Imaginary Friends
When I was a small child I had an imaginary friend. We talked a lot, we played together, we had fun. I had real friends too, but early on, my imaginary friend was my best. I don’t remember his name, and I don’t remember when my imaginary friend left me. I just know that somewhere before I went to school, I left my imaginary friend behind.
It was with some concern then, that I discovered President Trump seems to have “imaginary friends.” I discovered it yesterday, when I listened to him at the White House, trying to roll back his faux-pas at the Helsinki press conference. Vladimir Putin said that the Russians hadn’t hacked into American politics, the US intelligence agencies said he did. Trump said; …”I didn’t see any reason why it “would” be Russia…” Clearly his staff had written a statement for him to read at the White House, stating that he mistakenly said “…’would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t.’”
The White House statement was meant to chill the crisis of confidence even Republicans were having after US agencies were tossed under the bus. But then the President ad-libbed an addition, saying the Russians did it – “or other people.”
“Or other people:” maybe the four hundred pound guy in the basement that Trump mentioned in a debate with Hillary Clinton. Maybe the Chinese, or the North Koreans, or the “rogue” Russians that Putin first mentioned. Those three words “took back the take back” of his statement. And today he went on a Twitter storm defending his performance in Helsinki.
Maybe those “other people” are some of the very nice racists who marched in Charlottesville. Maybe “other people” are related to the “many people” who agree with the President on issues like no global warming or MS-13 swarming the nation. They must be the “many people of higher intelligence” he claims think he did a great job in Helsinki.
In normal American politics, leaders find groups that agree with their policies, then use those groups for support. President Trump does this as well, with the Congressional Freedom Caucus fighting for him against the Mueller investigation, and political luminaries like Newt Gingrich standing for many of his plans. But when the President gets far out on a limb, he looks to his “imaginary friends” for backing.
Ultimately, the President’s “imaginary friends” must be those who believe he can do no wrong, his loyal followers: the “Trumpers.” Mr. Trump believes that they are highly underrated. This is based on the election of 2016, when early polling showed that Mrs. Clinton should win easily. Basically, the Trump theory is that many of his supporters wouldn’t publicly admit to their support, but became “Trumpers” in the voting booth. No MAGA hats, on Trump signs or banners, no Facebook posts: they quietly support his views without fanfare.
Much like the Nixon “silent majority” of the 1960’s, there is some truth to Trump “imaginary friends.” Nixon tapped into a cultural backlash against the upheaval of the civil rights and anti-war movements that represented major change. He was able to eek out an election victory, winning by less than a million votes over Democrat Hubert Humphrey (seventy one million votes were cast.)
President Trump tapped into a similar backlash in 2016, in an America that elected our first African-American President, was trying to provide healthcare to everyone, and looked forward to a nation where white people are no longer the majority. While the Trump’s election margin was not the majority, the strategic breakdown by state won him the Electoral College and the Presidency.
The Democratic party of 1968 was fractured, with the liberal Hubert Humphrey facing a party where many felt he was not liberal enough. The Democratic party of 2016 was faced with a similar crisis, with the Sanders-wing not finding Hillary Clinton’s views to their liking. The hacked emails showing the National Committee support for Clinton over Sanders didn’t help either.
While President Trump’s “imaginary friends” are definitely out there, it will be interesting to see if they are willing to accept an economy where the income divide is increasing, a US policy supporting Russia against the European Union, and children torn from their parents. And will Democrats continue their self-destructive division over the details of a Progressive agenda, instead of agreeing to disagree and working together.
Those factors will determine whether Mr. Trump’s “imaginary friends” are as powerful as he thinks.
