General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump comes face to face with one of his greatest fears
Washington PostThe founding falsehood that set the tone for the most mendacious presidency in U.S. history the original Big Lie was all about crowd size. In January 2017, President Trump and his spokesperson inflated his inaugural audience with a series of grotesque falsehoods. Trump even attacked the media for telling the truth about his paltry inaugural turnout.
So its fitting that as Trumps first term and perhaps his presidency winds down, he is confronting the very same fear that produced that original series of foundational lies: The fear that the crowds just arent showing up the way theyre supposed to.
Two new reports one from NBC News, and one from the Associated Press shed light on an internal debate now underway among Trump advisers about how to manage both this new reality and Trumps own emotional struggle with it.
The picture that emerges is one in which they are working to balance Trumps insatiable need to feed off adoring crowds against the reality that people might be disinclined to brave the plague conditions that he did so much to unleash on the country. The imperatives of satiating Trumps megalomania are bumping up against the consequences of his depravity and incompetence.
Wounded Bear
(58,757 posts)NCjack
(10,279 posts)malaise
(269,237 posts)That is all
soothsayer
(38,601 posts)ProudMNDemocrat
(16,843 posts)Keeping the adoring crowds away.
Those STUPID enough to show up will not have learned from Tulsa, SD, or Phoenix. Trump is spreading the plague with each stop he makes.
durablend
(7,466 posts)Swing states where he's going to certainly show up (incl. PA) where they're going to spread it among the rest of us
Nevilledog
(51,241 posts)Holding rallies or a convention with few people in attendance, bad optics. Or doing them virtually, where he'll come off as robotic and his deterioration won't be masked by his followers cheers.
Both are losing propositions.
MyOwnPeace
(16,946 posts)without a live audience, can you imagine BunkerBoy saying his usual verbal garbage and no insane "ROAR" taking place?
It would truly be an example of "theater of the absurd!"
Nevilledog
(51,241 posts)PatSeg
(47,691 posts)He started out with a fake crowd. There were a lot people who were paid to appear at his announcement event at Trump Tower. I don't think at that time he ever anticipated the huge crowds he ended up getting. For Trump it was initially just a PR stunt to revive his brand and he certainly enjoyed the media attention. Then all those enthusiastic, adoring fans went to his head. He started to believe his own hype.
When he found out he could do or say anything and not lose his supporters, I'm sure he felt invincible. Hence the "I could shoot someone on Fifth Ave." comment. At the time, he appeared genuinely surprised.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)PatSeg
(47,691 posts)I still can't believe how much he has gotten away with and then there is still all the crap we don't even know. There will be exposes for many years to come.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)The Grim Reaper, reaping what he has sowed.