Donald Trump took over the Republican Party by being, for lack of a better word, mean. He taunted his fellow GOP opponents. He gave people unflattering nicknames, usually with alliteration or rhymes (or both). He called Ted Cruz’s wife “ugly” and accused his dad of assassinating JFK. But as with any bully, it appears Trump can’t really take it when the tables are turned.
On Tuesday, the former president unleashed a torrent of posts (or “truths”) on Truth Social. It was a throw-everything-at-the-wall marathon. He shared memes of, shall we say, dubious accuracy. He spread lies about voter fraud. In one post, he suggested his supporters lay down their lives for him. Buried in the avalanche was one a moment of reflection.
This is a 100% real post from Donald Trump and I can’t stop laughing pic.twitter.com/MoTeQ0MbZI
— Red (@Redpainter1) August 30, 2022
“Why are people so mean?” Trump wrote. It’s not clear what he was specifically referring to. Perhaps all the people whose lives have he’s negatively impacted, who aren’t exactly unhappy that he’s not doing well? It’s also not clear if he was even remotely aware of his reputation, a thousand times earned, of being cruel and bitchy to anyone who isn’t serving his immediate interests. Perhaps we’re witnessing a deeply broken man entering a fugue state as his legal, financial, and possibly presidential prospects potentially go up in smoke.
At least he has somewhere to vent. He was kicked off his favorite social media shortly after helping inspire a violent attack on the Capitol, and it took him over a year to build a rinky-dink clone of it. But that, too, may be coming to an end. The service is reportedly up to its ears in debt, and it’s still isn’t available on Android thanks to all the violent threats that keep cropping up on there. Where will Trump go to blow off steam when Truth Social has gone the way of Trump Steaks and Trump’s board game?