The Idiocracy

We’ll get to Trump’s inauguration some other day soon, I suppose, when I feel like dealing with it.  It's not going anywhere.  For now, instead, I’m okay dealing with the venality and stupidity of the Daily Trump.  To be clear, much of it is reprehensible, deeply serious and dangerous – though we knew that was coming, and many in authority are seemingly prepared for it, as much as possible.  The problem for the Trump administration is that mixed in to the danger is their utter stupidity and incompetence – which we knew was coming, too.  Even as fast and furious as it is.

For instance, in just the first full day, consider –

Trump put out two Executive Orders dealing with transgender issues, but in doing so, he referred to “all Americans legally female.” Now, putting aside that whatever people think about anyone transgender, there is nothing illegal about it.  But beyond that, I have a hard time imagining how utterly insulting it must be for women to see themselves described anywhere, but most especially by the White House as “legally female.”  Hey, really going after that women’s vote, are they?  And it’s idiotic things like this that only will make any later efforts they try when attacking women’s right to explain that, no, really, we’re on the side of the ladies.  Especially the legal ones.

Then there was the administration literally taking down the Spanish-language version of the White House website.  And yes, you read that correct.  But it’s worse, because they also closed the Spanish-language TwiXter account.  But it’s even worse than that!  (Hey, this is the Trump team, of course they can make it worse.)  That’s because on the webpage that shows the Spanish-language site is shut down, it direct users back to the home page – except that’s not what they say.  They say, “Go home.”  Yes, really!!!  After the outrage kicked in, someone at the White House realized they’d better change this quickly, and it now reads “Go to home page.”  But honestly, I’m not convinced it was a mistake – it might have been, but it just as easily might have been their way to not-so-subtly ridicule Mexicans.  And it was only when the “inside joke” was going too badly that they realized they had to change it.  What makes this so utterly stupid, beyond the venality, is that as much as they likely wanted to make the non-existent “point” that they believe all Americans should speak English, the reality is that many don’t.  And so, if you want to reach them, if you want to actually get your message out to them, then dropping your Spanish-language website and TwiXter account is incredibly idiotic and counter-productive.  And this doesn’t even touch on how insulting it must be to so much of the Spanish-speaking culture and is spitting in their faces.  But this is the Trump team, and what they believe.  It’s not surprising at all.  In fact, the only thing surprising has been Hispanic voters who thought Trump was really their guy, on their side, despite all repeated, relentless, blatant evidence to the contrary that he hates them.

And then there’s Trump pardoning 1,500 people convicted on the day of the Insurrection, including Enrique Tarrio, head of the white supremacist/neo-Nazi Proud Boys, convicted of “seditious conspiracy” (a rare and difficult charge to convict on) and sentenced to 22  years in prison, as well as commuting the sentences of all other Proud Boys who had been convicted of the same charge.  Putting aside how dangerous this is, which is a ton to put aside, it’s also monumentally stupid.  First of all, it sends the message on Day One that whenever Trump tries to bring up “law and order” about anything, he doesn’t mean it.  Second, polls show that the American public is very strongly against the release of violent Insurrectionists, and is also largely against the release of any of these prisoners, period.  But third, and most stupid of all, is that Trump is dividing his own party on the issue –

For instance, Trump loyalist Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that he disagreed with the mass pardons of these 1,500 convicted Insurrectionists, saying he thinks it raises "a legitimate safety question here on Capitol Hill," allowing people to believe they can now attack the police.  And while Tillis is spot-on correct, he’s wrong in limiting it to just “here on Capitol Hill.”  Because it raises a legitimate safety question for all police everywhere, suggesting that it’s okay to attack the police wherever you are.

How problematic was this action by Trump?  When the largest police union, who had endorsed Trump during the election, was asked for their reaction to the mass pardon of those who had attacked the police, their replied, “We don’t have a statement to make about this.”  Since they did have a statement to make about endorsing Trump, this kind of a response speaks loudly.

And of course, perhaps the most stupid action of all on was Elon Musk’s Nazi salute.  As I wrote earlier, of course, it was a Nazi salute -- which Musk then repeated. Given his support of a neo-Nazi party in Germany and his many anti-Semitic statements, I don’t think there’s any realistic way for Musk to deny that it was just an accident or wasn’t a Nazi salute, though he tried weakly and belligerently, as is his way.  No, mind you, I have no idea if he meant his Nazi salute as support, or if it was his way of trying to annoy “the libs” (though I have my guess which one it was…), but of course it was a Nazi salute.  And truly – putting aside all the varied “explanations” -- how totally stupid do you have to be…to be a major adviser to the president, at his elbow, seen by some to be the “shadow president” and put what you, the richest man in the world, absolutely know will be this image throughout the United States and the world??!!  To think this image will go away and to think that this is what the American public, including many, if not most people who voted for Trump want…it’s just inane. 

And there was much more.  But still, this was just the first full day.  It’s not going to stop.  It’s a leaky, overflowing bathtub without a plumber to fix it.  It’s very dangerous and incredibly cruel, but pure, unadulterated stupidity is woven throughout it all.  And that much idiocy undermines the issue, and sends its own message of off-putting incompetence.

The danger will still exist.  The hell that Trump will be creating will still be very real.  But so will the gross stupidity.  Much of it caused by hubris, thinking they really won a “landslide mandate,” when in reality they only won the White House by a razor thin 1.4% and lost a seat in the House.  Some if it caused by being actually stupid, not having a clue how terribly your actions will be seen by all the public, even those who want to support you.  And some will be caused by Trump having dementia, which is degenerative and will get far worse than is showing now.  As I always quote psychologist Dr. Jack Gartner of Johns Hopkins:  "I always tell people to look at Trump now, because it's the best you will ever see him."

And in the end, they don’t have four years.  Candidates for the mid-term races will begin positioning themselves and campaigning in not much more than a year.  And Election Day only eight months after that.  When all seats in the House are up for re-election, and more MAGOP seats in the Senate than Democratic are at risk.

So, all you legal women, mark that date on your calendar.  November 3, 2026.

Hola!  Gracias por todo.