Donald Trump’s narcissism and insecurities have taken center stage this week, even during nationwide protests addressing systemic racism and specifically the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many, many others whose lives were needlessly taken. For Trump it remains all about Trump. How will this affect his reelection? His legacy? Never asking what he can do to heal this nation.
On Monday we learned Donald Trump moved to a bunker inside the White House on Friday as a large crowd gathered to protest outside the White House. Other presidents might have arranged to meet with protest leaders, listened to their pained grievances, consoled their weary souls, worked with them to find a path forward. Instead, Donald Trump cowered in a bunker. One can only imagine being trapped in that bunker with him while he did his best to appear tough. He was clearly so insecure about it that he began tweeting the next morning to talk about the fire power and vicious dogs ready to protect him at a moment’s notice.
And then the story leaked that he’d been in the bunker and the mockery began, earning him the nickname “Bunker Bitch.” He took it out on protesters the day after the story leaked, unleashing violent federal police on peaceful protesters so he could prove what a tough guy he was, walking to a vandalized church. It was more akin to Joffrey Baratheon’s Game of Thrones-style leadership than that of a president of the United States.
But, Donald Trump just cannot let something go, especially when he is perceived as being weak. So he took another trip outside the White House on Tuesday. Pool photographers captured the mood of people along the route and folks expressed themselves loud and clear as one person after another gave the commander-in-chief a one-finger salute. “Bunker Bitch” signs were seen in the crowd.
That should do it, right? This story dies down now, right? No. Bunker Bitch can’t let it go. He called his media partners at Fox News on Wednesday morning to offer a new excuse for why he went to the bunker: He was merely inspecting it! Seriously.
How embarrassing is that? First the gaslighting and second, the fact the Secret Service has to treat him like a child. Perhaps they offered him a lollipop or a sticker as a reward for going down to “inspect” the bunker. There is still a deadly pandemic and there is still massive civil unrest in every single city in this country, but Donald Trump has time for “inspection?” I mean, come on. This Bunker Bitch just cannot let it go.
If there is one thing Donald Trump hates more than the truth, it’s weakness. He despises it in others and can’t see it in himself. It’s why he refused for so long to wear a mask. He’s always been full of bravado and bluster, no doubt masking the deepest insecurities.
There are countless examples of his cowardice, which he later repackages as courage. He’s the guy who got five deferments from military duty during the Vietnam War but later claimed he would personally rush a mass shooter, saying: "I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”
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He is a walking definition of toxic masculinity. When mixed with his extreme narcissism, his relentless lying, and the power of the federal government, it’s a deadly combination.
So while he stays focused on himself, we need to stay focused on the moment and changing the structures that perpetuate white supremacy. CLICK HERE to support organizations that are fighting every day for racial justice.