In January 2011 at the annual Washington correspondent’s dinner, the Washington Capitol, like much of the world, laughed at Donald Trump. He was a joke. Just before the dinner Donald Trump had spread the lie that Obama was not born in the USA. And this was Obama’s chance to get back at him and he took it. Until that night he had been very restrained about this birther story that really annoyed him and which he knew was a racist trope. Obama produced his official long form birth certificate and said Trump could now concentrate on issues that really mattered like “did we fake the moon landing.” Everyone laughed. He mocked Trump as Trump deserved to be mocked. But in the process, he made an enemy. A Bigly enemy. Trump was stone cold mad. According to Justin Ling, “Trump looked like his head was going to explode.”
Trump had ridden the birther conspiracy for 3 years, pushing himself onto the national stage unlike ever before. The fact that the Washington media was now scorning him might have been an asset. In the world of right-wing politics it certainly was no drawback. 4 years later as a self-proclaimed political outsider Trump descended the golden elevator in Trump Tower to launch his second campaign for the Republican nomination. He was about to become the most famous man in the world! Life was good.
As Trump said that day:
“Our country is in big trouble. We don’t have victories any more. When is the last time anybody saw us beating let’s say China in a trade deal? They kill us. The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. When Mexico sends its people they’re not sending their best. They bring in drugs. They bring in crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume are good people…We are going to make our country great again.”
And of course, the message implied: Only one man can turn things around. He is a strong man. The man we need. Donald Trump. Only he can save us. That is the clarion call of the fascist. It is dangerous out there and only one man save us, and he is a strong man.
I am not saying America is fascist. I am saying there are many fascists in America and they are attractive to a lot of Americans. Fascism could happen in America. It is by no means impossible. We must be careful and wise.
And of course, like any wanna be fascist Trump had his scapegoats in the cross hairs: immigrants. As he said, “I am going to build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”
Most of the press did not take Trump seriously. Most people did not take Trump seriously. That included me. The Dummy. I thought, like so many others that there was no way Trump would win the Republican nomination. I was wrong. Bigly wrong.
Rush Limbaugh did not laugh. He took Trump seriously and he loved what he heard. He said, “I tell you this is going to resonate with people.” And he was right! He also made another wise comment: “The more the media hates this and makes fun of it, the more support Trump is going to get.” And he was bigly right again.
The extreme right would never be the same again.