John Bolton's "Revelations"
W.J. Astore
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, the Walrus Man, is back with "revelations" about Donald Trump. Yet, unless you've been a MAGA man or under a rock for the last four years, these are hardly as revelatory as media mouthpieces are making them out to be. Some examples:
Trump cares most of all about getting reelected in 2020. To this end, he'll make deals with China to shore up his domestic support.
Trump sympathizes with authoritarian dictators and promises to intercede on their behalf in various investigations.
Trump is ignorant of the most basic facts, e.g. he didn't know the UK has nuclear weapons; he didn't know Finland was not part of Russia; etc.
Trump is mocked behind his back by some of his most ardent supporters, e.g. Mike Pompeo.
Trump said Venezuela is "really part of the United States."
And so on. That last one is especially funny. Trump must mean their oil, for he hasn't exactly been clamoring for more people south of the border to be put on a path to U.S. citizenship.
Earlier today, Bolton gave an interview in which he said Trump is unfit to be president. Surprise! I was saying that in March of 2016, and I was hardly the only one.
Look: I'm no Trump fan, but none of this is news. As a narcissist and egotist, of course Trump places his reelection above all else. As an authoritarian ruler (at least in a wannabe sense), of course Trump relishes striking deals with other dictator-types. Clearly, Trump doesn't have a democratic bone in his body. He's incurious and apparently doesn't read (not even the Bible, it seems), so he doesn't know some of the most basic facts about geography and foreign policy. Indeed, in this sense he's the prototypical American. We only learn geography after we invade a country.
It's not hard to predict the reaction of Trump's base to these "revelations": they couldn't care less. But, hey, if it helps Bolton to sell books, then he's taken a page from Trump's own playbook. Lots of hype, "alternative facts," and controversy are good ways to move copy; don't some people say there's no such thing as bad publicity?
Meanwhile, Trump's true feelings for his base are revealed in his decision to press ahead with a mass rally in an indoor arena this weekend. Never mind the deadly danger of Covid-19: Trump says its fading away.
Now there's a true "alternative fact" that may prove a killer for far too many, true believers and otherwise.