As if there was a need to remind everyone that American politics has lost its marbles and then pulverized them with a steamroller, here are five observations from recent domestic events and the president’s Twitter feed.
(1) There is no observable limit to whom President Trump will use to promote his (sometimes petty) aims.
Wednesday morning, the president retweeted three videos from a fringe far-right British activist and stoked memories of a far-left conspiracy theory involving Joe Scarborough. Think on this for a moment: Trump’s use of the Internet to achieve his aims and sate his grievances is so bendable that it’s circular. One minute he promotes footage from Britain First official Jayda Fransen of what purports to be Muslims physically harming whites and desecrating Christian statuary. Literally 150 minutes later he alludes to the sudden death of one of his media adversaries’ 28-year-old staffers 16 years ago, implying the adversary somehow was involved—a conspiracy theory pursued for years by the Daily Kos. As my colleague Michael Warren reported last weekend, the president tweeted an approving link to MAGAPILL, whose name references a concept of political awakening “popular among the online alt-right and white nationalist movements” inspired by The Matrix. Yeah. Those guys are totally normal.
(2) The president promotes people who shouldn’t be promoted.
See above.
Why does this matter? Because providing an audience to toxic movements—perhaps “legitimizing” them with his endorsement—poisons the political system. Britain First is a nonentity in the U.K. Then the president of the United States gives its number two a platform by retweeting her videos. The alt-right entertains a vision of America that combines white superiority and braggadocious machismo presented by men who couldn’t bench press a wheat sheaf. Then the president of the United States tweets links to their websites.
Get the Exclusive
05.18.2024