(Illustration by Bruce Emmett, Foreign Policy)
The beloved fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen is read to kids to reveal the dangers of groupthink and the absurd consequences of refusing to be honest for fear of offending power.
A naked tyrant is allowed to impose his delusions upon a subservient population because no one dares to stand up and correct him. This “upside-down” mindset exists whenever there is an authoritarian leader who has amassed a cult willing to bend the knee to his mad whims and carnal desires.
For example, imagine an aging, corpulent criminal who squandered his father’s fortunes and was bankrupted six times, who tanks the global economy and harms his nation’s standing but is still adulated by his base as a genius playing 4-D chess who has mastered “the art of the deal.” Despite clearly not understanding how tariffs or trade wars work, he is hailed by his party for his brilliance. There are even statues and golden calves made in his honor. Artistic renditions portray him as a strapping, muscular warrior even though his diet consists of lies, Diet Coke, burgers, and watching TV.
That’s what’s happening today as Republicans are trying to spin Trump caving on his reckless trade war and tariffs, which benefitted a few billionaires and MAGA friends lucky enough to buy the dip. As a temporary distraction, Trump also abused his power to sign Executive Orders to punish Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs for, respectively, refusing to bend the knee or parrot his delusion that he won the 2020 election that he lost.
Republicans in the House passed the SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, and are openly trying to suppress the vote. Meanwhile, innocent legal immigrants are being imprisoned in El Salvador as Trump continues defying judges, norms, and the law. While this is happening, the “pro-life” party is perfectly fine with death from avoidable diseases like measles and is lecturing its base to tolerate short-term pain so the broligarchy can make more money off their suffering.
In this Chai Talk, which was supposed to be a Substack Live, American attorney and activist George Conway joins me to talk about how his former party has become a “cult of personality” that is now led by a “narcissistic psychopath.”
Give us a watch.
*In honor of hitting 50K subscribers, The Left Hook is offering a 20% discount for paid subscribers: https://thelefthook.substack.com/discount
Share this post