The New York Times report on the tax information of President Trump, which paints him as a con man extraordinaire, would, for a rational people, be the final nail in the coffin of a politician who has proven to be little more than incompetent at his job, a showman, and a con man.
We are not a rational people.
I’m looking for just a small dip in approval ratings, if that. For the typical Trump cultist, it’s been dinned into them that the mainstream news is fake news.
They are too deeply invested to pull their support in terms of social standing and the local power structure. They might give up on Trump if they were harboring doubts, but even if they had based their support on the now-revealed lie that Trump was a successful business man, they’re in too deep. Just mention Trump’s name and they experience an endorphin rush.
And if they’ve achieved an elected position based on their support of Trump, they’ll clutch his knees all the harder. His success is their success; they’ll simply go along with Trump’s claims that this is fake news, as he claimed at a news conference yesterday.
The most interesting reactions will come from elected officials – such as members of Congress – who were already in office when Trump was elected, and have not associated themselves with Trump. So I’m not talking about Jordan or Gaetz or lickspittle Graham, but Romney, Senator Lee (R-UT), maybe Senator Sasse (R-NE), maybe Senator Sullivan (R-AK). Do they stick to the President, or do they walk away?
I’m guessing they’re too conditioned to condemn him, with the possible exception of Senator Romney (R-UT), although his decision to support Trump’s wish to appoint the next SCOTUS Justice leaves me doubtful.
The last possibility is that Senators locked in harsh reelection battles may distance themselves from Trump, but that may be difficult for some, such as Loeffler and McSally, two appointed Senators trying to win their special elections. They’ve locked themselves to Trump, and may find themselves going down with the ship.
But look for long-time Maine Senator Collins to distance herself even more. Heavens knows she’s been the most disloyal of the Republican Senators to Trump.
So … yes, I don’t expect much to come of this. Trump loyalists have too much invested. Hell, National Review, a former NeverTrump publication, this morning has lead articles headlined:
Why the Federalist Society and Other Institutions Matter (with a secondary of how the President’s success is dependent on those conservative institutions, rather than, like, his own behavior?)
New Project Veritas Video: Voter Fraud in Ilhan Omar’s District (nothing in the local StarTribune – at least not yet)
Revolution by Shenanigan (or, how the Democrats have rewritten the Constitution and will impose it on us)
But nothing on the tax return revelations. A pity. Maybe they’re just not fast. Or maybe they’re looking for the proper spin.
