Anthony Marsella, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service
Trumpism! No magic, no mystique, no charisma, no aura of invincibility! Just an astute and calculated recognition of the nation’s many discontents, assumed causes, and an appealing public persona fuel Trump’s appeal. Voters filled with (1) grief at the collapse and loss of their myths; (2) anger at failed and betrayed government; (3) resentment of outsiders who displaced them; (4) hatred for a society in upheaval; and (5) nostalgia for the past; These are the seeds of Trump’s success.
Trump embodies the alienation of citizens once proud and confident, now in feeling powerless and insecure. And what a great name for embodying the process: Trump! Trump! Trump!
Trump confidently mounts a stage with obvious boredom, contempt, and disdain for any competing candidates! Supporters and followers shout “Yes! Tell it like it is, Trump! Don’t mince words! Right! That is precisely how I feel.”
“Thank you, Trump! Thank you for communicating my anger, resentment, and grief with whole corrupt system that has disregarded my life and struggles. Thank you for speaking forcefully, without hesitation or doubt, about the obvious causes of my problems, the unanticipated struggles I am facing, my awareness of my government’s betrayal of our nation and Constitution.”
At last someone who speaks for me, the common man, not the big shots in Washington DC, Wall Street, and corporate and bank board rooms! They are crooks, all of them, and they are trying to stay in power.”
“They should be punished for what they have done! Stealing billions, in front of our eyes, as courts, politicians, and media offer explanations and excuses for their greed. Enough! We’re not going to take it anymore. You the man! Go Trump!”
“Their criticisms mean nothing to us! Reporters trying to insult you, taunt you, and ridicule you! We know the media pundits are part of the System! Same old tired faces! Same old words! They all look alike! Fancy clothes, confusing charts, first names, smiles! ‘Thank you, Katie!’ And we will be right back after this important word from our sponsors!’ (Sponsors: Part of the problem, corporations paying salaries and bonuses to lie and deceive on their behalf).
“I don’t even listen to them anymore! Can you believe that CNN group! Liberals! I don’t think so! Actors playing a part in a drama! Entertainers! There ought to be Oscars for TV pundits! ‘And this year the award for best pundit presentation and deceit goes to . . . (name a network).”
“They claim you, Trump, are part of the 1% who raped our country; big-shot investors, bankers, communication crooks! I say who better to know the System than an insider wanting to change it; someone wanting to be a hero for the working man! A savior . . . a redeemer!”
Understanding Trumpism!
Many remain bewildered by Trump’s triumphant emergence as the presumed presidential candidate for the Republic Party. They are shocked! How can this be? Trump contests and insults all we held to be good and virtuous about our society and nation through the years. Trump’s generalizations, his sweeping stereotypes contest, challenge, and dismiss treasured assumptions, prized privileges, and sanctimonious beliefs.
Choose a topic! Trump has ridiculed, insulted, or smeared it with bile, ending forever conventional System views of the topic. Voters are shocked at his words; and then, slowly they start to say: “Right! That’s how I feel!” They start to talk with family, friends, and neighbors! They test the waters, to see if others share their views. Euphoria comes with agreement! A movement is born! It is frightening, but gratifying!
Yes, we are the people that made America great! Not the 1% group! And as for all those new races and faces with their strange dress, foods, and accents, who invited them? They hate us! They are freeloaders! Entitlements! We had no entitlements!
Trump appeals to the fears, insecurities, and xenophobia now found across the nation and world! Everywhere, tribalism is the refuge pursued to protect the onslaught! Stick with your own!
Trump is a provocateur! He loves to provoke, to incite, to assert contrary views, opinions, policies, and cherished social, political, and religious beliefs. He puts his finger on the most sacred of “holy cows,” the very source of our nation’s endless wars, foreign intrigues, and calls for patriotic fervor: Capitalism! “The system needs repair! And who better to do it than me! We don’t want socialism!” With these words he mocks Hillary and Bernie!
When all is said and done, Trump argues our government has gone to war for decades, sacrificing lives and wealth, to protect an economic system which abuses workers. Workers now know this! Soldiers know this! Work! Die! For who, why?
Trump knows appealing to victimhood is the key! He argues successfully: The USA is a victim! Our culture is a victim! The hard-working middle class is a victim! The whites are victim! The world is against us! But we will make America great . . . again. And with an aplomb born of a panderer, Trump uses words to claim blacks and Mexicans are also victims, even as he implies they are part of the problem! Amazing! Shrewd, however, from the point of view of appeal! Victims need heroes! Victims need causes! Heroes need victims!
Trump’s Persona
No one questions or denies Trump’s narcissism, arrogance, self-confidence, and vengeful disdain for critics and competitors. Indeed, Trump himself turns these attributions to his advantage. Hillary criticizes his character and competence, and Trump returns her comments with an assault on her character and demonstrated failures. One can imagine him saying: “You had the chance! We saw what you did! It isn’t pretty! But you made a lot of money!
Supporters admire his forceful presentation and presence, concluding a strong and transparent president is needed. Critics condemn virtually every remark he makes, impugning his personal character and intentions. The media assault on Trump is so extensive it confirms what he and his supporters believe: The System is protecting itself!
What is especially remarkable, amid these brutal exchanges, is Trump’s constant, unabashed, and unceremonious changes in views. Trump without warning, responding to his moods, the moods of his supporters, and the moods of the nation and world, revises his positions and words, explaining what he meant to say. It makes sense to supporters.
Trump wins new supporters everyday, and loses only a few. Trump, is constructed as an “Uber Mensch,” a powerful figure willing to use his powers to build a better nation. Trump is a human being. He is subject, as all of us are, to frailties, flaws, and failures. Yet he seems to be able to run with abandon from these limitations, turning them into victories.
“The terms “Uber,” has many connotations; it is in widespread use in our society as a noun and adjective. It implies power, ascendancy, beyondism! Uber cabs, uber cocktails, uber alles (nations), uber athletes. If you ain’t uber, you are a “loser” (verlierer). Trump will make us uber . . . again!
The Ecology of Trumpism: Problems and Persona
Trump’s success, thus far, is a function of two major sources: (1) the sorrowful state of our nation and world; (2) his persona. These two factors constitute an self-sustaining ecology. Many demographic sectors of our nation are longing for a leader who will voice their frustration, anger, resentment; someone who can speak forcefully about their loss of identity and pride. Trump, a shrewd observer of human needs, recognizes we are a society and nation grieving the loss of our “familiar” or “imagined” past.
For many, Trump’s recognizes and articulates the “victim syndrome.” Many white voters are deeply resentful of corrupt and biased policies and actions protecting the wealthy, powerful, and positioned. Consider the spectrum of issues: (1) bailouts, (2) corporate rights as individuals, (3) massive special interest donations, (4) political party delegate machinations, (5) electoral-college abuses, (6) lobbyist influence for industries and corporations, (7) lies and deception regarding 9-11, Kennedy assassinations, (8) surveillance and intrusions into privacy, (9) police brutality, and (10) empowerment of blacks, Latinos, and foreign migrants). Chart 1 offers a graphic display of issues fueling Trump’s appeal.
and think twice about awarding your votes to profiteers who deny the consequences of their profiteering.