Donald Trump Wants to Annoy You

SWAGGER, CUTZPAH, EGOTISM — whatever you call it, Donald Trump has taken his delusions of grandeur to such heights that he needs a stark reminder: Joe Biden is the president of the United States and Trump is not.

This is like Civics 101, but it’s significant counterprogramming, as Trump runs the fake presidential errands in fake-it-until-it-makes mode and the inevitability narrative takes hold.

Trump talked about his frequent conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called him because he “wanted to get my opinion on some issues,” and told a rally audience in Pennsylvania that Israel was doing well because “Bibi” wasn’t “Bibi.” listening To Biden. Elon Musk, Trump’s friend and possible future US cost-cutting czar, has been in contact with Netanyahu and Wall Street Magazine “There were reports.”regular communication” She has been with Trump’s favorite Vladimir Putin since 2022.

It raises national security concerns About Musk’s top-secret clearance and the US government’s contracts with him SpaceXhis astronautics company and also The future of a hypothetical Trump administration. But maybe never mind. New York Times Trump’s waiting team is completely bypass The FBI’s role in security clearances. Instead, they would hire private investigators to run background checks during the transition so Trump could give a large group immediate access to classified information. What could go right?

Trump acts like the Big Man on Campus, both at home and to foreign leaders, claiming that he is in charge. We’ve reached the point where Biden and Kamala Harris are both he asked About Trump apparently “doing diplomacy while not representing the United States.” Biden said he wasn’t surprised. Harris said it was I am not interested.

Unfortunately, the fuss is having the desired effect. Political coverage of the race was filled with references to “current conventional wisdom.” Trump will win”overconfidence“MAGA world” on the rightunreasonable trust“and as one Democratic operative said” ok-dokeThis election is all about “young white men’s anger.”

We have old men; Very rich, very powerful.line up Reconnecting with Trump, mending fences, and restoring security promises presidential action. We have many newspaper owners and companies who are suddenly silent on presidential endorsements. Given Trump’s constant threats to the media and his early record of going after people and companies he dislikes, historian Timothy Snyder writes, “obedience in advance“had a moment. “You can’t convince me that this is anything other than angering Trump and his supporters,” said veteran media writer Tom Jones. “They’ve made business decisions. in question In the Poynter Report newsletter on Wednesday.

It certainly seems that way, especially Washington Post. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of Blue Origin, a space exploration company that handles government contracts, was one of Trump’s key figures. first term goals. Just hours after the newspaper announced it on Friday pointed After Harris’ confirmation and it became clear that Bezos had made the decision, Trump met with Blue Origin executives. Bezos in question There was no response, although he acknowledged, “I’m not the ideal owner of The Post when it comes to conflict exposure.”

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Meanwhile, TRUMP’S BRAVADO works his usual dark magic to create a fake MAGA reality that requires listeners to believe him instead of their own eyes. HE racist, misogynistExtraordinary offensive rally at Madison Square Garden? “The love in that room was breathtaking” Trump said. “It was like a love fest. An absolute love fest and it was an honor to participate in it.”

A few days later in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Trump didn’t bother to apologize or distance himself from the speaker’s explosive (and unfunny) joke at a Madison Square Garden rally about Puerto Rico being a “floating island of garbage.” “We had a ball in Madison Square Garden,” Trump said. “This was the greatest political evening anyone had ever seen.” Room requested “Nobody loves the Hispanic community and the Puerto Rican community more than I do,” and he had done more for Puerto Rico “by far” than any other president.

In what way is all this Policy It is described as “a majority-Latino city that is home to one of the nation’s largest clusters of Puerto Ricans and a battleground state in the holy grail swing state of Pennsylvania.” And after Trump’s memorable attempt to comfort hurricane-stricken Puerto Ricans by throwing rolls of paper towels at them.

Has the Teflon Don attacked again? Or will this campaign against a younger, more disciplined former prosecutor be the kryptonite that eventually neutralizes his political superpowers?

Some Never Trump Republicans and their former Republican allies are trying to channel confidence into Democrats’ veins. At work former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh this week:

Another former Republican congressman from Illinois, Adam Kinzinger, is a little more cautious:

Former George W. Bush strategist Matthew Dowd gave advice I worry to calm down:

to mailJennifer Rubin, a Mitt Romney fan in 2012 sent A YouTube video called “It’s okay, Kamala will win.”

For Harris, there is a concrete sign in mathematics; A large gender gap emerges voting (Harris women win by double digits) and early voting (In seven battleground states, women accounted for 55 percent of early votes, compared with 45 percent for men.) The disparity stems from one of the rare promises Trump has managed to keep: ending the national right to legal abortion. Prohibition and criminalization of reproductive care by the state, tragic consequences for women health And is alive.

Yet this is a completely equalchoose your own adventure contest. University of Virginia analyst Kyle Kondik offered two conflicting “gut feelings” this week and then I was curious If we’re currently “in a silly season where small moves in the polls are disproportionate and the trust gap between the two parties creates the impression of Trump’s momentum, which isn’t necessarily grounded in reality.”

Trump is indeed the master of fraud, or rather, of the illusion of success, in both business and politics. But faking doesn’t always lead to doing it. This time, if we’re lucky, it will lead to a loss. The greatest, most beautiful loss anyone has ever seen.

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