Ego Tripped

By Thomas Lamia

By now much of the civilized world has had enough exposure to the singular personality and related odd behavior of President Donald Trump to conclude that something very wrong is afoot in this latter day cradle of democracy. It all started with real estate, spread to a football team, an airline, gambling establishments, Page Six, John Barron, Howard Stern, Roy Cohn bankruptcies and a smooth slide into television fame using his own name and a reasonably accurate simulacrum of himself and his career. Politics and deals were always involved because that was the name of the game in New York.

His path has not been easy or predictable, but his lever to participation in the high stakes ventures of real estate, gambling and leveraged takeovers has been his likeability in the role of pirate cum mob boss and his credibility as a survivor. The story is well known. It applies both to his pre- and post-election careers. Unbridled self-confidence, self-reliance and blissful ignorance of boundaries have protected and fueled his successes. His base qualities are a brash style wrapped tightly in a self-centered, egocentric, narcissistic self-image. None of his failures have broken through that protective shell. He will not abandon it now because he believes in it. He appears to have no backup strategy for the electoral fix he now is in.

The sheer grandiosity of the climb has been staggering ─ the chutzpah unsurpassed even among the best climbers and schmoozers in the capital city of fame and reward. But the height of the climb brings commensurate danger for a fall. What may he now do to avoid it?

His ego driven self-regard, risk tolerance and history of rebounds from disaster are part of the package that has brought him through a forest of challenges to the White House TWICE in a span of 12 years. Of course, in his telling, it has been three times as he somewhat casually sets aside his loss in 2020 as the result of fraud, unsupported by any facts. His appointees to high office have had to testify, under oath, to their qualifications for the posts. It is a charade; both questioner and witness await the question: “Who won the 2020 presidential election?” When it comes, the response is torturous language gymnastics as the witness struggles for an answer that is neither “Joe Biden” nor ”Donald Trump” and is not perjurious. Their status as nominees appears to hinge on a loyalty to Trump that requires belief that Trump did not lose the 2020 election. Being disingenuous out of blind loyalty is apparently expected as the price of nomination and confirmation by a Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump’s ego has brought him to a point where he and his Republican party must rely on blatant lies to maintain their controlling roles in government. These untruths are ego driven. He knows the truth, but his ego prevents him from acknowledging it. He has tripped over his ego in his effort to rule rather than govern.

Now, jump to this moment of mid-term elections and the vote counting that comes with it. Has Trump’s extraordinary hold on American attention reached an end or has it simply come to a decision point? It is reasonably certain that he will not stand for election again, he is term-limited and his performance in office has diluted his voter support. Nevertheless, as in the past, he is down but not out. There is a path for him to emerge with support from enough true believers to once again occupy center stage.

What is being said of him in the press and the polls does present a slippery platform from which to emerge from a poor showing in the mid-terms with his leadership intact. He may have lost the support of those who like his style and are willing to forgive his inadequacies as a national leader and he does face two years of lame duck status. But, he can still avoid irrelevancy and rejection by making an unexpected about-face from authoritarianism and regal pretensions. He could abandon his Justice Department retribution campaign, ditch the vanity projects, Putin-worship and pardon abuses, work with Congress and the courts as constitutional partners, restore the Cabinet as a consultative body, and enlist expert unconflicted advisers to deal effectively with the avalanche of military, economic and moral collapse that now surrounds him. Unfortunately, this path seems beyond his capabilities as well as anathema to his character. It could be a lifeline but not a realistic choice.

When the casinos, hotels and office towers gave way to golf courses and a television show, he was in his element. He had a public megaphone, a small, loyal staff and the trappings of celebrity success to shield him from business bankruptcies, IRS claims and lender hostility. At the end of his presidency, he would have a platform for resurrection. His persona has grown beyond any of the despotic historical figures he so often cites as his predecessors in amassing power and imposing fear. His wealth however corruptly gained, would surpass all but a few others. He could go quietly into the sunset with his ego intact and his comfort assured. That is what he could do. But, instead, he is likely to choose to work to burnish his legacy.

He is extraordinarily good at avoiding the appearance of failure. Between now and 2028, and thereafter if he is no longer president, we should expect him to seek further fortune, financially and reputationally, using his wealth, star power and political base to discredit those who succeed him, whether Democrat or Republican. He will expect the recognition and honors due a transcendental, dominant historical figure. When he does not receive his due, he will seek to shame and dishonor his successors for their trespass on his legacy.

When Trump was running for president in 2016 he famously said he was so popular that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it (a fancied privilege). Now he may believe that in the future he can defame his successors and be immune from any penalty (a fancied immunity).