from the market for falsehoods about how the 2020 election was supposedly stolen. Its parent company apologized to those who were harmed and settled a lawsuit involving a substantial payout.
Scott thinks “Democrats will not accept the election result if Trump wins” and that “this country is headed for a civil war no matter what happens in the election.”
After Tuesday’s debate, Scott texted me, “Trump is Trump, and regardless, I will never vote for a left-wing progressive, which is new-speak for a socialist.” For unmovable voters, “Trump is Trump” justifies any action, falsehood, or unpresidential outburst that his loyal supporters either ignore or excuse, especially “Trump is joking” and “he uses sarcasm.” Amazingly, during Tuesday’s debate, Trump claimed he was only “being sarcastic” when he appeared to acknowledge his 2020 loss during recent public appearances.
Skipping from Georgia to Virginia, a MAGA friend emailed her cheating thoughts: “There is so much evidence of cheating that you would have to be a Democrat to appreciate it. They will do it again, we all know, and if anyone is going to thwart the will of the people, it’s the same ones who installed a woman without one single vote for her. They have already launched their second soft coup, and no one is trying to stop it.”
Trump supporters who downplay or rationalize his baseless threats tend to accept his unhinged statements. They firmly believe that the only fair election outcome is a Trump victory.
Therefore, expect the Nov. 5 forecast to include thunder and lightning with a 50 percent chance of chaos, while the world watches American democracy undergo a stress test.
Myra Adams is an opinion writer who served on the creative team of two Republican presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.
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