The Myth of Donald Trump vs. Reality

The myth of Donald Trump is undoubtedly alluring. The wise old business tycoon, who, full of love for his country, lamented about the filth and corruption ingrained into its government, sacrificed his wealth and descended down the golden escalator to resurrect its corpse to a new Pax Romana. He would drain the swamp, restore justice, bring economic prosperity, and make America great again. Gone would be the ruling elites who kept the common folk down and the moral decay they pushed into every home. No more would an unelected deep state govern the country. America would be restored to the country envisioned by the founders. A place where the government was for the people by the people. Donald Trump, an outsider, would be the one to fix our Republic and be heralded beside Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and JFK.

Some wholeheartedly feel that this is the reality of Trump. Representatives Andy Ogles and Anna Paulina Luna called for Trump to be on Rushmore^[1]. Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have pushed that Trump should run a third term despite the constitutional limits placed on the terms he can serve.^[2] The mythos of Trump is truly large and his supporters shout it from the rooftops. But there is still the reality of Trump to be dealt with.

Here is the reality I see: Donald Trump is as bad as his predecessors, perhaps even worse because he ran as the antidote. His record:

Signed the $2.2T CARES Act—biggest stimulus ever—that flooded cash and ignited inflation.^[3]
Added $8T to debt in four years—faster than Obama—then kept spending in term two.^[4]
Continues to entangle America in foreign wars and military affairs, including pouring more money into Israel and Ukraine, while also bombing Iran, Yemen, and most recently Venezuela.
Supports Neocons such as Lindsey Graham despite running against these very same politicians. ^[5]
On the other hand he attacks politicians Rand Paul and Thomas Massie—calling them “RINOs” and “pathetic losers”—for opposing his massive spending bills and foreign strikes.^[6]
Continues to gaslight the public about Epstein, going as far as calling the entire ordeal a “Democrat hoax”, despite the countless evidence against that.^[7]
He champions the mRNA vaccines, won’t disavow despite recent medical findings.^[8]
Banned flag burning via EO—ordered DOJ to prosecute despite SCOTUS.^[9]
Issued EO labeling Israel criticism as “antisemitism”—cuts funding, unleashes DOJ probes.^[10]

Read the list again: What makes him different? What has he done that makes him so great? Inflation is still a problem. The debt crisis is still ever growing with no serious attempts to address it. Epstein’s clients are still being protected. Venezuela strikes rage on. The deep state is still entrenched. The only thing that separates him is his hardline stance on immigration. The politicians like Rand Paul and Thomas Massie that actually govern in line with the principles claimed by Trump, are ridiculed for calling Trump out on his failure to do so. How can anyone say that he is living up to what he campaigned on for the last ten years?

People will scream at me, “TDS”, “RINO”, “LIBERAL.” Whatever. I voted for the man twice. I wanted to believe the hype. I wanted to believe the myth was the reality, but I can’t ignore what my eyes and ears tell me. I ignored the reality in hope. I ignored his inability to admit when he is wrong, his brash and bullying presence, calling anyone in disagreement with him as a traitor, his claims to not read, his vanity and self centeredness. I ignored his massively large ego.

Trump is not a great president. I still hope he can be. I want every leader to succeed, even the ones I hate. I want the myth of Trump to become the reality. But it’s not, so prove me wrong, be greater than the myth.

[1] Rushmore: Ogles letter – “Explore the addition of [Trump’s] likeness to Mount Rushmore.”

[2] NYT: Bannon Claims ‘There Is a Plan’ for Trump to Run for a Third Term

[3] CARES: WH remarks – “Single-biggest… $2.2 trillion… twice as large as any relief ever.”

[4] Debt: CRFB analysis – “Grew… $7.8 trillion… over $8 trillion added.”

[5] Graham: Fox endorsement – “He will not let you down.” (Vs. 2016: “Embarrassment”).

[6] Massie/Paul attacks: Newsweek – “Third Rate… Weak and Pathetic RINO… thrown out ASAP!”

[7] Epstein hoax: PBS – “President Donald Trump decried… as a “Democrat hoax”.”

[8] mRNA: NYT – “Trump… shrugged off… slashed $500 million… still calls [Warp Speed] ‘one of the most incredible things’.”

[9] Flag EO: WH – “Vigorously prosecute those who… desecrating the American Flag.”

[10] Antisemitism EO: WH fact sheet – “Expanding on… to combat… anti-Semitism… deport pro-jihadist protesters.”