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DM168 REFLECTION

Trump’s South African disciples

I have mentioned it before in this column, but let me say it again: Donald J Trump is a twin set of the world’s most precise IQ and EQ tests.
Branko Brkic
By Branko Brkic
19 Dec
Donald J. Trump on Constitutional Prayer in schools US President Donald J. Trump speaks with reporters during the Announcement of the Guidance on Constitutional Prayer in Public Schools in the the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 16 January 2020. (Photo: EPA-EFE/Yuri Gripas / POOL)

First published by Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper

If one can watch/listen to this not even very good conman for more than a minute without understanding what kind of industrial-strength depravity and faded, low-brow showmanship straight from the C-grade movies from the 1970s is being paraded here, then the IQ verdict is mid-double figures, plus-minus not much. Should you be in possession of a functioning brain, it is just impossible not to see how singularly deprived this man is of any redeeming qualities, a truly astonishing feat on the planet where even the epic scoundrels have some kind of emotional connection with another life form. (A KFC bucket and Diet Coke can cannot return adulation, so they don’t count.)

But if one can watch Trump, understand well who he is, and still support him, that right there is an ultimate EQ test failure. That means supporting literally every measure that was designed to harm humanity, to pollute/destroy the environment and condemn the world to irreversible climate change, to destabilise a planet in great need of cooling down, in every way. Like a true Bondian villain, Trump derives extraordinary pleasure in having his finger on the red button, in so many ways. His singular pursuit of personal gain is matched only by his disdain for science, decency and commitment to public service.

His hatred for Obama reveals just how little this man is when he’s alone with himself. His only true commitment during his presidency was to try his dumbest best to undo Obama’s legacy. A small example:

Many in America still relive their Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone dreams every hunting season by shooting everything wildlife that’s in their sights. For years, they were using lead bullets and often the vultures would feed on the carcasses and then die from lead poisoning. Obama did the right thing and banned the lead bullets, so the vultures do not die needlessly.

Trump reversed that order. He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He only cared about “owning" Obama and other “libtards". Make them sweat under their lefty socialist whatever. Dead vultures, who gives a f***? They are ugly anyway.

Trump proves that, when you have a hole in your heart, nothing can fill it.

The full list of his failures transcends any single column or book. His evil is just so multifaceted, his failures are so vast and the damage so incalculable.

And yet, he was voted for by almost 75 million people in the US and is adored by many millions more around the world. I do not agree with these US Trump supporters, but can understand why they are like that: life was tough on most of them for years, they were laughed at, and they thought burning everything might not be such a bad idea.

Still, what I struggle to understand are the bulging-eye angry Trump supporters … in South Africa. Look, it could be the pandemic, his orange hair or his obvious racism (shithole countries…) that attracts our local people in search for someone to hate; I have received a lot of their mails for months now.

Unlike in the US, these are mostly not down-and-out people whose worsening life circumstances drove them to open racism and hatred of the media. These are often well-heeled people who just happen to believe that Trump is the best president ever and, yes, we the media deserve to die every time we publish an unflattering article.

And that’s what’s really bugging me. These people should know better.

They should care about the world and be aware of the marching autocracies. They should be able to understand that it is not good if we keep denying the very existence of the global climate crisis. They ought to know that the world is not safer if America turns into an Idiocracy. They must understand that a humanity divided cannot stand.

And yet, in the gardens of the fancy restaurants, on the right-wing, racist WhatsApp groups, through the squalor of the social media, the latest insane YouTube videos and the all-caps mails, they keep denying objective reality, perhaps in an effort to out-dumb their god-emperor even as he is about to be hauled out of the White House.

I am genuinely puzzled by that.

At the end, if you are intending to send me another angry/threatening mail or message, just take a number and join the queue. It turns out, you’ve found the way to beat your loneliness – you’re one of the many Trump supporters on this end of the world. You should not be proud of it, though. History will not be kind to both Trump and you, the people he conned. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available for free to Pick n Pay Smart Shoppers at these Pick n Pay stores.

