Pure Undiluted Trumpism

Trump's MSG hatefest

“This rally seems aimed at the crucial bloc of swing voters who like Donald Trump but worry that maybe he's not quite stupid and obnoxious enough. They need him and his team to squeeze out of the tube that one last plop of stupidity and obnoxiousness.” — David Frum

“I stand corrected. I thought this year’s October surprise was the reality that Trump’s mental state had slipped so badly he could not campaign in any coherent way.  It turns out that the 2024 October surprise was the Trump campaign’s fascist rally at Madison Square Garden, a rally so extreme that Republicans running for office have been denouncing it all over social media tonight. — Heather Cox Richardson

Happy Monday.

There are eight (8) days until the Election. We can’t say we weren’t warned.

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What on earth was that bizarre freak show all about?

Let’s be clear here: Trump’s MSG hatefest was not a one-off. It wasn’t just a strikingly unfunny comedian. Or Tucker giving vent to his chronic assholery. None of last night’s festival of toxic bullshit was a gaffe or a mistake.

What we saw was pure, undiluted Trumpism. It was Trump’s id in an endless loop.

There was no sanewashing last night. The New York Times headline called it A Closing Carnival of Grievances and Racism, describing Trump’s closing argument as “a release of rage at a political and legal system that impeached, indicted and convicted him, a vivid and at times racist display of the dark energy animating the MAGA movement.”

How bad was it?

Speakers at the rally called Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, "the Antichrist" and attacked Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee eight years ago, as a "sick son of a b****."

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe branded Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage," said Latinos love "making babies" and joked about "carving watermelons" with a Black friend for Halloween, while radio host Sid Rosenberg called the event "a Nazi rally."

It didn’t go over well. Here’s Drudge:

The rest:

• Trump MSG rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage’ - The Washington Post.

• Speakers at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally unleash ugly rhetoric — Axios

• Trump fills Madison Square Garden with anger, vitriol and racist threats | US elections 2024 | The Guardian

• Trump's Madison Square Garden event turns into a rally with crude and racist insults — AP

• Fallout spreads from racist rhetoric at Trump's MSG rally - Politico

• Racist Puerto Rico talk at Trump rally sparks 'uproar' from Latinos - Boston Globe

• Trump loyalists spew racist, vulgar attacks at Harris and Democrats at New York City rally | CNN Politics

• Tucker Carlson Calls Harris ‘Samoan-Malaysian‘ and ‘Low IQ’ in Bizarre Rant - Daily Beast

**

Some Republicans are scrambling to distance themselves from Trump’s clusterf*ck.

If only they had been warned.

Pure Trumpism

As Bill Kristol notes this morning, “Trump himself didn’t shy away from demagogic incitement, especially as you’d expect against dark-skinned immigrants. ‘A lot of people are coming from the Congo prisons,’ he declared on stage. But he was also happy to attack Americans of any color or national origin who oppose his campaign: ‘They are indeed the enemy from within,’ and ‘the most sinister and corrupt forces on earth.’

But this is what Trump wanted. All of it.

This was the grand finale of the Trump campaign, personally insisted upon by him, paid for and produced by his campaign. This wasn’t Trump appearing at an event sponsored by a wacky local party or a goofy affiliated group, where the crazed speakers were locally produced farm-to-table types. This was 100 percent Grade-A Trumpism. This is what they wanted people to see.

Last night, at Madison Square Garden, they presented to us Donald Trump’s vision for America.

My conversation with Oliver Darcy

In Oliver’s new newsletter, I had some more thoughts about the craven capitulation of the billionaires. ICYMI: Charlie Sykes warns 'democracy really dies' with 'transactional capitulation'

DARCY: I caught up with Sykes for a conversation about anticipatory obedience, whether the news media should outright refer to Trump as a fascist, why some news networks platform dishonest MAGA pundits, and more. Below is the Q&A, lightly edited for clarity.

Donald Trump has not yet been elected and billionaire media moguls are preemptively bowing to pressure. This defensive positioning is something we did not see in 2016 and 2020. What do you make of it?

SYKES: You mean the craven bootlicking of the oligarchs and courtiers?

As you pointed out, it’s not just the media moguls. We’re seeing a lot of premature surrender by businessmen and politicians alike. And that’s because they’re all taking Trump’s threats both seriously and literally. The fear is palpable. Some are caving because they are cowards; others because they imagine that cringing before the throne is a smart transactional move, which is dumb, because it’s not going end well for any of us.

But this is how democracy really dies. Not in darkness, but in transactional capitulation like this.

DARCY: What does it say about the current political climate in America when you have the most powerful media and tech leaders bowing to just the possibility of pressure?  

SYKES: It says that we should pay attention to the warnings. If the billionaires fear a vengeful, authoritarian Trump, what about the rest of us — who don’t have power, prestige or massive penis-rockets?

