"It's like he's choosing to lose": Trump allies fear he is self-destructing over Kamala Harris surge

MicroWave@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 389 points –
salon.com

One month ago, former President Donald Trump seemed poised to retake the White House from an ailing President Joe Biden. Now that he's falling behind Vice President Kamala Harris, people close to Trump's campaign are complaining to Vanity Fair that the GOP nominee is only making matters worse. “It’s like he’s choosing to lose,” one of them vented.

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Why the fuck would people close to Diaper Dump Trump talk to the press about this?

They want to give you a false sense of security.

Vote like your world depends on it.

They also know that Trump watches a dozen hours of Fox News and CNN per day, and that that is when he is paying the most attention. They're trying to reach him where his brain lives.

I know it sounds alarmist and overblown... but Democracy itself literally depends on all of us voting.

That truly is alarmist and overblown... don't buy into that crap. Neither candidate would "end democracy", or be the end of America. Both sides are pushing that fear mongering bullcrap, but that's all it is, bullcrap.

Politics seem recently more into playing on the fears of people. Vote with your head, not your heart.

Is he acting weirder than normal? I honestly can't tell the difference.

Yeah, I've really been surprised by the amount of negative press on Trump. He seems like himself to me.

The contrast with a fully functioning non-geriatric campaign really brings to light just how shitty Trump is. Not that it wasn't obvious before but I guess louder for those in the back?

along these lines people are saying his incoherence indicates dementia - I dunno, since the first moment I ever heard of trump to 2016 to today - he's just fucking dumb. He's dumber than a bag of hammers. A box of rocks has more nuance, and a bag of shit more character, but most of all, he's just an idiot who's coasted through life on daddy's money and a toolbox of racism and contractor fuckin.

And I'm still astounded at the people he took in. Fuck, he's just so fucking dumb.

The AP news coverage of his press conference today was just a list of a dozen things he lied about, with a few paragraphs explaining each thing. It was a very journalism-like piece of writing.

Yeah, I've really been surprised by the amount of negative press on Trump. He seems like himself to me.

Those are contradictory statements..

If I was less acceptably sane, I might think there was some sort of coordinated effort by the real Powers That Be to ensure that he does not become the next president, potentially starting with the assassination attempt, then moving to plan B by pushing Biden out so Harris takes over, and now funneling loads of positive media attention towards Harris and negative attention towards Trump when he is essentially behaving the same as he always has.

Of course, like I said, I’m too sane to believe that…right?

Apart from the assassination attempt, the rest might be more simply explained by the existence of an opposing campaign attempting to defeat him.

He’s planning on stealing the election anyway through his acolytes in congress and various state governments, so he sees no point in spending campaign funds that he can use on himself later.

Votes are the only thing that's gonna make him lose, and we're gonna need enough votes that something like that couldn't be remotely feasible. I'm hoping no one reads all these articles and thinks there's no reason for them to vote because it's already looking like a slam dunk because it's absolutely not gonna be a slam dunk

The only way that would be possible would be if he was close and was able to swing a few key counties with fake electors. If he fumbles the bid bad enough that it's a landslide, there's no way he'll be able to get enough fake electors in place to do any damage.

He's not the president so he can't even rely on people storming the capitol, cause Biden would just send in the troops the second there was a threat.

Also, with Harris as the VP, she'll have no problem certifying herself.

This is exactly what he's doing. It's been obvious since Biden dropped out.

Many of us thought he was trying to lose in 2016, too. Garrison's character beautifully depicted the phenomenon.

catharsis /kə-thär′sĭs/

noun

  1. Purgation, especially for the digestive system.

  2. A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience.

  3. A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.

I'm feeling more Schadenfreude than Catharsis tbh.

Catharsis isn't the right word. Schadenfreude is for some, but the former, eh, not accurate in connotation

It's the sensation of catharsis from the world being made whole again. Up is up. down is down. Fascist clowns who brag about raping women are no longer dominating the presidential race, but are seemingly reduced to a increasingly meager side show. A black woman candidate isn't just up in the polls, but brought with her one of the most progressive vps of all time with her. Schadenfreude is only half of that sensation, because it doesn't also recognize the positive.

It's a sensation that comes from things making sense, a returning to a world where the bad are punished and the good uplifted.

Catharsis is the perfect word.

he's not chosing to lose, he is a one trick pony, and his trick doesn't work against his current opponent.

Yeah at first I thought maybe he wants out but his ego won't let him just step away from it like Biden did, so he's trying to ramp up the crazy shit to force the party to kick him out, that way he doesn't have to run but he can keep the grift going by saying he was betrayed etc.

Then I thought, he's not that smart. All he has is saying crazy shit, which seemed to befuddle Clinton and Biden but doesn't work on Harris, so all he can do is panic and say even crazier shit.

Suffer, you parasite. And when you're full on suffering, spread it to everyone who ever supported you.

I'm ready to just block every post about Trump.

To anyone reading this - no news about Trump should ever sway you to vote for him. Nothing he does now, or in the coming months before the election, should change your opinion about him - for better or worse. Your opinion should be set.

Stop consuming media like this. Vote for Harris and be done with it, thank me later.

After months and months of Trump being the favorite, and every news article making me more depressed, it's really nice to see articles about him swirling the drain. You're right, it's not going to change anything for me, but actually having more than tiny crumbs of hope makes consuming stuff like this more desirable.

Harris had some mediocre polling today while Trump gained a little bit of ground. I hope she pulls ahead further after the DNC but the election is still on a razor's edge.

It's fun to read about Trump's massive failures like NABJ and the Elon interview, but I just don't want Harris supporters to get complacent. Trump may never have won in the first place if the NYT wasn't giving everyone a false sense of security with their 90%+ projection of a Clinton win. I hope everyone remembers right up until election day that this is a close race that could go either way and it's going to take everyone's vote to make sure it happens.

My point exactly. Complacency is the death of progress and all that.

So, my reasoning is that I understand your point completely. You are not wrong for taking pleasure in his downfall.

My problem is that I know I can allow myself to be complacent. I am absolutely suceptible to thoughts like "It's Saturday. Do I really need to work on my garden today?" I can easily see news like this turning into a little thought like "Nah, I don't need to vote. Harris is surely going to win, I'll just stay in and relax."

Just my two cents. I want to feel like things are going to end if I don't act for a few more months, then I'll dig in to what I've missed.

I get you. One thing for me though is that I desperately want this to be a landslide. Another nail-biter election won't be nearly as good for the country as a massive Harris win, so even if it's a lock I'd be voting.

it's win win

either victory and massive long-term corruption and damage to the US governmental system

or martyrdom to the conspiracy addled revolutionary far-right

Lol, like it's his choice. That turd is losing because he's a turd. You know what you do with turds? You flush them. Fuck him and his cult, I look forward to them turning on him.

Win - win when he loses the election and loses it at the same time.

So my honest bet going into this election (earlier this year) was that I'm not sure running a candidate that had already been president and then lost an election was ever going to be a good idea in a presidential election. Biden complicated things, as does Trump's cult-like dynamics, but I suspect the point will have been well made. Politicians and their relevance have lifetimes.

Don-old's entire brand is self sabotage. He only has to open his mouth to activate his super power. But he decides to try 'business' and loses casinos, steaks, water, universities, clothes, the Presidency and soon... his freedom. Forever an incompetent con man.