Tr*mp Wants to Be a Strongman, but He's Actually a Weak Man

[usonian]

Opinion by
Jamelle Bouie

NYT. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/opinion/trump-los-angeles-ice-strongman.html
Archived at https://archive.is/DRBfz#selection-485.0-514.0

My opinion: Shortest of any you'll see in the press and on the internet:

Truly strong people lift others up.
Weak people try to cut others down to their size.

Jamelle Bouie

You’ll notice the president said nothing about lawful or unlawful protest, peaceful or violent. To him, any dissent is unacceptable. He does not believe that anyone has a right to challenge him. He is the nation’s boss, and it is our job to obey.

The White House clearly believes its actions are a show of strength, but again, they are not. The immediate recourse to repressive force; the inability to handle even modest opposition to its plans; the threats, bullying and overheated rhetoric — it betrays a sense of brittleness and insecurity.

Power, real power, rests on legitimacy and consent. A regime that has to deploy force at the first sign of dissent is a regime that does not actually believe it can wield power short of coercion and open threats of violence.

[walkingman]

1. He really is a small person. It amazes me the people that admire him.

[usonian]

2. He reflects their own weaknesses, fears and failures.

That's the intro chapter in the fascist playbook.

[haele]

3. As has been said before -

*Rump is a weak man's idea of a strong man,
A poor man's idea of a rich man,
An unaware idiot's idea of a smart man,
A criminal's idea of a great man ...

[Ping Tung]

4. Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is. Albert Camus

In Trump's case he has lived his whole life to be thought a "somebody" rather than the pathetic example of a human being who he really is.

[lame54]

5. He's on a timeline...

Deadline November 2026

[usonian]

6. Perhaps sooner. Here's the plan. Not an election, but a full-on coup. Second try.

It can and must be stopped through awareness, Sun-Tzu style.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220295160

But it won't be easy.

The Fascists’ Playbook
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/05/08/the-fascists-playbook/

10 Small Steps: Executing the Fascist Playbook
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-small-steps-executing-the-fascist-playbook_b_585dfec2e4b04d7df167cfab