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Trump is unprecedented, not just worse [1]

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Date: 2025-01-20

Our current (as of today, Jan 20, 2025) President has a number of failings in the eyes of most, if not all the readers of this site. It can be hard to choose which of his shortcomings is worse, and indeed, each of us probably has a different opinion on that matter. There exist legitimate and realistic concerns about his character, his lack of transparency concerning any financial issue, his mental health, his desire for sycophancy, his penchant for pettiness and vengeance, and his rather cavalier approach to the value of competency when running a government. But those are all common failings that make it so very difficult to focus on his worst characteristic.

In truth, the vast majority of every single political leader of our country has shared at least some of these problems. Therefore, castigating Trump for any of them paints him with the same brush that is used on everybody. It is too easy for his supporters to point to some action of another President or leader and simply use whatabout-ism. It doesn’t matter if the comparisons are wildly non-proportional. That they exist effectively normalizes his behavior. His behavior is NOT common or similar to any former President (excluding himself) and should not be treated as ‘even worse’. He displays one particular attribute that places him in a category of his own, shared by no former President, and very few World Leaders.

Donald Trump is, first and foremost, out for himself in every transaction. This is in sharp contrast to every former President this country has had. This is NOT to say that others haven’t been corrupt, or petty, or tyrannical, or incompetent. I think it is fair to say that ALL of them were at least one, if not all of those.

The difference is that each of them had a fundamental view of what this country SHOULD be. That was foremost in their planning and actions. They tried to push the country into whichever direction they thought was best. Their goal might have been reprehensible to some, they might have been incompetent while doing it, they might have made sure their friends/supporters were properly rewarded for helping, they might have made sure enough of the federal pig trough slop fell into their own pockets … but those were fringe benefits, not the ultimate goal.

Donald Trump considers the entire country to be his own personal piggy bank. Anything he can get away with, he deserves. People matter only if they’re producing something for him. His statements reflect only what he believes his audience wants to hear at that time and place. Reality simply doesn’t have any relevance. His policies change with his whim, and the only sure thing about anything he does is that it will be done poorly, with incredible resource drain, and no transparency into the funding.

Every single decision he will make is based on what he, personally, will get out of it. His cut may be self-aggrandizement, financial, owed favors, homage, or simply basking in the gratitude of those VERY few people whose opinion he fawns over. A decision will NEVER be made to do what he considers the best thing for the country. It may occur simply by coincidence, but that won’t be the reason it was done.

And that is why he is so dangerous and unprecedented.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/20/2298049/-Trump-is-unprecedented-not-just-worse?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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