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Alan Salmon Dec 20, 2020, 07:32 AM

It is indeed a mystery how so many people can support a pathological liar who is a danger to our planet in so many ways. I have met a few Trump sympathisers in SA and they are surprisingly "normal" people - what do they see that I cannot see - how can they be so misguided ?? Anyway fortunately he is gone and I hope to never ever hear from drunk uncle again !

ian hurst Dec 20, 2020, 08:52 AM

Shame on Daily Maverick for posting such an unbalanced article. Trump indeed said some crazy things, but to describe him as "a not even very good conman" and to add other ludicrous epithets shows that the author has not taken the trouble to look at Trumps record. Look at his foreign policy: The Economist (no less) said that China had played previous Presidents for fools. Trump was quite right to come down heavily on China. Iran too has been a beneficiary of weak US policies. The North Korean threat was neutralized for a time - the best outcome possible. Unlike Obama, Trump did not start any wars, he tried to end the US's role as "world policeman" (look at past US foreign disasters to see the wisdom). On the domestic front: Before covid the economy was booming, thanks almost entirely to Trumps reduction of corporation tax to a level that allowed international companies to invest in the US. Unemployment was at a 30 year low, and African-American wages were the closest they have ever been to the average wage. Trump did stumble on abortion and the environment, but to classify him as a buffoon is to be guilty of being one oneself.

Johan Buys Dec 20, 2020, 10:54 AM

Are you for real? Under Trump China expanded its territorial waters at will and without fear. NATO was weakened. The Kurds got sacrificed to Trump’s buddies in Turkey and Syria. Russia expanded westward with military force without fear. Fascists everywhere loved Trump because he did nothing. He even alleged the Seals faked Bin Laden’s execution and called soldiers “losers”. On the economic front he inherited the longest bull market in history but cut taxes and added six trillion to the US deficit. Right now he is still claiming he did not lose the election and stokes dangerous fires. History will judge him a total disaster, a one-term loser.

ian hurst Dec 20, 2020, 12:02 PM

Thank you for pointing out China's aggression. All the more reason for Trump's sanctions.

Johan Buys Dec 20, 2020, 07:30 PM

So no comment on the losers or the seals or generally Trump chickening out of every confrontation that US values stood for until recently? Just - China is bad. The Kurds for example gave their everything for NATO in the hope that they would achieve nationhood. You will not find a more homegnous grouping spread over absurd arbitrary colonial borders than the Kurds.

Sydney Kaye Dec 20, 2020, 11:16 PM

I think his point was that Trump's actions against China were self defeating and a failure, for the very reason that he weakened the US's traditional allies. But that will be remedied now.

Rod MacLeod Dec 20, 2020, 11:38 AM

Not true, sir: GDP Trump best 3,3%, Obama 3,1% Trump worst: -32,1% Obama: -1,3% Stock market growth: Trump 1st term: 38 ,5% Obama: 71,7% Trump 2nd term: N/A Obama: 45,3% Let’s stick to the facts here. On unemployment, Obama started with 9,8% and ended with 4,9%, a 66% improvement. Trump started with 4,9% and will end with well over 12%. A fail.

ian hurst Dec 20, 2020, 11:59 AM

Trump had to deal with covid. This has skewed the unemployment figures, which would otherwise have been good. I do not count the Dow-Jones as an indicator. It is up now because Biden is likely to be a big spender.

Rod MacLeod Dec 20, 2020, 11:53 PM

Funny you should say that - because of all the indicators, Trump trumpeted most about unemployment and the stock market ...

