This "fan service" dimension of Trump, where he's focused on keeping the most extreme elements of his coalition happy because he knows the others will accept whatever he does, is what lay behind the "right wing ratchet" effect discussed in this thread from last fall. bsky.app/profile/seth...
Robert Paxton discusses continual radicalisation as a distinctive feature of fascism in Chapter 6 of "The Anatomy of Fascism":
Needless to say, it is the conspiracy-saturated element of Trump's political persuasion that his most avid fans find most compelling. We must root out the Communist deep state vermin seeking to destroy America, like...the CDC vaccine head, USAID, Lisa Ford, etc. rightlandia.ghost.io/its-funny-un...
I remember back in 2014-2015 ish when a woman near me said she'd like to see T run because he's entertaining. Like WTF?
As I wrote in that March 2024 piece..."Absurdist lies + power = Authoritarian terror." "DC crime is out of control & we're being invaded "(absurdist lies) + $45 billion for masked goons & concentration camps (power) = authoritarian terror (our present moment). Trump's fans are LOVING this.
Remember Hulk Hogan's absurd introduction of Trump at the 2024 RNC? The most commonly used phrase in that speech was "real Americans." You, Trump's hardcore fans, are the only "real Americans." The other people are our enemies who must be crushed. That was not a distraction. youtu.be/MO1zhWze2J4?...
dude dropped dead a year later lol
Trump's fan service is not a distraction from something more real, it is the essence of the political culture he's built & installed into the hardware & software of the Republican Party. This is why his fans don't know much or care about policy. They want action. They want their fantasies fulfilled.
It's important to note that Trump has surrounded himself with sycophantic, conspiracy-obsessed fans since his first term. This is not new. One of his Mar-a-Lago golfing pals back in 2017-18 was a far right meme obsessed Florida doctor. bsky.app/profile/seth...
Oh yes, one of many far right meme obsessed Florida doctors, I'm afraid.
Do we think this outlasts Trump? Are there others they will follow so blindly?
Depends on the economy, I think, and all indicators are baaaaad.
It doesn’t matter. Vance has the billionaires. They’ll just wield power and enact their plans without seeking - or needing - the cheering crowds.
He still has to win an election. People can’t stand him.
I think it’s important to not underestimate their plans, or the protections and powers this congress and SCOTUS have put in place for the chief executive.
I think the 'maximum' version of this exists with Trump at the helm, but these people were here before Trump and will be there after. The future of their power really depends on how people weild political power to make these people accountable for their present and future damage to our society.
Constituent service is pretty boring, though very important (esp. if you need it). Fan service delivers little of material use, but is very emotionally satisfying. It makes you feel like you're participating in a world historical movement to save the country from "them." bsky.app/profile/seth...
"Them" is that special touch. "They."
To be clear, Trump has not just rank-and-file fans (who get little of material benefit from what he's doing) but also a small cadre of real constituents (who are his fellow corrupt billionaires & the grifter hangers-on) who are profiting mightily from this admin www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Confederacy of Grifters led by the Grifter-in-Chief.
Yup!
Most of his fans get the "wages of whiteness", while the billionaires and sycophantic grifters get real money.
I will just end this thread on the nature of Trumpian fandom with this anecdote about the first time I ever saw a Trump 2016 flag. bsky.app/profile/seth...
Looks a lot like the Keizer house I grew up in, but a left-right mirror image. Lotta houses like that there.
Lauren Bis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations, chuckles fascistically when she says "actual U.S. citizens." We cannot get numb to it.
Trump’s first campaign rally in March 2023 sent a strong signal. In two years, the country slow-walked into fascism. "In an extraordinary display, Trump opened his rally by playing a song, ‘Justice for All,’ that features a choir of men imprisoned for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection…"