Trump’s Projection Of Strength After Assassination Attempt Borrows From Authoritarian Playbook

[califdemdreamer]

Where was that strength when he was asked to serve his country? Oh yeah, bone spurs …

[jkrogman]

There’s the beef.

[daveminnj]

A combination of practice and spontaneity. Have enough flags, there will be a flag to be part of the composition.

Remember in 2020 when Trump had the streets cleaned out of protestors and did that thing with the Bible and how aggressively staged (i.e contrived)
it looked? He’s had 4 years to practice his poses, so the power salute is now 2nd nature to the point of being instinctive.
100 monkeys at 100 typewriters for 100 years.

[dangnewt]

There are a couple of reasons Trump hasn’t gotten the bounce from the shooing that he had hoped for:

1. It wasn’t an enemy taking the shot.
2. The injury was slight.
3. Partly because of 1 and 2, the main story is the failure of the Secret Service.
4. It was more a display of luck than strength.
5. Trump’s insistence on having outdoor events despite Secret Service objections highlights his poor judgment and cheapness - first to his supporters who get dehydrated and to himself and his supporters who are at higher risk of getting shot.

[llwillis]

@zenicetus

On the other hand, he doesn’t really project strength the way authoritarians have done in the past when he speaks in front of a rally crowd.

Trump is a figurehead, a puppet. He is backed by enablers and strategists (Project 2025) who will continue to pull the strings as long as he can stand up and string together a sentence in public. His mental deterioration will be covered up as long as possible, then he will be replaced with a JD Vance and his government newly purged of the disloyal.

[daveminnj]

The sale of commemorative t-shirts and knick-knacks within less than a week
might have cheapened things a bit, too.

[dangnewt]

Very true. Trump is a con man at his core.

[philmore]

@lizzymom

died within 2 days of each other (Mussolini on 28 April 1945 and Hitler on 30th) so I doubt that Hitler saw photos. He probably heard about Mussolini, but not even sure of that because Berlin was under siege.

ETA: checked it out and he

Approximately ten days before his suicide, Hitler declared he would do as such, and resisted trying a breakout.

[daveminnj]

Never come between a grifter and his grift.

[gr]

@zenicetus

It’s not the vocally powerful delivery of a Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin

We know that Hitler at least took elocution lessons, spoke before mirrors, had a voice coach.

[gr]

@daveminnj

100 monkeys at 100 typewriters for 100 years.

Infinite monkeys, infinite typewriters, infinite years, eh voila! Hamlet!

[gr]

As I fiddle with this, the talking heads on TV are argueing weather Trump is a racist yada, yada yada.

If he becomes POTUS, it will be autocracy full blown with full immunity. Arrest, kill, shoot anybody who crosses him. Remember, if H8 said “Off with his head,” then somebody removed the guy’s head. Or boil 'em in oil as he did to one poor bastard.