Naked as a jaybird, the emperor proudly paraded his “new clothes” for all the people to admire. Completely intoxicated by his own ego, he insisted everyone congratulate him on his newly acquired look and while they knew he looked completely ridiculous, his loyal supporters accommodated his delusion.
Most likely, those of us witnessing the daily antics of Mr. Trump will never see another narcissist of his magnitude in our lifetimes. Perhaps in the beginning when he was throwing his hat in the ring you may have found his self-adulation and lack of decorum rather entertaining and humorous. I know I laughed, at least until it was clearly no longer a laughing matter.
His bodacious bragging and constant labeling of his opponents, his leaning down into the mike with his signature guttural growl exclaiming “wrong!” was so politically incorrect that some found his raw impulsivity refreshing. Unfortunately, that initial emotion morphed into something much more disturbing and dangerous.
As candidate Trump built up more confidence feeding off of his adoring crowds, he became more indulgent of his worst instincts. Funny taunts turned into demeaning put-downs with no target being off-limits from his mockery, not gold star parents mourning their son’s loss or a disabled reporter or anyone else who dared point out his untruths or his lack of human decency.
Most of us, who might have been initially amused for a moment, quit laughing early on and couldn’t believe what was unfolding before our eyes. The more he boasted and declared himself to be the most qualified human being ever to be nominated for the highest office in our land – the more we saw the power of his cultish manipulation take root in people’s hearts. If he said it, some in his base believed it and everything else was labeled as “fake news”, brilliant tactic for sure.
One of the most truthful declarations to ever come out of Trump’s mouth was based on his early observation of the people forming his base. Donald Trump claimed he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not “lose any voters.” While he was brandishing his twisted sense of humor, unfortunately as we all have seen – it was more prophetic than any of us could have ever guessed.
To his most ardent supporters, he is God’s chosen man, even if nothing in his demeanor and behavior is reflective of the beatitudes or the simplest of God’s commandments to love your neighbor as yourself. Today on my Facebook newsfeed a “friend” wrote “I love Donald Trump, he is the best President in the history of this country!” I suppose if one rates him on the power of persuasion and the mastery of manipulation, I would have to agree, definitely the best we’ve ever seen.
So, our country is being led by a narcissistic, egotistical, unmoored man who behaves more like a petulant toddler than a dignified emotionally balanced statesman.
But who is really to blame here for his unbridled impulsivity?
No one has been able to rein him in, but more truthfully, no one has been willing to put their political future on the line to unequivocally declare to the people, “Your emperor is naked!”
Over and over again, those elected to protect and serve our country through checks and balances have instead chosen to be complicit in his delusional narrative or to simply walk away biting their tongues.
Even when he gets caught lying directly to the camera and we all witness his “alternative facts” with our own ears and eyes – for fear of losing their job, they stick to Trump’s narrative . . .or else. Speaking truth to power apparently is a relic fit for the Smithsonian, because it is nowhere to be found in the hallowed halls of congress.
Narcissists like Trump are proficient at gaslighting. Essentially, a Gaslighter spins their negative, harmful or destructive words and actions in their favor, deflecting the blame for their abusive deeds and pointing the finger at you or anyone and everyone else but themselves. Sadly for our sakes, our Gaslighter in chief has too many sycophants willing to carry a can of fuel around for him to keep his bonfire burning.
So again I ask who is more to blame. One naked emperor who is so blinded by his own vanity he can’t see past his own ego or the many who are so willing to be complicit and prop him up.
At the end of the day, when all the fires Trump has started are merely smoldering embers . . . there will be plenty of blame to go around. I just hope our country will be able like a phoenix to rise from the ashes.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
Thank you for this article…I do not disagree with any comment you made. However, who has held the Democrats feet to the fire when they lie, push policies on the public that the public does not want, have no regard for negotiation…and are not willing to face what the consequences will be if they do negotiate. Just because the president is bombastic doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the goodness of this country at heart. The Main Street media thought it was a done deal with the election of 2016, and will not ever recover until The Emperor is out of office. One day he will be gone, as all former presidents have gone, and I fear for what the opposition will do with the country at that time. Heaven help us is all I can say.
Yes!! Totally agree. I have made this comparison several times when talking to my husband about this administration. “Oh my god! This is JUST like the Emperor’s new clothes! No one is willing to speak up and say how ridiculous this all is. It’s like everyone is committed to the lie of the alternate reality that is proposed, and they are too afraid to switch gears and just speak the naked truth.You are spot on.