Trump the Man and Trump the Symbol

So Donald Trump, the emotionally stunted, power-hungry narcissist without a shred of empathy has become President of the United States. The reasons for his election are not difficult to discern: he voices the thoughts of millions of people made despondent by their failure to realise the American dream, and he does so in a language which they can appreciate. Like many a demagogue before him, he knows that truthfulness does not matter. Nor does respect for one’s opponents. In his book there are no opponents, only enemies, who must either be locked up or destroyed in some unspecified way.

And his enemies are legion. They encompass, of course, Democrats, left-wing intellectuals, liberals and, in short, anyone who does not espouse his brand of far-right politics. This includes those who advocate for diversity and women’s rights, whom he jokingly starts to call ‘b….’ before checking himself. His followers laugh appreciatively. It is showmanship of the most vulgar kind.

Invective aside, Trump’s body language is worth noting: the glowering look of hatred, the raised fist, the slow wave of the arms to and fro as if to calm the overflowing passions of his followers, the smirk with which he delivers some of his crude insults.

He is a master in the art of inflammatory rhetoric. In an Orwellian nightmare, words lose their meaning and are deployed merely to excite base emotions. To the many who feel victimised, Trump presents himself as a saviour. These include men who identify with his misogyny and, let it be said, Jews who guilelessly read into his grandiose promises a solution to their longstanding existential problems.

For some, he is the saint who almost became a martyr. For others, he is a role model. If, with his criminal record, he has been able to achieve ‘greatness’ (meaning, in his lexicon, fabulous material wealth and unbridled political power) then, they believe, there must be hope for all lost souls.

Trump rants about punishing those whom he holds responsible for the problems which beset America. He may not mean it – who can tell? – but merely by expressing such toxic views he grants his followers licence to vent their spleen on their perceived persecutors. It is a paranoid dynamic run amuck.

In the same breath he holds out the promise of a ‘golden’ future for all Americans. All that his followers need to do in order to reach their promised land is to fall in line behind him and take their cue from him. And no doubt they will.

Meanwhile, authoritarian leaders worldwide will draw inspiration from his methods, and many good people who are jubilant today will rue their support for him tomorrow.