A few conservative friends have said they wish the president would tone down his rhetoric, that it makes them uncomfortable. That isn’t going to happen. Tweets, texts, and public speeches reveal the authentic Trump. They are the most transparent representations of who Trump truly is—as the ancient philosophers might have said, behold the man.
Among the sad tragedies of our time is that his most ardently loyal followers are held in utter contempt by a man committed only to what benefits him and those who support him not with loyalty, but with cash. Now that their votes are no longer relevant, they have become disposable commodities—except for one lingering usefulness. As long as they are willing to swarm about him, lavishing him with praise and applause, they remain useful. When that ends, Trump will have no further use for them.
What about his policies? My guess is that he has none, other than the completion of transactions beneficial to himself. In the meantime, he is surrounded by toadies intent on remaking the United States in the neo-Nazi image of Project 2025. Toxic though they may be, they are not stupid. They are skilled at exploiting Trump’s vanity and his need for constant praise to their own advantage, fully aware that he has only a limited understanding of the work they are doing. Nor does he understand much of American or world history, the role of constitutional republican democracy, or the importance of the basic freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and the rule of law. In short, I doubt he understands the difference between our democracy and the neo-Nazi authoritarianism being engineered by those who surround him.
I suspect the Trump era will be remembered as one of the most astonishing acts of legerdemain in political history. The magic act pulled off by Trump, the Project 2025 mob, and the billionaires who cluster at the center keeping the cash flowing is that they performed all their tricks in public view, hiding nothing. They are even public about what they intend to hide—but they rely on the public not seeing, or not wanting to know. The brazenness is so complete that they get away with it, aided by their influence over federal law-enforcement agencies and a majority on the Supreme Court.
The next administration will no doubt attempt to restore the rule of law and our beleaguered democracy, but what has been done is unlikely to have serious consequences for those responsible. Had former Senator Menendez been this publicly brazen with his schemes, he might not have ended up in prison. The same is probably true for other public figures who have served prison time under similar circumstances. Bribery conducted in plain sight appears to be less of a sin than bribery attempted in secret. Go figure.
It may seem counterintuitive, but I have some sympathy for what will happen to Trump after he leaves office. Once he has no further use for his most loyal true believers, the nation will have no further use for him. His name will be removed from public buildings. The billionaires and tech moguls who financed him will have no further use for him. The Project 2025 gang will have no further use for him. Heads of state around the world will have no further use for him. Mar-a-Lago will no longer be a magnet for those seeking influence or favors. Everything that has meant so much to him will have evaporated. He will become a broken, lonely man.
Perhaps it will not be too late for him to discover the wonderful gift of love—received and given, out of love and for love. I hope so.