4 days Ago By By David McConkey
The Trump era continues and is stronger than ever. Here are eight observations of the recent U.S.
election. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
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Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! The Trump era continues and is stronger than ever. Here are eight observations of the recent U.S.
election. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Opinion The Trump era continues and is stronger than ever. Here are eight observations of the recent U.
S. election. THE MAN IS THE MESSAGE Trump is an extraordinary communicator.
Trump enthusiast, author and cartoonist Scott Adams, calls Trump a “master persuader.” President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference on Wednesday in Washington. Columnist David McConkey shares some of his observations following the U.
S. election earlier this month. (The Associated Press) Trump “draws his power not only from the adulation he inspires among supporters but also from the hatred he generates from his opponents,” opinion columnist Bret Stephens writes.
“He’s a once-in-a-century phenomenon.” GENDER, GOWN, GOD, GAPS The U.S.
is polarized. Republicans are more likely to be white, older, rural, less educated, lower income, religious, male, live in “fly-over” country and watch Fox News. The most durable and growing division is that between those with a college education and those without one.
FAILURE OF THE LEFT The success of Trump is a failure of the Democratic party to counter him with more popular policies, programs and presidential candidates. The Democrats had years to figure this out, yet Trump is now more popular than ever. And Trump is a compulsive liar, who attempted to overturn the 2020 election and has been found in court to have committed fraud, tax cheating, stealing from charity and sexual assault.
Many of Trump’s former senior advisors warned the public that Trump was unfit to be president. THEY ALL LIE The Democrats lied to the American public when the party said that Joe Biden was in mental and physical shape for another term as president. And many senior Republicans think that Trump is also unfit to be president but lie when they talk to voters.
Here are some descriptions of Trump from prominent Republicans who support him: “unfit for our nation’s highest office,” “cultural heroin,” “moral disaster,” “America’s Hitler,” “kook,” “fraud,” “lunatic,” “pathological liar,” “con artist” and “the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency.” LITERALLY, SERIOUSLY? Falsehoods are central to Trump’s message and success. One theory is that his followers recognize that his pronouncements are untrue, but feel they are in on the joke.
This is like enjoying the pretend reality of “reality” TV or of pro wrestling. In wrestling, this fakery has its own word: kayfabe. What about a new word to describe how Trump spins fantasies into his own reality? Trump, Adams says, is a “clown genius” and history’s “most successful stand-up comedian.
” Conspiracy theories, anyone? Both of Trump’s successful campaigns were kick-started by conspiracy theories. Before 2016, Trump grabbed national attention by leveraging the “birtherism” conspiracy theory about Barack Obama. Later, Trump used the conspiracy theory of a stolen election to brand his 2020 defeat as a win.
Conspiracy theories will gain new prominence with a starring role for conspiracist-in-chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “THE ORANGE JESUS” Trump is a messianic figure.
Many of his followers believe God intervened to give him the 2016 election and then to save him from an assassin’s bullet. FIRST U.S.
OLIGARCH? Elon Musk is the world’s richest man, owner of X (Twitter) and Trump supporter. As the news website Axios reports, Musk “now sits at the pinnacle of power in business, government influence and global information (and misinformation) flow.” Elon Musk was born and grew up in South Africa.
He is also a citizen of the U.S. and of Canada.
His mother, Maye Musk, was born in Regina and grew up in South Africa. She is famous for her 50-year career as a model and is also a registered dietitian. “Trump has the White House and four short years,” Axios points out.
“Musk has so much more since his influence cuts across government, media, business, the world, space and time.” TRUMP IN CANADA? Could there be a Trump in Canada? No. Canada is similar to the U.
S. but not the same. One difference: Americans are more ready to believe in conspiracy theories.
Also: U.S. primaries allow for political outsiders to gain power.
Trump was an outsider who staged a hostile takeover and converted a political party into a personality cult. Here in Canada, as examples, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh rose to leadership within their parties. Poilievre has been an MP for 20 years and was a member of the cabinet of Stephen Harper.
Canadian political change has its own ebb and flow, which may or may not be aligned with the U.S. If Poilievre wins our next federal election, he could be more in sync with Trump than Trudeau was.
But Trump’s tariff and other policies could well put them at odds. THE FUTURE? The emergence of the Trump era reminds us that the future is unknown. History is moved by a combination of huge forces, such as economic, cultural, technological, demographic and environmental.
But history is also transformed by soaring personalities like Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement.
