Why I Imposed a Twitter Moratorium on Myself--Why I am Lifting It

The Foundations of Trumpism and Why It's Bad for America

Jim Harrold

 

            It's hard to slow down and think these days. Every single day brings a new Executive Order, pronouncement, or stray thought from Donald Trump. Do not be fooled, this is by design, as Ezra Klein recently reminded folks. Trump and his associates "flood the zone," in the words of Steve Bannon. There is so much information, which also includes misinformation and disinformation, that it becomes dizzying. We lose focus. So I thought I would take some time to trace what I see as the foundational elements of Donald Trump and his movement, which is now known as MAGA. 

            We all know that MAGA stands for Make America Great Again. This was his 2016 campaign slogan, and it stuck. Frankly, one of the talents that Donald Trump has is as a salesman, or perhaps a hawker in an old-timey carnival. He has an ability to use sloganeering in place of substantive discussion. It is difficult to imagine Trump ever doing well in a format like the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. That series of debates featured presentation of an argument without interruption by the opponent, followed by cross-examination and answers. Then there was  presentation of a rebuttal without interruption, followed by cross-examination and answers. The focus was substance. Trump is far more proficient in a rally where he can toss out slogan after slogan, punctuated by name-calling, with almost no substance. But now, after years of this exhausting circus, we can derive some basics of his movement. And here are my suggestions.

1. Trumpism is, at heart, a fear of introducing impurity into the blood of America. He has suggested that immigrants poison the blood of our nation. And if you think that sounds like Mein Kampf, you are right. Chapter XI of Mein Kampf is entitled Nation and Race. Although he was already known to America as a successful businessman, due largely to the false image created by Mark Burnett and the "Apprentice" franchise, as a politician he was seen largely as a dabbler. His 2015 announcement to run was based almost entirely on insulting immigrants from Latin America. Even establishment Republicans at the time were extremely critical. The Trump version of America is an "America for Americans," but he gets to define who the Americans are. Are you an immigrant from Germany or Norway? You probably fit in.  Are you an immigrant from Latin America or Africa or Syria?  Maybe not so much. 

2. Trumpism is a movement of grievance. Again, this is a lot like Mein Kampf. People have taken things from the True Americans. Hitler said it was the Jews, Liberals, and Communists. If only the True Germans had been allowed to fully prosecute the Great War, Germany would be great. Instead, these Others stabbed Germany in the back, negotiating a shameful surrender to the Allied Powers even though Germany had the capacity to win the war. In like manner, Trumpism openly states that not only immigrants, but women, persons of color, and those abnormal LGBT people have gained rights that only True Americans can possess. Not only that, the Others have set up programs like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) that discriminate against White Men. White Men under Trump are finally getting the respect they have been denied for decades. That is the notion.

3. Trumpism is based on a Loyalty Ethic. Loyalty is demanded. The object of such Loyalty is Trump himself. There is no room for half loyalty. There is no room for divided loyalty. The problem with loyalty, of course, is that it is both subjective and objective. A trained canine is subjectively loyal to its master. So loyal, that it will defend its master. However, when humans act like canines, they lose focus on the objective reason for loyalty. Objective loyalty is a deontological, or duty, ethic. We commit to a cause or a code, not to a person. But the only cause of Trumpism is Trump.

4. Trumpism would remake government based on the Loyalty Ethic. All civil servants, military personnel, FBI agents, and even members of Congress swear an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." The German Weimar Republic had a similar oath until the Nazis added a line that said loyalty was also to the Fuhrer. Donald Trump demands loyalty, as he famously told the then-FBI Director James Comey. Never mind that Comey was loyal to the Constitution--he swore the oath. Constitution Schmonstitution, we Don't Need no Stinkin' Constitution. Of course, such demands for personal loyalty have a lot of negative consequences for any organization. That kind of loyalty forbids independent or critical thought, it stifles innovation, and it certainly discourages pointing out problems in the organization. The organization, or in this case, the country, is synonymous with the man. 

5. Trumpism would reintroduce a Spoils System for government service. This feeds right into the Loyalty problem. The original Spoils System was corrupt. If I owe my job to one person, I am far less concerned with the quality of my work. I want to please my patron. Heck, I might even contribute and work for his campaign while on the job. The merit-based public service we have in the United States is not perfect. But Congress has taken great strides over many decades to make public servant responsible to the public, not to one person. But ideas like those codified in the Hatch Act are now hopelessly naive. 

6. Trumpism is about retribution. There may have been some January 6th defendants who could have reasonably receive a commutation or pardon. However, that is not that case for many of them. Yes, a president has the power to pardon. However, one wonders why he wanted to pardon folks who assaulted cops on live television, who threatened to hang the Vice President, and probably would have done so given the chance. Why would he pardon these folks? Well, it is not clear whether these offenders will become something like the Brown Shirts, but we do know for a fact that many prosecutors who worked on some of the January 6th cases have been threatened, as have their families. What happens when a prosecutor is attacked by one of these formerly convicted persons?

7. Trumpism is anti-intellectualism in motion. There really is no room for scientific discovery because scientific discovery is uncomfortable. Discovery challenges our deeply held beliefs. And it is not only science, but any kind of intellectual pursuit:  history, art, literature. Trumpism cannot tolerate ideas that do not conform. And so, we see State legislatures jumping on the bandwagon to outlaw even the discussion of notions like DEI. We want to outlaw talking about ideas. That is the heart of Trumpism. 

8. Trumpism is a grotesque perversion of Christianity. It is no surprise that Paula White is now Trump's primary religion advisor. Paula White is a scammer. Even a decade ago, even most Evangelicals would have told you that Paula White is a "prosperity gospel" preacher with very little connection to the Jesus who instructed his followers to sell their possessions and give the money to the poor. The prosperity part of the prosperity gospel, by the way, accrues mostly to her. She is to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth what Trump University is to higher education. But it is not only Paula White. Franklin Graham is a guy who is much more orthodox in his Calvinist theology and is also a guy who has actually done some good humanitarian work with his "Samaritan's Purse" organization. But Graham seems to possess the uncanny ability to seamlessly go from talking about God to sucking up to Trump. Tim Alberta did a great job discussing how most of American Evangelicalism has been perverted by Trumpism in his book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. The modern American politicization of Christianity that Jerry Falwell, Sr. began way back in the 1970s is paying off. Of course, ideas like those found in the Sermon on the Mount do not have as much currency in many churches these days. And tragically, these Evangelicals seem not to recognize that Trump would throw them under the bus with the same skill he has used on others. 

         One of the greatest disappointments that I have felt over the past eight years is that there are so many voters who actually fall for this Trumpian crock. But I am not without hope. We know that in the long-term, Trumpism will fail. His ideas about the economy are simply put, dumb and ill-informed. His ideas about tariffs and mass deportations will result in inflation. It will become much more expensive to build and buy houses. Agricultural production and related industries like meat packing will be hit hard. It will become much more difficult for American farmers to export their commodities. These outcomes will result in loss of support from his voters. But we did not need to go this way. I remain hopeful that as Americans, we will find our way out.