93 Minutes of Collective Hallucination, Hate, and Dishonesty

Donald Trump’s 93-minute nomination speech was a disjointed stream-of-consciousness that revealed, once again, how scary the former MAGA president’s subconscious really is.  The whispery-to-hoarse speech began and ended with Trump’s self-proclaimed martyrdom and veneration.  The crowd, trance-like, lapped that up, in some sort of suspended political ecstasy, with the rational brain completely turned off.  The dopamine fixing was observable.  

But in other telling moments, panning cameras would also capture blank faces, drooping eyelids, and dazed confusion, as the former MAGA president bounced from topic to topic without any connection and droned on and on, seemingly with no end in sight.  

The speech, said to be rewritten to emphasize unity, included head feints to rein in the rhetoric and come together.  But these totaled a “blink and you’ll miss it” handful of words, a tiny fig leaf compared to the grievance and doomsday descriptions that dominated the speech, buffeted by Trump’s play-acting as the “only one who can save the world” hero schtick. Topics arrived on the random setting of Trump’s well-worn and very tired rally play list, which either played out at an indecipherable chipmunked speed, or at other times, like a 45 playing at 33.  

“Drill baby drill” was back in all its glory, ignoring the reality that under President Biden, the United States has produced more oil and approved more oil and gas permits than during Trump’s administration.  He also brought back the old racist classic, “the China virus.”  In an “I know what’s best for you” moment that out of any other candidate’s mouth would end their political careers, Trump told autoworkers that they should be ashamed and fire their union leader.  He called America a dumping ground and stupid.  He lied again and again about taxes, immigration, and crime.  Sharks and Hannibal Lecter again made appearances.  He praised authoritarian Victor Orban and made bizarre and vague references to conversations he appeared to claim had been had with the President of El Salvador and other countries.  

In the “count-em-on-one-hand” moments of seeming lucidity, the cult leader would make reference to something that may have at one time been tethered to fact or reality, but upon entering the strange hellscape that is DJT’s mind and exiting his pursed lips, became indecipherable as a statement of fact, let alone a true one.  That said, one statement was both clear and true:  addressing the Wisconsin delegation, the MAGA leader told them, “I’m trying to buy your vote” with federal military contracts.  That, it seems, is highly likely to be true.

Perhaps the scariest moment was when the MAGA cult leader offered a casual aside about Russian nuclear warships and submarines in Cuban waters, which “the press won’t talk about.”  Traditionally, the Presidential nominee receives national security briefings.  Given Trump’s coronation as the Republican nominee months ago, is it possible he just blurted out national security secrets?  

But what shone through in all its horrifying glory was this: his supporters have convinced themselves that as soon as DJT is sworn into office a second time, all problems will magically disappear, world peace will manifest, and riches, happiness, and the best of times will be bestowed upon them by a beneficent leader that cares only about their well-being.  Of course, every moment of Donald Trump’s life and every action and policy that he undertook as president tell us the exact opposite.  

But my biggest takeaway: Donald Trump is beatable.  Very beatable.