Trump is addicted to power. He relishes playing the role of president of the world’s most powerful nation. He salivates at the mere thought of having world leaders kowtow to him.
For him, the words “mister president” coming from reporters, many who he knows despise him, when he sits on his golden chair in his gilded Oval Office, are music to his ears. As I finish this Substack, he is on TV in a press conference with the president of Bahrain:
I can only wonder what the president of Bahrain is feeling and thinking as Trump brags about himself and attacks and insults Presdient Biden since he is literally twiddling his thumbs:
Trump knows his is secure in his position. He doesn’t experience a nanosecond of self-doubt, let alone a momentary thought that his presidency could be in jeopardy.
Even if the conservative Supreme Court justices all had visits from the spirits of Christmas past, present, and yet to come, and as a result they decided they'd gone too far in granting Trump the powers of a king and tried to reverse any of their enabling decisions, it wouldn't matter.
Trump would ignore their rulings. As far as he’s concerned the MAGA crown is inextricably fused to his head.
If the Democrats won back control of Congress Trump would bat a wrinkled eyelid. If laws were passed which went against him they wouldn’t be worth the paper they were printed on since he’d ignroe them.
There are only two American institutions that can stop Trump's juggernaut to cement his absolute power.
One is the military and the other is a critical mass of the population.
Joined together, the truly patriotic military which incudes officers who graduated from military academies which had honor codes, and at least 50% of the population who were willing to take to the streets, could become a credible force to return us to democracy.
There are several ways this could play out. If it came to potential confrontations which could result in the loss of many lives this could give Trump pause. The crucial question might end up being whether Trump want to be the president of a country engaged in a second civil war.
We can look at 1930's Germany to see what Hitler had that Trump doesn't. He had the support of the vast majority of the people and of the military.
Trump would not go silently into a golden retirement. He would kick and scream until he was confronted with the real possiblity he’d be forced out of office.
Everyone has a psychological breaking point, even someone like Trump. If this approaches he will be at his most dangerous. Credible reports of Hitler’s last days describe him as wanting to punish the German people and military for failing to achieve his goals.
Trump has amazing defense mechanisms to shield himself from anxiety. He could see the handwriting on the wall not for his regime but for him personally.
He could envision an escape which he could convince himself does not represent defeat. He’d frame it in a convoluted way as a victory.
If Trump knew that there was a line he could not cross before the military would stand against him, and the people would risk their lives to protest in the streets, spending his final days playing golf with people who still worshipped him and flying on his new 747 might look really attractive. He could create for himself the illusion/delusion of godlike power.
If Trump does go into the night, he will not go quietly. He’d never say anything as profound as Macbeth did about the meaninglessness of life: "it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," but he may feel that clinging to power just isn’t worth it when he’s just turned 80 and he looks to the limited time he has left.
Maybe a life of golf, glamor, and glitz will look like the most attractive alternative.
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