As the edifice of Trumpism comes down over the next few months, it’s important to recall that Donald Trump was not some out-of-control gargoyle, or even a political mastermind.
It took a lot of people dedicating their lives to defending and advising him to get Trump to the White House — and keep him there.
Setting aside the Republican Party leadership — who have seemingly rediscovered their respect for decency and the democratic process — US publication Slate has put together a series of scathing farewells to the members of Trump’s inner circle.
Their writers do NOT hold back. Here are some highlights:
Goodbye, Stephen Miller
“Miller is in a rarified tier of villainy where armchair psychologising or ‘how did he get heres’ no longer apply. The damage he has done is all that matters.”
“Because while Stephen Miller was in the White House, thousands of children were forcibly marked with the trauma of being caged away from their parents, and hundreds may never see their parents again. And it happened on a scale far below what he’d pushed for. It’s difficult to write that dispassionately, and without some embarrassment: one would prefer to discuss federal policy without losing one’s shit, and yet no other response feels commensurate or honest.”
Goodbye, Melania Trump
“Melania has lied about everything from getting a bachelor’s degree to speaking five languages to the significance of her ‘I Really Don’t Care Do U’ jacket — which she wore as a publicity stunt while visiting desperate children whom the Trump administration had separated from their families. Her press secretary first said that it meant nothing at all and was ‘just a jacket’. Melania would later contradict her own staff: ‘It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticising me. I want to show them I don’t care,’ she said.
“This was a baffling interpretation of her intent; it appeared the first lady was fine appearing not to care about the suffering of children if it meant sending an oblique and garbled message to news outlets she had beef with.”
Goodbye, Ben Carson
“You could’ve chosen another path. You could have continued your great work with the Carson Scholars Fund, awarding college scholarships to deserving students, or settled into a Florida retiree’s life as a husband and grandfather. Instead you let your envy of Obama, or your desperate need for celebrity, or your weak moral compass turn you into a pawn for a lesser man — and a punchline.
“More than five years ago, I wrote about your quixotic quest to enter politics, wondering if it would destroy your legacy. I wasn’t so sure then. But today, the answer is clear. You should hope that you’re forgotten.”
Goodbye, Kayleigh McEnany, Sarah Sanders and Sean Spicer
“Goodbye, Trump spokesmen and spokeswomen!
“Goodbye, making farcically absurd claims about the size of the inauguration crowd at the first press conference of the presidency!
“Goodbye, referring to German death camps as ‘Holocaust centers‘ for some reason!
“Goodbye, creating a weeks-long story about being abused and victimised because you were politely asked to leave a restaurant while your colleagues were separating young children from their parents permanently at the southern border!
“… We’d say we wish you success in your future endeavours, but that would be lying. And nobody likes a liar!”
Goodbye, Donald Trump Jr
“After 39 years of toiling in Ivanka’s shadow, it was finally your moment.
“Already a devout Republican and unquestionably the most grovelling of his offspring, you were exactly the hype man your father needed: dumb enough to believe whatever Daddy told you, coiffed enough to look halfway decent on cable news, and more than passionate enough about hunting to rub elbows with the red state riffraff.
“That last one was something your father used to despise, but that all changed when he realised his base ate it up. And in return for you being precisely the happy warrior your father needed, Trump Sr regularly acknowledged you in public and even let you get vaguely within touching distance. What more could a perpetual disappointment want?
“Now, four years and 20,000 memes later, you’re 42, divorced, and of absolutely no use to your father whatsoever.”
Check out the full list of stories here.
I enjoyed the farewells for Trumps followers so much that have signed up with Slate to download the lot. Marvellous reading, well worth keeping to recall in the future their nastiness.
Only Melania could think a fuss about separated children was actually anything to do with her.
And Ben Carson is the latest Trump contact to acquire Covid-19… (at the time of typing)
Well worth the read. Perhaps my subscription money could be re-prioritised.
We are allowed (thanks heaps) here but NOT on the Pell article.
Quel bloody surprise.
Oh Dan Andrews got to have his say here, but, agreed, there was only one perspective on the matter that was permitted.
A discussion of the evidence (and what was ignored) compares better to a slightly up-market reminisce (quasi woman’s mag indulgence) over former players.
For someone who has only ever sat on the fence and watched the game I don’t understand the gloating (and, frankly, I think it a tad immature).
I Didn’t realise that you were referring to to THIS edition of Crikey. Comments were suspended when Pell was released. Yeah. Can’t permit (truly) free speech can we? The insight of Orwell (and Huxley) is commendable.
Just looked at that article and note that the theme is free speech!
That’s not even irony but bathos
Depends who is paying (whom) how much I guess but, free it ain’t.