Final Thoughts

President Trump is so omnipresent in our country if not the world. The television news, newspapers, magazines, and so much else is about him. Americans and maybe much of the rest of the world are bombarded by his pronouncements, posts, proclamations, projects, and perspective so that he can never be far from our minds.

For Trump it doesn’t matter whether we think good or bad about him…it is only that we think about him. He is a firm believer that there is no such thing as bad press. There are only opportunities to use the press to continue his own aggrandizement.

Speaking for myself, though Trump is always present somehow, I have tuned out much of what he says. Since I rarely take his words as fact or what will actually be done, why bother to listen. It is background noise much as ambient music is in a restaurant. But his tones are closer to techno than to easy listening.

I am weary of Trump and his administration’s actions as many are. I find saying something like, “I love the inflation” as crazy. It broke through and got the attention that most of what he says no longer does. Did he know that saying something like that would alienate so many of his MAGA base? Or did he just not care as long as enough Americans continued to keep him at the top of the charts?

For example, I totally ignore anything he says about the Iranian War. Trump and Hegseth have made such a mess out of it by following Netanyahu down his rabbit hole that there is no good outcome. 70% of the American people agree with that statement. So, when he says something about being on the cusp of a deal to end the war, a deal he has been telling us was imminent but somehow never happens, saying it for the thousandth time is not grabbing much attention.

Trump must escalate his rhetoric to keep the American people listening to him.  Telling us that he doesn’t care about inflation is one way to do it…even if it results in some of his supporters no longer being in his camp.

Since returning to office, the level of chaos in society has greatly increased. Things like his personal corruption and perfidy does not bother everyone. And Trump’s destruction of our government, justice system, and his abuse of power will not alienate most of his base.

I never thought he did more with Jeffrey Epstein than trade jokes and turned a blind eye to Epstein’s crimes. Now because of Trump’s refusal to release the files, there may be much more to it. For a man civilly found to have raped a woman in a dressing room, if there was nothing more than Epstein arranging a barely legal tryst (and I emphasize legal), then why would Trump make a decision that brings so many of his followers’ wrath upon him. It makes me suspect that the tryst or trysts were with an underage girl or girls. 

President Trump has no subtlety in his repertoire. It is all shock and awe. He is no student of Machiavelli. There are no carrot and stick…only stick.

He is often compared to being a mob boss. However, to be a good mob boss it is not all about fear to engender loyalty. There is also the ability to mask the fist in a velvet glove. Any leader must be willing to give credit to his people and make it about them as much as him. That is something Trump has shown no ability to do.

With the election this fall, things may change and Trump will not have the House and/or Senate in Republican hands. Will he then resort to extra-legal methods? I don’t know.

I suspect the following will happen. As the Republicans battle over the 2028 presidential nomination, people will listen to Trump less. Much depends as to whether the Democratically controlled Congress does proper oversight or whether it seeks to exact revenge on Trump. I hope that they don’t make him a martyr again.

It would be best to just ignore his rantings, which will become even more unhinged once he really is impotent. If he has 30% approval without a Republican Congress, then his own party will begin to not take him seriously. Then perhaps America can go back to a time when we weren’t consumed by Washington’s daily turmoil.

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Friends and Neighbors of Martin County is your eyes and ears so that you know what is going on in Martin County’s municipal and county governments. I attempt to be informative and timely so that you may understand how your tax money is being spent. Though I go to the meetings and report back, I am no substitute for your attending meetings. Your elected officials should know what is on your mind.

Tom Campenni 772-341-7455 (c) Email: thomasfcampenni@gmail.com