Ho, ho! Clever, but the term will never find wide favor. Trumpets, despite their adoration for Trump, do not think of themselves as pets. They don’t think of themselves as being subservient to any politician, although they act ready to flop on the floor so Trump can rub their bellies.
Another thing Trumpets will never do is listen to anything negative about their master. I am guessing they would never open a copy of the July 25, 2016 issue of The New Yorker (a “failing magazine that no one reads” according to Trump) for “Trump’s Boswell Speaks,” an article by Jane Mayer. She tells the story of author Tony Schwartz and his experiences writing The Art of the Deal for Trump. Trump claims to have written that book, but Schwartz’s story contradicts that lie. Trump would never have had the patience, the time, or the skill to write his own book. Trump barely sat down for interviews with Schwartz. Trump has no attention span, said Schwartz. Schwartz came up with the idea of listening in on Trump’s business calls. Trump loved that idea, because he believes he is a genius, and he wants anyone within earshot to hear him.
If asked to write the book now, Schwartz says he would title it The Sociopath. Sociopath is a harsh word, but it fits in well with Trump’s various other personality disorders.
Trump is also a liar of huge (yuge in Trumpspeak) proportions. Schwartz confronted him about his lies. Trump just smirked and said, “You like that, don’t you?” In order to soften the image of a liar, Schwartz came up with the phrase “truthful hyperbole,” which is a contradiction in terms and which Schwartz now deplores. Trump loved it.
There is an awful lot to digest in the New Yorker article, because there are so many disagreeable things about Trump, personal and professional. There is even this shiver-inducing statement by Schwartz quoted in the article: “I put lipstick on a pig. I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is. I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”
Wow.
I’ve been reading about Trump for years, ever since he started making his mark publicly well over 30 years ago. There is nothing about him I ever liked, from his smirking face, prissy-pouty lips to his staccato speaking style, his constant braggadocio, repellent personality, his comments about women or his all-around sense of royal privilege. But boy howdy, do some other folks love him! And as I have found out and said earlier, it does no good at all to publish negative information about him and try to get his fans’ attention.
When the Trumpets hear bad things they just link it to Trump’s assertion that the system is rigged. He speaks for those individuals who believe it’s the world against them, and them personally! For them Donald Trump, hallelujah…he understands them!
It there are Trumpets who may be listening, though, Tony Schwartz has a parting shot. The article ends with Schwartz’s personal experience with Trump. Trump called him when he found out he was talking to The New Yorker and chewed him out for disloyalty. “I don’t take it personally,” said Schwartz, “because the truth is he didn’t mean it personally. People are dispensable and disposable in Trump’s world.” If Trump is elected President, he warned, “the millions of people who voted for him and believe that he represents their interests will learn what anyone who deals closely with him already knows — that he couldn’t care less about them.”
Trumpets, take heed.
Sarah Palin called them , "Trumpeteers", like Mouseketeers. Both are song and dance performers in their own way.
ReplyDeleteDave, I won't be linked to Sarah Palin in any way, but I grudgingly admit she got that right. Although, hold the phone, she's not that clever. I just wonder who thought up the name Trumpeteers for her?
ReplyDeleteThe same person her gave her, "Gotcha".
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed. Sorry, I won't be brief.
ReplyDeleteYour article could have been written in Italy in 1994.
It describes exactly the stubborn attitude of the many, many fans of our Little Trump.
Back then, we elected Prime Minister a little smiling man, a compulsive liar and an incredibly vulgar human being who owned, by the way, the majority of our TV network system (plus, he controlled a number of newspapers) and used it cheekily for his purposes.
After 20 years, our welfare system has collapsed; it is extremely difficult to get a decent, permanent job; the rights of the workers have dramatically diminished; the school is in chaos and the judiciary has its hands pretty much tied.
Many alleged violations have been just abolished (especially concerning insider trading, corruption, malpractice, tax evasion etc.) or are time-barred because the statutes of limitation have become ridiculously brief, and criminal proceedings simply cannot reach a natural conclusion.
Our Little Trump (no more Prime Minister) has been finally sentenced for tax fraud, but is still free, still the president of the political party he created in 1994.
He still "pulls the strings", he sets the political agenda, he's become a role model for young politicians. He still has many fans.
So I am inclined to believe that the risk with your Big Trump is not a possible nuclear holocaust, but a certain (possibly irreversible) moral and cultural debasement for your country.
Mr LaRue, you are scaring me, my friend. These are exactly the sorts of things that I worry about happening should such a loose cannon as Trump be elected.
ReplyDeleteI believe he is in it for the ego, not to make himself rich(er). I hope this will become apparent to his supporters as the campaign goes on.
Trump is not the problem. There are always people who brag and boast. What is scary are the millions of Americans who support him. That speaks volumes of the bigotry and racism in this country.
ReplyDeleteDave,because of that racism it is easy for a demagogue like Trump to exploit and fan hatred and legitimize division.
ReplyDelete