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Just Like Wrestlemania, Trump Puts on a Show
On hollow tribalism and American culture
“I play to people’s fantasies.”
— Donald J. Trump, The Art of the Deal (1987)
Even for those of us who can bear to continue watching, it’s not easy to keep track of all the mad words that emanate from Donald Trump’s mouth and fingertips. One day it’s another racist dog whistle, the next it’s some dribble about the Mueller investigation. Yet for all that’s come since, and notwithstanding whatever bullshit he tweets today, there’s one recent expostulation I can’t get out of my mind.
It was back in October, at a rally in Montana, when the U.S. president joked off-handedly about how Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte’s assault on a reporter is worthy of applause. “Any guy that can do a body slam,” he said, as the familiar tableau of red hats behind him snickered along, “he’s my guy.”
Among stiff competition, this was a remarkable statement—a direct endorsement of violence against a reporter doing his job. In the annals of Trump misdemeanor, it…
