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Fear is a powerful motivator, and that’s a fact. After following the happenings of the first few days of the G20 summit, that fact is reinforced.
I watched as our President attacked American media, a former President, and question the competence of US intelligence agencies. He did so mainly out of fear. His biggest fear is that he will be proven to be a fraud. Every report that contradicts him points to a lack of his knowledge or does anything except inflate his ego is scary to him. The truth is nobody enjoys being embarrassed, especially when it’s because of their own ignorance.
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This entire presidency is built on fear. A President that is afraid of being outdone, by media, by his advisors, by other world leaders, by previous presidents, and Congress.
However, the biggest fear that drives this presidency is the fear of change.
The country rocked along for over 200 years electing white dude after white dude. Then the 2000’s hit and things got weird and scary. Starting with an election that nobody was sure who won and left half the country feeling cheated. Follow that up closely with 9/11 and uncertainty seems to be the new norm for America.
With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, change seemed to be the new standard. Instead, after eight years many in the electorate were done with change. They were afraid of things being different, and they were still scared of every boogeyman that didn’t look like them.
Trump’s supporters claimed he was some sort of new breed that would fix Washington and the world. That he alone could bring about a new better America. Make America great again by draining the swamp.
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What Trump is and what they wanted is a throwback. After eight years of Obama, they weren’t going to vote for a woman. They weren’t going to vote for anyone but a white dude. In Trump, they have someone who they believe will take them back to “the good ole days.” Someone who will protect them from the evils of the world. That will keep out the intruders that threaten their way of life. Someone that will stop the scary progress that they have had to endure over the last two decades.
I was watching a documentary with my nine-year-old son a few days ago that included some information about 9/11. As I explained to him what happened, I remembered the emotions that overtook the nation after that day. The pain, anger, fear, and need for vengeance. I believe these emotions and that rebirth of nationalism were part of the first sparks that became the Trump movement.
No matter how often or how severely Trump and this administration embarrass themselves and the nation, it won’t matter. Those who call them out will simply be written off as anti-American communist libtards by Trump’s supporters. Because anyone who is contrary to Trump will be a symbol of the threat of change that they fear so much. Remember nobody enjoys being embarrassed, especially when it’s because of their own ignorance.
Trump is simply the demigod that so many scared voters needed.
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The probing question now is, what will those who don’t support him do? What happens in 2020 and beyond? Does what is happening today enough to energize people to put America back on the course to progress, modernization and contemporary thought?
Waiting and hoping for people to accept and admit what we have in this administration is a lost cause. You’re gonna have to do the work.
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Photo: Getty Images