That’s the reality check. The danger of authoritarianism isn’t merely theoretical. It’s happening in real time, right before our eyes.

In a few months, we could find ourselves living in a crony corporatist state governed by fear and favor. Actually, we already are, aren’t we?

Could I just say a word about Jeff Bezos? The damage he’s done to The Washington Post is hard to overstate, because it marks the decisive end of the era that began with its Watergate coverage. Bezos had to know this. He had to know what it would do the paper’s reputation and legacy. But, as I wrote in my newsletter this morning, he did it anyway. Protecting his Blue Origin Penis-Rockets was more important to him than the newspaper or democracy.

DARCY: Should members of the news media themselves refer to Trump as a fascist?

SYKES: Well, Trump is a fascist and it’s always good to call things by their proper names. But reporters don’t have to use the word themselves: they can simply quote Trump’s own chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or his former chief of staff.

Or just report the guy’s words — calling migrants “vermin,” who are “poisoning the blood” of the country; his admiration for thuggish dictators; his fetish for brutality; or his threats to use the military against his fellow Americans, who he calls “the enemy within.” I could go on.

DARCY: You've been very outspoken about the serious threats Trump poses to American democracy. Broadly speaking, it strikes me that those who were once in conservative media are often the most clear-eyed and direct about these threats. Why do you think that is?

SYKES: I think that’s because we recognized from the beginning that this was not normal. Some folks on the left have tended to see Trump as a logical or even inevitable product of conservative politics. But we knew from the beginning that Trump represented something different — a sharp and ugly break from conservative values.

That’s not to say that the dysfunction in the GOP wasn’t a pre-existing condition. Most of us had no illusions about the crackpots, bigots, and extremists on the right; but we thought they had been confined to the far reaches of the fever swamp. Trump brought them all back. We had a front row seat to the release of the demons, so we never had an illusions about how dangerous this was.

DARCY: While you've been sounding the alarm, Trump's allies have been obfuscating on his behalf. Scott Jennings on CNN drew backlash this week for deflecting when asked about Trump's apparent behind-the-scenes adoration of Adolf Hitler. Do you think having someone like Jennings on a panel adds value to the audience? Why do networks feel the need to welcome — and in some cases pay — these dishonest voices?

SYKES: You tell me. Someone like Scott Jennings adds no value to any reasonable conversation.

Of course, I’d like to see more balance in those discussions, but that shouldn’t mean platforming the trolls, hacks, or liars. I have no idea whether this boosts ratings, but it makes all the rest of us dumber, every time we have to listen to him.

DARCY: You once had a long career in right-wing talk radio. The New York Times recently reported on some of the comments you had made in that life. How did you feel about that? 

SYKES: Well, I thought it was a lazy bit of gotcha journalism that reminded me why so many people are disillusioned with the media. Breaking news: When I was younger and stupid, I said stupid things. I hope I’ve learned my lesson. I hope the folks at the Times do after this election, too.

DARCY: Who do you believe will win in November?

SYKES I’m out of the prediction business and will be spending election night with my grandkids in France. Wake me when it’s over, will you?

**

Getting on a jet plane

Speaking of going to France. My wife has a behind the scenes look at the preparations (which, of course, include making sure Auggie and Eli are happy.)

Check it out here.

We’ve checked our wills. I’ve been to the dry cleaner and back; done tons of laundry; bought new socks and travel size toiletries; bought and returned half a dozen outfits; bought and returned three pairs of boots; replenished the dogs’ prescriptions; pre-paid for Auggie’s laser treatments for his arthritic back; given them both their flea and tick and heartworm meds; stocked up on bird seed because the birds are either traveling or fattening up for winter and are absolutely ravenous; spoken to the wood chipping and tree removal guy to make sure he knows what we need him to do; and arranged for the cleaning lady to come while we’re gone. Because immediately after we return, we’re expecting house guests.

Our dog sitter is not a stranger and pretty much knows the drill, but Covid-psyched Eli is tricky. She has been coming weekly for the past month to remind him who she is. She took them for walks and learned the idiosyncrasies of their favorite games by playing with them. Last week she prepared their dinners and fed them while I sat at the counter and we chatted. She’ll spend the night the day before we leave so Eli is comfortable. He barks terrifyingly when she comes, but she tells me that once we’re gone he sleeps in the bed with her all night and she covers him with the comforter. Auggie doesn’t cuddle, but greats her joyously. She’s a vet tech, so that gives me great peace of mind.

You can read about the rest of the madness here.

The obligatory dog pictures

Auggie goes for a walk.

**

Halloween dogs

Finally

Mildly surprising that he wasn’t asked to speak at last night’s MSG rally.