Donald Trump thinks his voters are morons. This universal truth was once again demonstrated this week by a Facebook ad working Trump’s new statue-oriented campaign strategy. The ad declared, “WE WILL PROTECT THIS” and featured a photo of … no, not some racist-loser Confederate general astride a horse but “Cristo Redentor,” the famous statue of Jesus Christ that sits atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, which, for those keeping track, is not in the United States but in Brazil, a sovereign nation in a different continent.
It’s small story in the grand scheme of things, but one that illustrates yet again that Trump doesn’t really see Republican voters or politicians as fellow travelers, allies or even really as a “base” to whom he owes fealty. Trump sees Republicans primarily as marks, to be fleeced for all they’re worth and then abandoned the second he sees no value in them. Trump’s burning hatred for any American who didn’t vote for him is well documented, but just as true and just as disturbing is his utter disregard for the lives or well-being of people who did support him, and continue to do so.
Recent months have borne this out in remarkable ways, starting, of course, with the way that Trump’s pressure on Republican governors to end coronavirus restrictions prematurely has led to exactly the consequences he was warned about: People in those states are getting sick at eye-popping rates. In Florida, where Trumpian Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed hard to reopen no matter how many people die, ICUs are quickly filling up, with 56 reporting themselves at capacity and another 35 right on their heels. Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been similarly Trump-pleasing in his rush to reopen, is setting record highs for viral transmission, with upwards of 10,000 positive tests reported in a day. Continue reading.