JP K Dec 22, 2020, 09:14 AM

Here is some of Trump's record that highlights how dangerous he is. First, he has undermined the very functioning of the state. In Michael Lewis' book the fifth risk, he explains the functions of 3 government departments and how, under Trump, they were headed by business people who had no idea how these complex organisations function. These organisations, according to Lewis manage risk. Mismanagement therfore exposes Americans and the world to increased risk. What kind of risk? To take a single example, the Department of Energy has a person who has to worry about broken arrows - that is, nuclear bombs that become detached from planes and possibly detonate. That department was without a head for several months under Trump and there was no handover from the previous administration because there was no interest. Imagine starting your job without an induction. Now imagine doing it for a $31bn department when you have no experience of government. It should be self evident this is hard fathom and that a department that is responsible for amongst other things handling nuclear waste not running well is dangerous and highly problematic. More recently, the most concrete evidence of mishandled risk was the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What Lewis points out then, is that the president is essentially a risk manager. People may see Trump is incompetent (not all strangely) but they fail to appreciate how this incompetence might be a dangerous evil. The evil here, in case it's not clear is that it represents a callous disregard for life. Also, look at South Africa. When you gut a department and fill it with stooges and acolytes, it's not an easy thing to undo. Second. The polarisation of America appears to have accelerated under Trump. Another year of his presidency, in my view, would've been risky because of this. Scholars like Timothy Snyder and Jason Stanley in their books write about Trump and explain the methods of facists and the risks that Trump presented in this regard. They do not call him facist. However, Stanley notes "[Trump uses] the tropes of fascism and that is worrisome enough". Trump might not have started wars has America ever been so divided? Third, Trump has ushered in an era of unilaterism. He's withdrawn from the WHO, from the Paris Agreement from the Iran deal and so on thereby undermining global cooperation required to address the important challenges of global health, world security and environmental protection. Each of these is worth exploring in more detail. The withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, according to Ernest Moniz, is a "bad move", a "major strategic mistake" and "impairs the ability to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons". I.e. It is a move that increases the risk of nuclear war. As if it's even necessary to state this, this would be devastating for the planet and threaten human existence as we know it. And on to the next planetary level threat that increased under Trump. As if one was enough. Global warming is real and human caused and a threat to human existence as we know it. Trump however has called it a hoax and withdrawn from the Paris Agreement designed to coordinate a response to the problem. Whatever Trump's real views on climate change are his withdrawal again increases the likelihood that organised life on the planet will be put at risk. So when Noam Chomsky calls him "the worst criminal in human history" it is for these reasons. According to Chomsky, "Stalin was a monster. Was he trying to destroy organized human life on earth?". I don't think there's much that needs to be said about the consequences of withdrawal from WHO. So Trump might have had accomplishments - the White House has a list several pages long that includes noteworthy accomplishments like how he protected the washing machine industry with tariffs. But are we really that gullible? I guess so is the short answer.

Johan Botha Dec 20, 2020, 08:35 AM

Agreed, Branko. The local support for that self-serving thing is mind-boggling. There is an episode of the series "Dirty Money" on Trump. People should watch that, but I fear they would still not let facts get in the way of their mysterious obsession.

Johan Buys Dec 20, 2020, 08:50 AM

In our group there is a strong correlation (1) climate change deniers (2) covid conspiracists (3) Trump supporter (4) weird prejudices. It is as if most have a persecution complex yet are highly judgmental.

Andrew Johnson Dec 20, 2020, 10:17 AM

What Climate change are you discussing? the seasonal one that changes with the annual orbit of the Earth around the Sun, or the one that dear Greta has been told to tell you about by her Mom and Dad?

Johan Buys Dec 20, 2020, 03:28 PM

Andrew: I have long since given up trying to debate rational facts with climate change deniers. Facts don’t feature amid deniers. So sure : 99.99% of peer-reviewed research is wrong. Go ahead; move down wind from a coal power station or Secunda. Property is cheap and imagine how well your vegetable garden will do with all that plant-boosting free CO2

Glyn Morgan Dec 20, 2020, 09:18 AM

Great article Branko. So a lot, almost half of all Americans voted for the arch-buffoon, Trump. In South Africa more than half voted for that arch-buffoon party, the ANC. Dumbness is not a national possession, it is truly international.

Sydney Kaye Dec 20, 2020, 10:33 AM

Very strange. If our black government or President did or tried to do a tenth of what Trump did, his SA supporters would be the first to scream. I can only think lingering white supremecy is behind it. And to those, like Ian Hurst below, once you realise that everything he did was for his own personal benfit you will see his actions through a different lens. For instance the much vaunted "taking China on" policy ( which was an objective failure by the way) was initiated for two reasons. (1) a personal gripe because Xi would not throw him a bone to show a victory in his trade war flop, and (2) to detract from his protection of Putin. Enjoy this book. https://b-ok.africa/book/3593078/4cff33

User Dec 21, 2020, 07:00 PM

PRECISELY, Sydney. I remain astonished at the willful blindness of so many white South Africans, in South Africa & abroad. Trump is Zuma...somewhat constrained. The main difference? Zuma could, on occasion, actually sound intelligent. The harm he has done is to South Africa, a small country in Africa. The harm Trump has done to arguably the most important country in this fraught world, the US, & the concept of liberal democracies (not to mention the Earth...) will redound for generations. WT(expletive deleted).

