This week made it tragically obvious that Trump is disgusted by his supporters

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The attack on the Capitol made so many of the ugliest parts of Donald Trump obvious even to people who pretended they didn’t exist. Of all of these personality “flaws” — as his former White House chief of staff John Kelly’s said in an interview — the one most likely to elicit schadenfreude is Trump’s clear contempt for his own supporters.

Perhaps you’ve seen this video from the rally before the violence on Wednesday. Trump and his entourage watch the crowd as they wait for the president’s speech while blasting the song “Gloria” — Donald Trump Jr. narrates, preening ecstatically. According to the Washington Post, this moment of triumph was bittersweet for Trump. While the always-camera-conscious president said he enjoyed the masses assembled to hear him talk, he was dismayed that his supporters in their costumes looked “low class.” This was no Brooks Brothers riot.

In a short speech the day after the terrorist attack on the Capitol, Trump did not apologize for inciting these individuals to insurrection. That would mean that he would actually have to take some responsibility. He did, however, sacrifice his loyal supporters to America’s anger, disavowing them and saying that they would be punished to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes.

Meanwhile, Trump’s lackeys in the media and in Washington tried to convince Americans that the attack was actually staged by antifa members disguised in MAGA hats and animal pelts, despite the FBI declaring that antifa wasn’t involved.

Trump only cares for his followers insofar as they adore him keep him rich, and do his bidding. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even bother to look at them while driving by in his limo. Most of them could never join Mar a Lago, or become regulars at one of Trump’s golf clubs. You won’t find most of these people having dinner at the now-shuttered 21 Club or being seated at black tie charity functions.

When he tells them he “loves them” and that “they’re special” like he did in a video following the insurrection, he’s just manipulating them. What’s more telling is what Trump does and says to his supporters when he’s under duress. According to reports, once Trump realized he could face legal consequences for inciting them to violence he denounced them. 

Trump has always been a fake populist and a fake patriot

Like so much of Trump’s behavior this contempt for his own is hardly shocking. Even though he raged against plutocrats during his political life, he’s never wanted anything more than to be one. In 2016 he ran for president to bolster his brand and to raise some money, not to actually do the work of the presidency. In an interview with MSNBC on Saturday Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said it was supposed to be “the greatest infomercial of all time.”

“Donald Trump doesn’t care about anyone but himself,” Cohen said emphatically in the interview. “Maybe if we say that enough his supporters will understand that Trump is setting them up …read more

Source:: Business Insider