Donald Trump had been cruising toward what increasingly seemed might be a return to the White House. However, with Joe Biden’s withdrawal, Trump now faces a formidable adversary: a much younger woman, skilled at debating, and more vigorous.
Kamala Harris instantly ignited enthusiasm among listless and worried Democrats.
She excited independents who were concerned about individual liberty, and fearful of Trump’s promises of an authoritarian regime. Harris also created a political lifeline for roughly one in five Republicans who are Never Trumpers.
Worst of all for Trump, Harris is seen by many as heroic, as someone who can pull America out of the divisive Trump politics built on fear, hate, intolerance, misogyny, racism, retribution, and revenge.
Trump promises mass roundups, prosecutions of his enemies, and pardons for insurrectionists — and others — who committed crimes on his behalf.
Should voters return Trump to the White House, I would not be the least bit surprised if, immediately after taking the oath of office, he points to Biden, Harris and others, and orders the military to arrest them. After all, under the recent Supreme Court ruling, he is immune from any official act.
In contrast, Harris promises a new era focused on ennobling the human spirit, the ideal articulated in the preamble to our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence from a tyrannical British king. Harris pledges to work for a better tomorrow and to build on what America enjoys right now: the most robust, most vibrant economy in the world.
Instead of facing off against an aging president with tremendous economic accomplishments but zero charisma, Trump now faces an experienced prosecutor with style, flair and courtroom experience, making a case against criminals who deny their crimes. Suddenly, it’s a real and fair fight, although House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said his party will try to keep Harris off the ballot in some states, and keep her from spending money Biden raised. Those are both legal losers, by the way.
Harris instantly rescued her party from the political doldrums. Instead of drifting, Democrats suddenly have a purpose, and see an opportunity with an exciting candidate.
Think of this abrupt change Sunday as the political version of Dinah Washington’s romantic song What A Difference A Day Makes.
In just 24 little hours, Harris hauled in not only the widely reported $81 million — an astonishing achievement — but in total almost three times that much, according to theNew York Daily News. It reported that Harris raised $231 million in cash and pledges, including a $150 million “money bomb” from big donors.
Not only are the campaign money spigots wide open, but Harris can more than reasonably expect the flood of greenbacks to continue over the next three months, unless she makes some colossal blunder.
Also revealing was a Zoom call among Black women in politics. The organizers expected hundreds of women, but 44,000 logged on Sunday instead. The size of the audience overwhelmed Zoom, with some people reporting that they had lost their connection.
The Internet is alive with positive comments by both men and women about restoring women’s right to control their bodies rather than be forced to submit to a Trumpian government, not unlike what Margaret Atwood portrayed in her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale.
For Trump, this is an unmitigated disaster. (It’s also terrible news for those who feed off Trump by selling anti-Biden caps, shirts and paraphernalia. Don’t you feel sad for them?)
Should Harris win both the popular vote — which is virtually assured — and the Electoral College vote, Trump will be utterly humiliated.
From Trump’s perspective, it’s one humiliation to lose to Joe Biden, a white man. That was so painful that Trump tried to overthrow our government.
Imagine the humiliation Trump will feel if he loses to not just a woman, but a woman of color, half Black and half East Indian. To Trump, that would be far more humiliating than his fragile ego can handle. He lacks the psychological strength to deal with what now seems the likely outcome of the November election.
He constantly lies that the 2020 election was stolen, even claiming he won all 50 states.
Harris is sure to hammer home that in five dozen court cases, Team Trump couldn’t produce a scintilla of evidence of wrongdoing. Trump has told this big lie so often, and has so many acolytes repeating it, that tens of millions of Americans believe this nonsense — even though Republican election officials and governors certified Biden’s victory.
Harris has the skill to weaken and perhaps destroy this facade of bald-faced lies. And she will undoubtedly go after Trump’s nonsense claims that his economy was better — it was below the post-World War II average — and that he created more jobs than Biden. In actuality, Trump lost jobs, while a record 15 million jobs have been added under Biden.
Trump also showed how he was scared, even terrified, within hours after Biden withdrew and endorsed Harris by pulling out of the September presidential debate.
On Sunday, Trump declared he won’t debate unless it’s Biden.
The fact is, Donald’s afraid to debate a woman.
Trump brags about sexual assaults, is a rapist under New York law, and paid off porn star Stormy Daniels over their less than one-minute encounter to corrupt the 2016 election. That last crime is why he is a felon with 34 convictions.
Emotionally, Trump has been trapped his entire life in confused junior high school boy emotions. He likes women — so long as they are subservient to him.
Women who stand up to him are vilified, called “dogs,” “fat pigs,” “ugly,” and many vile words, all of which are accentuated in Trump’s hateful mind when the person standing up to him is a woman of color.
A rude story that’s circulated for decades among Trump’s executives and casino competitors goes to his extreme selfishness, sinful lust for money and complete lack of regard for anyone else, even his wives and children.
The story goes that Trump is alone in an elevator. A gorgeous woman steps in, drops to her knees and offers oral sex.
Trump’s reply: “What’s in it for me?”
Trump’s total self-absorption contrasts with Biden’s focus on reviving the economy, reaching out to distressed people and ending his campaign. Harris promises to continue that.
In Harris, Trump faces someone who knows how to get under his skin. Harris knows how effective it is to mock Trump, to belittle his self-aggrandizing, to counter his lies that the economy is in shambles when it’s the strongest in the world.
Jekyll and Hyde
If Harris does it just right, she will make Trump so apoplectic, that his inner Edward Hyde will come out from under the orange facial makeup of this modern Dr. Henry Jekyll.
While Trump poses as a strong man, inside, he is still that scared 13-year-old boy who daddy sent off to a military academy known for physically and sexually humiliating newcomers.
Trump’s life has been a nightmare version of Groundhog Day. But instead of making himself over into a decent and talented human being, as the character played by Bill Murray did, Trump chose to become a con man. He has enjoyed extraordinary success, bluffing his way through business deals and politics, knowing all the time that there is no substance inside him, only the empty vessel he tries to fill with money and applause.
But that was his choice. He chose how to deal with his tyrannical father and cold, distant mother.
Be glad you are not Donald Trump. It is better to pity him and mock his pathetic and often juvenile behavior.
Insurrection Redux
Trump made clear, while Biden was still in the race, that unless he wins, we should expect another insurrection — even a civil war.
“The most important day in the history of our country is going to be November 5,” Trump told Fox’s Brian Kilmeade in March. “Our country is going bad. And it’s going to be changed on November 5, and if it’s not changed we’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Those last quoted words show how entirely self-centered Donald Trump is. In his mind, America is not a country with multiple viewpoints among people who go to the ballot box to choose who will represent them and shape our destiny. To Donald, it’s his country. He even refers to “his people,” and it’s all about just one thing: Donald Trump.
Don’t forget that.
David Cay Johnston, a former columnist for The National Memo, co-founded DCReport. He is a best-selling author, investigative journalist and former reporter for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001. He teaches law and journalism at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Reprinted with permission from DC Report.
