The Hubris of Donald Trump

6 points by downbad_ 41 days ago | 2 comments

ColdStream 41 days ago |

I do wonder how he will be seen in the books of history. I suspect it isn't going to be anywhere near as imposing and grand as many will think. For all the noise and grand pronouncements he makes, the lack of focus dilutes his capabilities and the story he is trying to make. He will be remembered in the books but also somewhat forgotten from common memory quicker than you would anticipate. It is like George W Bush, unless prompted, many kind of forget about him and that was only 18 years ago.

Also I suspect that the two lasting legacies of Trump will be him trashing the trust of the US with trade partners and dragging the US in to a war with Iran. Iran was the political third rail you do not touch, and he touched it, and now that might be his lasting legacy. The shine is wearing off for many supporters, there will always be the MAGA die hards, but the blow back is slowly making some of the less indoctrinated start to at least question it a little even if they still support him.

I think his closest comparison is Boris Yeltsin. Tried to tear government structures down quick with a promise of brighter tomorrow via corporate control but eventually it end up with an economy being crushed under the weight of its debts. Russia had a domestic default in 1998 due to this. The details will differ on the US.

By this comparison, I do not fear Trump and his personal legacy, that will be interesting but nothing too exciting in retrospect. By comparison of what could be coming he will be seen as a moderate. The main story is that, the path he has opened up will allow others that are far more capable, calculated and vindictive to grab hold of power. Who will be the Vladimir Putin of the US?

jfengel 40 days ago | |

I'm more concerned with how the history books will view us.

We voted for this. Twice. He's not imposing his will on America. This is the American will.

Even if he himself is fading, as you suggest, he is merely the latest in a long progression for his political party. I'd say that he personally accelerated it, by seeing where it was going and skipping ahead, but this was inevitable.

And when I say "us", I mean the 77 million who voted for him, and the ~100 million who didn't vote at all. That's not entirely fair: quite a few were prevented from voting, and some legitimately knew that their vote didn't count (though you didn't have even one downballot race to weigh in on?) I think it's still sufficient to say "only minority took a stand against it".

It's not going to end in 2028. The program we've been on may plateau for a bit, but it won't reverse. It's not just the die-hards. It's also the right-wing "centrists", who understand that the MAGA only vote when they seek out an exciting candidate. And it's the non-voters, who won't find anything nearly as exciting on offer.

I think future historians are going to look hard at us. Not just the MAGA, but those who tried to oppose them and have thus far failed.