Stephan Marais Dec 20, 2020, 10:35 AM

The prhase :'Many in America still relive their Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone dreams every hunting season by shooting everything wildlife that’s in their sights.' is just plain wrong. There are many strict laws regulating hunting in the U.S, and they are easy to find on the internet, so it is disappointing that Mr Brkic chose to include it on his article. I bet Mr Brkic would find the Boone and Crockett Club's position on climate change illuminating. Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are other bodies founded by hunters in the U.S that are heavily involved in habitat conservation. I really don't see how this article contributes to understanding between people with different viewpoints. Insulting people's IQs and EQs rarely bring them over to your point of view. I became a Maverick Insider because I wanted more in-depth journalism, I don't think this piece qualifies, I can find similar writing on Fox News, the only difference will be the angle of attack.

Richard Breytenbach Dec 20, 2020, 02:19 PM

Thank you Stephan. Your comment on hunting laws in the US is correct. I read Mr Brkic's piece with great distaste - it comes over simply as a 'spewing forth of bile' driven by personal hatred. In this time, such emotional rants deliver nothing of value and simply polarise discussion. I see that this tone has drawn out others who have similar 'Us vs Them' opinions - amongst the comments, Mark Salter apparently believes that all who are 'attracted to' Trump are racist, class-superior, isolationist, greedy self-promoters; not sure who, then, is being spoken of here since, except for the 'libertarian' bit (swap that for Stalinist/Marxist), this pretty much also describes our ruling criminal enterprise. In any event, I would have far preferred a more rational, thoughtful and honest piece from DM and Mr Brkic. Richard Poplak's often controversial and expletive-filled pieces are way more insightful and far more useful.

Johan Buys Dec 20, 2020, 06:15 PM

Very valid points. Something that has often puzzled me is the contradictions in the US. Stereotype Republican is the outdoors-man. Yet, Republicans are as a party anti-renewables. Trump is desperately trying to auction off Alaska Reserve to his donors for oil & gas before his miserable one-term-presidency ends. I made good money betting by how many electoral votes Trump would lose. Next bet : Trump will not find the grace to attend Biden’s inauguration. The man is a very sad reflection of Republican values. Even worse is the disappointment in Louis Giuliani. He turned into a sad joke with mascara running down his face.

byrongibby Dec 21, 2020, 11:11 AM

Well said.

Mark Salter Dec 20, 2020, 10:56 AM

The reason for Trump's attraction for some South Africans, I believe, is the fact that he espouses all the things they hold dear: racism, superiority of class, isolationism bred from years of apartheid, greed, self-promotion, libertarianism. What I fail to understand is why they see MAGA as so important, because under MAGA, Africa doesn't even feature. They will gain nothing from an isolationist US, and much to lose. They fail to understand that the US was a world leader and 'policeman' because they could be; they were the only country powerful and rich enough to stand up to the superpowers; all of which Trump has surrendered (we won't even speculate whether Russia indeed has some interesting DVDs). His decision to withdrawn from Syria, made on the White House lawn, with even informing his Defence Secretary (and which led to his resignation) is an example of his egregious stupidity; but most of all, his litany of lies should surely put off all right-thinking people. Ah. Nailed-it. right-thinking people (and right as in 'just', 'fair', 'reasonable', not politically). I was once asked if I would give Trump credit for anything. I would. He has at least exposed the massive element of racist fascists within the US.

User Dec 21, 2020, 07:10 PM

Mr Salter. Calling Trump stupid gives him an out. True 'stupidity' is a disability. His actions are all the more egregious, because they stem from brute (willful) ignorance, which makes him culpable. And, of course, the blind, Aryan-like belief in American Exceptionalism...whatever that may mean...which has it's equivalence in 'white' South Africa.

Paddy Ross Dec 20, 2020, 11:21 AM

Other than bordering on understatement, an excellent article, Branko. Whatever has happened to Africa's ubuntu?

