Trump's deeper descent into nihilism
By Rich Snowdon
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I found myself paying special attention to March 19, 1945.
When he understood the war was lost, instead of taking responsibility
for the mass destruction and death he'd caused, instead of surrendering to end
the war, Hitler decided that the German people, being losers…
Did not deserve to
live.
In his Gotterdammerung frame of mind, in his nihilistic despair, he issued what was called "The Nero Decree."
He commanded that the infrastructure of Germany be destroyed—water systems,
electrical grids, railways, food supplies, all of it. Scorched earth. He said
it was to prevent the enemy from using any of those things.
But really...
He was punishing
his Germans.
Because they had failed...
Had failed him.
And if his Decree had been carried out, millions of
Germans would have died. But Albert Speer and others flew around the country
countermanding the order.
This morning as I watched the news, I asked myself: Why is
Trump so…
Hellbent on
destruction?
And Hitler's Decree came to mind.
All his life, Trump has been acting out, massively. He's
always been desperate for genuine love, but he's never known how to get it. So
he sucks attention instead. From anybody and everybody. From the whole world.
He keeps hoping this will fill him up, which it doesn't and can't.
And now here he is, the most powerful man in the most
powerful nation—for a second time!
What more could he possibly do? But it's not enough. It's
not working. It's not saving him from his childhood pain...
So checkmate.
No moves left to make, no hope left, as more and more
Americans turn against him. And why would this not trigger rage? A
helpless, desperate nihilistic rage.
The way I see it this morning, Trump wants to…
Make America feel
his pain.
He wants us to pay a price for failing him. An existential
price.
Look at what he's doing. It's all destruction...
He's taking healthcare away from millions.
He's taking food assistance away from millions.
He's destroyed trade relationships that millions of
Americans depend on.
He's deporting immigrants who key industries depend on and
can't do without.
He's wrecking the institutions we count on.
He's destroying the rule of law.
He’s doing his damnedest to put an end to our country.
There's no greatness here, only a surrender to death, as he
delivers his final message...
"To hell with you,
America."
EDITOR'S NOTE: More needs to be said about Trump's end game. As he continues to lose his grip and descend into madness, his reactions and actions have become bizarre and extreme. He has also become more aware of his own mortality speaking for the first time recently about whether he will "go to heaven" or the other place.
Psychiatrists deem him to be a malignant narcissist - he checks just about every box - and that makes him especially dangerous. As such, it is impossible for him to accept responsibility for any failure or error. It's always someone else's fault and generally he will find some way to punish them.
I would add to Rich Snowdon's list Trump's fixation on nuclear weapons. Even in his first term as well as his second, Trump has blathered on about who deserves to be nuked, a list that has included Iran, China, North Korea, though not Russia. He has bombed Iran and Yemen and is preparing an invasion of Venezuela.
He has threatened military action against Canada, Mexico, Panama, Greenland, Gaza in addition to his worldwide trade war. He has threatened to re-invade Afghanistan to reclaim Bagram Air Base, apparently not knowing that Bagram was actually built by the Soviets during their failed war with Afghanistan.
At a certain point, as Snowdon points out, none of this will feed his ego enough. His polls drop. The courts rule against him. Millions march in the street against him. November 4 was a humiliation for him. And he can see death's door ahead of him.
Of course, he believes none of this is his fault - it's ours. At what point will he decide it's time to make us pay the ultimate price?
- Will Collette
