So much has happened so quickly in a surprising presidential race
By Chris Honoré
I am certain that over the coming decades and beyond, scholars and journalists will study this divisive period which, I would judge, began with the 2016 grievance-saturated election to the presidency of faux populist Donald Trump.
They will ponder and research events that led to a campaign slogan that soon morphed into a Trumpian cult of personality, a tribe that reaches beyond politics and is now an acronym referred to as MAGA.
Historians will discover that Trump was, initially, famous for being famous, a tabloid celebrity, a game show host who was rich because he said he was, a fabulist ever prepared to explain “The Art of the Deal” while selling his myth of quick wealth, which included a fraudulent university.
When the gilded brand TRUMP went national he moved to stage center, and in 2015 announced his presidential aspirations and candidacy, becoming his own apprentice. The media could not look away (nor could I). The Fourth Estate devoted endless copy and screen time to the man and his coarse platform, which debuted with the ad hominem Republican primary, followed by a “Mexico will pay for the wall” scapegoating campaign, the infamous “Access Hollywood” taped revelations, and finally an improbable, almost surreal Electoral College win after he lost the popular vote. His change of address was the White House. It was reported that he called his new digs a “fixer-upper.”
I assume that historians will wonder if the voters fully comprehended what they had set in motion. Was he the authoritarian they and the Republican Party had been waiting for?
Trump’s administration soon proved to be a kite in a hurricane, or, in the alternative, a perpetual “witch hunt,” his narcissistic victimization soon becoming a term of art.
His concluding months in office (beginning December 2019), were framed by a once-in-a-century pandemic about which he reflexively dissembled, on occasion relying on magical thinking, even suggesting injecting a disinfectant or light as a prophylactic/cure. More than a million Americans died amid a swirl of anti-vax, anti-mask disinformation. The depth of the grief and loss is even now unimaginable.
Trump’s 2020 presidential loss to Joe Biden, and the months leading up to his exiting the White House were likely filled with angry denial and fevered thought of conspiratorial election fraud. His wake of retribution was made manifest Jan. 6, 2021, when he incited a mob, telling them to go to the Capitol and fight. Simultaneously, a scheme was in play, devised by Trump and his Republican allies and officials in seven states, to subvert the will of the people by submitting fraudulent certificates of ascertainment to Mike Pence with the intent that he would count those certificates instead of the authentic certificates. In other words, it was an elaborate, seditious coup attempt and a rejection of the peaceful transfer of power.
Failing that effort, and now ensconced in Mar a Lago, he and his lawyers, set in motion the MAGA mantra “Stop the Steal,” submitting court challenges while questioning the legitimacy of the vote and Biden’s presidency.
I share all of the above, much of it undoubtedly familiar, only to say that the unprecedented 2024 presidential campaigns between Kamala Harris and Trump will be one of stark contrasts.
I understand that the Republican convention, now behind us, was not must-see television at any hour, although the theatrical, shirt-tearing performance by Hulk Hogan, body-slammer extraordinaire, would have been jarringly unexpected at any political convention, red hats or no. But Trump’s 90-minute nomination acceptance speech, if you missed it, is still worth finding. Beginning with a somber retelling of a near-miss assassination attempt, his right ear bandaged, he soon fell into a familiar series of elliptical non sequiturs, including a strange reference to the novel “The Silence of the Lambs” and its antagonist, Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated psychopath.
During the next few months, which will include a Democratic convention, we will have an opportunity to come to know Vice President Kamala Harris as an individual and as a possible president. She will, of course, speak at the convention, share her vision for the nation, visit countless states, hold rallies and engage in media interviews. We know that time is of the essence.
Regarding President Biden’s answering the knock on the door: I can only imagine how difficult it was for the president to come to the conclusion he should step away not only from his campaign but the prospect of a second term and thereby relinquish the opportunity to finish what he judged still needs to be done. By the judgment of historians his has been an extraordinary presidency, his accomplishments beyond expectations.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that his was not only a remarkable decision, but selfless, one in which he put country first. Since he endorsed Harris she has revealed herself to be deeply accomplished, she and faces the journey ahead with integrity, commitment, love of country and a sense of genuine joy.
One last comment: Biden, having spent his life in service to his country, peerless in his decency and character, was forced to contend with a reality from which none of us can escape: the passage of time. He had grown old, and this high-stakes moment, with our Democracy threatened, called for more than he could physically give.
Regarding the voters, may we choose wisely.
Email Ashland resident Chris Honoré at [email protected].
