Zeteo’s political reporter Asawin Suebsaeng told Thor Benson that the president may not have the best track record using the “fake it until you make it” strategy.
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For the veteran journalist, Donald Trump’s administration challenges are growing worse than his first term.
Suebsaeng told Benson, “Things have changed since he was covering Trump’s first term — and not for the better.”
“Not just illegality … but the tolerance for scandal within the second Trump administration is somehow markedly greater than it was during the first four years,” Suebsaeng continued. “And I am not someone who looks through rose-colored glasses [regarding] the first Trump presidency.”
While the first Trump White House was laughably corrupt and a political joke, there’s a different situation evolving in which Democrats may not hold Republicans accountable if they can win the House and Senate.
“It was one of the most bats—— eras of modern American politics or world history,” Suebsaeng recalled. “Now, they’re working towards the rapid consolidation, expansion and perversion of presidential power in the most rapaciously right-wing, blood-lusting [way] they can possibly get away with — within, at least, the four years they have right now. That is the mission statement.”
Trump’s staff has certainly been part of the team behind some unethical and questionable activities; they shouldn’t be the only ones held to account.
“I get why that’s kind of comforting, because Trump is such a grotesque force that you don’t really want to believe that he’s commanding all of this stuff … but it is a direct expression of what Donald Trump wants to do,” Suebsaeng explained. “This Trumpist far-right authoritarian administration is, at its core, an expression of his desire to punish his enemies, both big and small.”
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“Things are falling apart. Yes, they’re encountering political resistance, especially from ordinary people on the ground. Yes, certain things are getting tied up in the courts here and there, but that can only take you so far,” Suebsaeng explained. “Boy, have they had a lot of wins, and they’re going to keep trucking for the next two and a half years or more.”
Three major court cases last week showed just how weak Trump is when it comes to some of his pet projects. The bravado in the White House isn’t an indicator of where he is emotionally, and certainly not politically. Behind the fake smiles and empty promises is very real fear.
Republicans “want to portray the Democrats as weak or irrelevant, which in many respects they objectively are, they do understand that political gravity does exist for everybody and everything,” Suebsaeng said.
“Don’t let them fool you with whatever they say publicly. Yes, they are afraid of jail,” Suebsaeng explained. “Yes, they are afraid of potential investigations, including at the state and local level. Yes, they are afraid of expensive subpoenas from Capitol Hill probes.”
Trump’s war in Iran is making things worse, increasing “their paranoia and anxiety about this — that there is a very good chance that if or when the Democrats gain power again, they are coming for them,” Suebsaeng assumed. “That is why, as we reported last year, Trump has already discussed the idea of preemptive federal pardons.”
And if Democrats think they can get away with the “let’s just move forward” message, he cautioned, they’re sadly mistaken. There are plenty of liberal voters who will be demanding accountability. So, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything will be fine when Democrats win the House and Senate. If Democrats don’t act after the election, the Democratic base isn’t going quietly into the night.
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