The Indomitable Ego vs the Joyful Cipher  

The Democrats and their mainstream media allies have, over the years, provided us with many reasons to fear and loath Donald Trump. In my opinion, at least, the most extreme claims, from ‘Putin’s Puppet’ to ‘America’s Hitler’, all verge on the farcical and go a long way to explaining the pervasiveness of Trump Derangement Syndrome in the United States. It is not TDS, however, that stands in the way of Trump’s return to the White House.  It is his indomitable ego. That said, this is the very same characteristic that has brought him this far and is so beloved by hardcore MAGA types.

The upside of Trump’s ego-driven belligerence was obvious in the aftermath of the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania: ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ he declared; his fist held high. He exhibited exactly the same combative spirit almost a year earlier at the time of the infamous mug shot in Fulton County, Georgia. That very day he posted his brassy pose on Truth Social with this defiant message: ‘MUG SHOT – AUGUST 24, 2023, ELECTION INTERFERENCE, NEVER SURRENDER!’ Typing in capital letters, the equivalent of shouting, is a no-no in social media and on the internet in general. But not for The Donald who lives by his own rules.

The downside of Trump’s unrepentant ego was on full display in his September 10 debate with Democrat contender Kamala Harris. Time and again she baited him with prepared barbs. Trump could not curb his irritation and anger because his monumental ego and sense of self-worth appears to be simultaneously defiant and brittle. Unfortunately for his campaign, Trump’s patchy performance came at a time when the Democratic popular vote was gaining momentum in the aftermath of Harris replacing Biden as the party’s presidential nominee.

If Donald Trump loses to Kamala Harris on Election Day, November 5, it will constitute a personal humiliation for any number of reasons, not the least being that Harris is surely the weakest Democrat candidate for the White House in living memory, an exception being the cognitively challenged Joe Biden. She might have been California’s Attorney-General, a Senator for California and Vice President in the Biden administration since 2021, and yet even the most straightforward question on policy results in a meaningless ‘word salad’ response. Not all politicians are policy wonks, of course, but Kamala Harris’ lack of intellectual curiosity and all-round mental laziness are in a league of their own.

Harris is a product of America’s political system which, unlike a Westminster parliamentary democracy, does not draw its executive from the adversarial legislative branch of government. All of her presentations and opinions, even the ones she enunciated in the US Senate, were likely prepared by party apparatchiks or by the permanent state. She is not without talent or intelligence because (a) rising to the top of the American political system does happen by accident; (b) exuding personal charm and empathy (joyfulness) is a gift; and (c) convincingly reading from a teleprompter is a skill.

Nevertheless, Harris might be best described as cipher – a photogenic black and/or brown woman who effectively communicates the policies of America’s power elite. She can be or say whatever those ruling America today want her to do or say. She can be for or against securing America’s southern border, for or against the legalisation of marijuana, for or against taxing tips and so on ad infinitum. She may be against the NRA but carry a weapon herself. Most importantly, though, Harris asserts that she can save the United States from ‘America’s Hitler’ who thinks the KKK contains ‘fine people’ and attempted to stage a coup d’état on January 6, 2021. In short, the Big Lie comes easy to her.

Ironically, perhaps, J D Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, also believed – back in 2016 – that Trump was ‘America’s Hitler’. He changed his mind by 2020 after realising that anti-globalist conservative-populism, with its focus on (for instance) the plight of America’s working class and the necessity of securing the southern border and addressing China’s predatorial business practices, was an antidote to America’s decline. Vance, in his October 2 televised debate with Tim Walz, made all these points and more but with a civility and composure that would have eluded Trump – proof that a sensible conservative case can be argued without recourse to Trumpian hyperbole and ad hominem attacks.

If Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris on November 5, let us hope that his belligerent, albeit brittle, ego is assuaged by the sweetness of victory. Perhaps he will be inspired by Vance’s example of civility and composure to become the Unifier-in-Chief. Trump has already earned the love and loyalty of the MAGA crowd, partly because of his steadfastness after the two assassination attempts and all the lawfare waged against him, but there remains the challenge of winning over others – people who will not vote for him this election. Were there to be a Trump Redux, a unified United States achieved by the end of his second time at the Oval Office in 2029 really would be something to celebrate

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