How is it that a man without any formal experience in government or politics, who routinely flouts established social norms, won the US presidency and remains the leader of the Republican Party?
While aligning himself with the interests of the monied class, he was able to appeal to Americans of middle and low income, especially Whites. Yet he has broken promises to the middle- and low-income people who put their faith in him, donated hard-earned dollars, and cheered him on. He never built an effective wall, as he had promised, unveiled his health or infrastructure plans, and he bungled handling of a COVID epidemic that has killed over 900,000 Americans.
His tax cuts were targeted mostly to the wealthy. He openly denigrates women and scoffs at legitimate concerns of minorities, gays, and people with handicaps. He has fought off legal proceedings for non-payment of debt, sexual assault and fraud and a closer look at his finances suggests that his net worth may be far less than he has touted. So far, he has barely been able to stay one step ahead of the law. He has undermined the workings of government itself, with his revolving door of questionable advisors, and by failing to fill empty government positions. His cozying up to malign dictators in North Korea, China, and Russia has endangered US national security.
Sadly, Donald Trump’s style and rhetoric continue to resonate with a good sized chunk of Republican voters and their support is unwavering. Yet Trump’s agenda is contrary to the self interest of most middle and lower income whites. While catering to his wealthy sponsors, he has been able to play on the fears, vulnerabilities, and anger of the less affluent.
He shrewdly appeals to the grievances of White men who fear that women and minorities are displacing them in the workforce. He legitimates racist scapegoating to divert attention from other causes of growing economic inequality. He has fueled distrust of government and the constraints of law to undermine the protections that government affords the public, meanwhile promoting his own authority as President.
He has amplified a theme in American culture, a resistance to limits on individual freedoms, and used this theme to justify a rollback of regulations on corporations and industry, as well. Trump has demonized news media that challenge his misrepresentations of the truth and thereby undercuts the public’s ability to be informed and make reasoned decisions.
A dynamic that led to Trump’s ascendancy and grip on power are his skills as a con man. He has pulled off a massive, collective con job because he and his handlers understand that a projected image of power and success is more important than objective reality.
Trump cultivated his own celebrity for years and gained a command of media when he honed his skills as an actor on “The Apprentice.” He has a lust for attention, for dominance, and an instinct for appealing to the hopes and vulnerabilities of others to gain their support. He seems very certain that he knows how to fix problems. He can appear as larger than life, a hero and a champion, a timely rescuer who assures his supporters that he has simple solutions to very complicated problems. He is willing to exploit the faith that the public places in him for his own gratification, as well as for power and money.
Trump carefully crafted a narrative as a self-made billionaire, irresistible to women, with unlimited talents. He appeals to the desires, hopes, and greed of the less powerful and suggests that if they align with him, they will achieve similar success. In short, Trump has all the qualities of a successful con man, and one on a roll. The fact that he ignores social conventions and pays no consequences only enhances his stature.
Trump has assumed the role of “strong man” who will take charge and fix societal problems. With the help of his wealthy supporters, he wants to dismantle the checks and balances built into our current system of government so he can establish himself as a fascist-style leader.
Trump’s genius is that he seems to achieve an almost hypnotically induced access to the emotional state of his followers, as he bypasses the critical intellect, and makes self-serving suggestions.
Trump’s tactics are similar to those of many skilled con artists who play on others’ hopes, fears, and needs so that they willingly turn over assets for some promised future benefit. Trump uses very simple language, his own certainty, emotion laden words, physical gestures, and repetition to assuage any doubts that his listeners may have. While appearing spontaneous, his speeches reinforce recurring themes of grievance: fear of loss of power and privilege, resentment of minorities, perceived economic inequities.
Trump legitimates the blaming of others for adversity or personal failure, thereby evading accountability and suggesting that the rights of those not aligned with him can be disregarded. When challenged, he poses as a victim of unfair treatment to gain sympathy, as well as continued access to the pockets of his followers. He appeals to the darker side of human nature, well explored by Sigmund Freud in “Civilization and Its Discontents” (published in German in 1930) and by Carl Jung in “Memories, Dreams, and Reflections” (published in English in 1963). Both Freud and Jung recognize that only a thin veneer of civilization serves as a brake on human emotion, aggression, and sexuality. Trump relates to his followers on a visceral level, which is less subject to conscious awareness or rational analysis, and all the more powerful. His followers may respond to his fear mongering rather than discerning their own self- interest.
Timothy Snyder, in his book, “On Tyranny” (2017), identifies the steps fascist movements follow to gradually erode democracy. Similarly, Anne Applebaum, in her book “Twilight of Democracy” (2020), describes patterns of fascist takeovers of democratic governments, especially in Eastern Europe. Donald Trump seems to have followed a fascist model.
The public is often unwittingly fooled into supporting fascist or authoritarian movements when leaders play on the public’s fears of external enemies and of breakdown in the social order due to changing economic conditions or demographic shifts, i.e. immigration. Ruth Ben Ghiat, in her book “Strong Men: From Mussolini to the Present” (2020), presents a well-developed understanding of these processes and pointedly applies them to the current situation in the US. She highlights the commonalities of aspiring fascist leaders: they emphasize restoring the nation to a romanticized state of former glory; they support authoritarian measures as necessary in light of current threats to stability; they rely heavily on propaganda for control and begin vilifying and shutting down critics and the free voice of the press.
Fascist movements are often corrupt: they suspend established legal process and focus on enrichment of their leaders and their followers, often using public monies or insider knowledge; they emphasize male privilege and power and other traditionalist values that are oppressive to women, ethnic minorities, and GLBTQ populations. They mobilize the military and/or public supporters to defy existing law and custom and use violence to take and maintain power.
Most of all, fascist leaders manipulate the truth to impose their own distorted interpretation of events on a frightened public. They have only limited interest in governance for the common good. Over time, as the public becomes disenchanted with their empty promises, and chaos occurs, their regimes break down. Trump seems to have put on an inspired performance as a would-be fascist leader. Yet, the chaos that Trump has created, similar to other fascist leaders, as well as his decreasing credibility, will likely end his grip on power.
Bonny Gardner is a psychologist who has researched communities in the rural South, and who also writes social and political commentary.
From The Progressive Populist, April 1, 2022
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links
About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us