The woman who orchestrated a gathering of Black college students to be with Trump at an Atlanta fast food place last week was interviewed on Fox News. A true believer, she was joyfully triumphant. She declared that what she, and presumably the students, likes about Trump is his truthfulness, his honesty, his reliability to do what he said he would do.
In view of Trump’s legendary history of lies and betrayals about things trivial and major, it was hard to take her seriously. But she was serious and oddly enough there was some truth in what she said. Trump’s truth sprouts from his rubble of lies, betrayals, convictions for sexual assault and business fraud. It emerges from multiple indictments yet to be tried and amidst the blistering testimony of former aides.
Trump has promised to trash the public reputations of those he considers disloyal and he has done that. Trump has promised to seek retribution on enemies both real and imagined and he’s done that. He has threatened to unleash violence on those who displease him and has done that. He’s labeled southern border immigrants as subhuman predatory animals and has treated them that way. Trump has truthfully said he wants immigrants from “nice” countries and will do whatever it takes to keep Latinos from entering the U.S. He has lauded Hungarian style authoritarian rule as the way to make America great again. He tried to impose that rule when last in office and will do so again if elected. In all of these instances he has been truthful and reliable.
It’s hard to separate Trump’s truth telling from his obsessions, illusions and delusions, but in his defense, he has sometimes bloviated on the obvious as if he alone discovered it. It’s true that the U.S. has borne the weight of protecting NATO countries. It was a moral imperative during the post war years, but Europe has recovered and become wealthy. It should do more for the defense of Western democracies, including our own. It’s also true that the southern border has always been porous. It’s not secure now nor has it ever been. Until recent decades there was freedom of travel back and forth with seasonal Mexican workers welcome to follow the harvests from Texas to Montana. Times have changed. No one disputes that the border needs to be made more secure and immigrants allowed through in an orderly manner. A wall of some kind may be needed but the security it could offer is a pipe dream, something Hadrian and the Chinese learned long ago. More credible would be a new, simple, efficient immigration law.
As for a new law anytime soon, I think that can be forgotten unless the Democrats gain solid majorities in both houses while keeping the presidency. Even then I have my doubts as the terms simple and efficient aren’t evident in the congressional dictionary.
What it comes down to is this. Trump can be trusted to exaggerate real and imaginary conditions all the while stoking the fears and anxieties of ordinary people. He can be trusted to declare, as he has before, that he alone can fix the problems and save the people. He may be a stupid man, but in this he is a master. He knows the exaggerated promises fearful people want to believe, but will it work well enough for him to be elected? We shall see.