Bryan Shepstone Dec 20, 2020, 12:00 PM

Hear, hear. Full marks Branko, I have wondered the same many times. All I can imagine is that people are so wrapped up in their victim-hood of 'the little guy always gets screwed' that they buy into the bully's rhetoric? Thanks to Trump we'll soon find out what it is like living under China as the World's policeman... ?

ian hurst Dec 20, 2020, 12:24 PM

In all the anti-Trump posts I can find only name-calling: "bulging-eyed supporters" "industrial strength depravity". Not the basis for rational discussion. The main article cites only one of Trumps policies - the lead/steel shot one. Surely Daily Maverick could publish a more insightful article, even if it comes out against Trump. He was not the "greatest President ever" but he does not deserve the opprobrium handed out.

Scott Gordon Dec 20, 2020, 02:26 PM

In your first paragraph , you could have been talking about JZ ! Again , 75 million voted for him , here the ANC keeps getting elected ! Sure , DT can be a fruit loop , yet you knew where you stood /or didnt ! Was he perfect ? No way . Enter JB , we complain about elder statesmen ! And more Dominion voting machines for swing states which Trump won . JB still feigns ignorance of his son's activities , when he was clearly part of them , trips to Ukraine . 'He is a good son ' Amazing that the 'investigations ' into Hunter were 'delayed' after the election . So as to 'avoid confusion' , during the election period . So as far as you are concerned , anyone wanting DT not JB is a racist , you are not worth the letter ! We watched JZ get dragged from office after several 'impeachment' attempts . Yes , climate change has happened since the earth formed . Nothing we can do about that . Same as if the earth changes polarity again ! So we do nothing ? Keep burning fossil fuels and killing those in the direct area ? Escom ! It is the rate of change that is scary . If JB goes soft on the CCP , we are all stuffed ! They play the long game , see how the next 10-20 years pan out !

Rod MacLeod Dec 21, 2020, 12:02 AM

Oh dear. Not the Dominion vote switcher theory again. Not even Mitch McConnell buys that one.

User Dec 21, 2020, 07:25 PM

...and let's wait for the multiple lawsuits filed by Dominion. It's one thing to spout off halfcocked on social media (a free-for-all) about crazy 'Hugo Chavez'-theories, but quite another to defend oneself in a court. (Kind of like Trump and his band of nutters have seen in their 50+ to 1 lawsuit loss rate...) I think many entities are going to be paying serious dollars to Dominion!

Sandra Goldberg Dec 20, 2020, 02:37 PM

What I find so extraordinary about Trump is his absolute and complete lack of empathy- he has no feeling of compassion at all- what an indictment on democratic processes!

Nic Tsangarakis Dec 21, 2020, 12:19 AM

100% agree Branko. By any objective measure he falls significantly short of human decency standards. So rest assured, there will be no hate mail from me!

Michelle Kuttel Dec 21, 2020, 07:04 AM

This is an appalling article: any vestige of rational argument, never mind objectivity, is swamped by the excesses of bile, vitriol and playground-level name calling. Sad.

Johan Buys Dec 21, 2020, 08:02 AM

Michelle: be fair, at least he didn’t call Trump a One-Term LOSER ;)

Paddy Ross Dec 21, 2020, 02:23 PM

Trump is the archetypal loser - can't accept that he has lost.

Dries van der Colff Dec 21, 2020, 12:16 PM

Amongst the South Africa Trump supporters I know personally, there is a very high correlation between supporting Trump and holding racist views. It's not that these people don't see Trump for what he is, it is rather an all too familiar case of "my enemy's enemy is my friend no matter what" where the common enemy in this case is Black and Brown people.

lyn.small Dec 21, 2020, 02:26 PM

Good job BB - certainly ellicited lots of responses. Best that crazy people not be elected as presidents. I too battle with folks at home here that I love dearly, who blindly support dt - he has a good heart, they say. Drives me moggy and I'm trying hard not to mention the religious basis for some their support !! https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/trump-losing-his-mind/617446/

User Dec 21, 2020, 07:27 PM

Trump's heart is black as coal. He cares ONLY about himself. It's crystal clear in his behaviour. Always!

User Dec 21, 2020, 06:24 PM

Thanks Branko. Perfectly put!!

Jacques Dec 23, 2020, 12:52 PM

At last someone taking on the trump tendency amongst South Africans - what defines their supporters are conspiracy theories - imagined enemies conspiring to harm them: elites, liberals, communists and scientists. Trump supporters play victim card with distinction