My Thoughts on Last Night’s Town Hall
I never feel more conflicted than when I hear Donald Trump speak. I laugh, because he’s a ridiculous person, no matter what you think about his policies. Nobody speaks, thinks, looks, or acts like him. He is possibly the most unique person on the planet. He has the capacity to contradict himself within the same sentence. He truly is a one-man circus. Though, if I had it my way, I would have him tried for war crimes, he is the height of entertainment.
How an Anarchist Watches Politics
I feel like my favorite sport just came back in season. I’m obsessed with politics, despite not thinking it should exist. Politics is entertainment to me. It is high-stakes drama with real life consequences. None of it applies to me, but I still enjoy it. I don’t vote because I don’t think I have the right to force my desires on someone else. I feel like an eavesdropper on the simulation. It fascinates me to see all of these people in their individual matrices, believing what a politician tells them.
Subversive Things
Part of my confliction comes from love of the fact that he called Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person” to her face. I love that he makes fun of Biden, and talks about peace between Russia and Ukraine. He called the capitol officer who murdered Ashli Babbitt a thug. I love that someone—anyone—can still go on CNN and say subversive things. It’s an object of optimism for me. The more ridiculous the whole thing looks, the more people come to my side; the side that rejects the whole production.
Negative Things
The strategist side of me shook its head at the poor rhetorical choices he made. He went on about election fraud, and refused to say he would accept the results of the next election. As someone who doesn’t believe in the legitimacy of elections, it’s hard for me to lend sympathy to that point. The suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story is a more interesting story on the subject of “stealing” the election. It just seemed to me that he wasted vital time on a topic that made no difference. The most powerful position for Trump to play from would be the future, and not his very unfortunate past.
Other Negativities
His constant praise of himself is off-putting for obvious reasons. The most disheartening admission to me was when he gave the circumstances under which abortion should be legal, and he refused to say he would support a ban on abortion if he were re-elected. I feel this was out of touch with his base. Instead, he gave himself credit for appointing the judges who made the difference on the Supreme Court, and blathered about how it gave the “pro-life” side something with which to bargain. Some things mean so little there’s no point in commenting.
Fool Me Once
On the positive side, he was asked two very difficult questions regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, which were doubtlessly formed to corner him, and I couldn’t have improved on his answers if they gave me a salary.
The questions were:
Who do you want to win the Russia-Ukraine war?
His answer was flawless. “I want everybody to stop dying. Russians and Ukrainians.” He said he would mediate a peace deal between the two nations. What can I say? I’m not in favor of U.S. involvement, but it’s favorable over the current condition.
Do You Think Putin Is a War Criminal?
“If you say he’s a war criminal, it’s going to be a lot tougher to make a deal.” I’m not sure why America has to be the one to make the deal, but I prefer it to arming one side and leading them to their own slaughter.
But wait, don’t pick a side yet, because I have something cynical to say: this will not be the first time he has campaigned on ending a war.
Ending “useless” wars was a crucial part of his campaign in 2016, but he managed not to end any before he left office. So you’ll forgive me if I don’t take seriously his promise to end the war within “twenty-four hours.”
Big Picture
I don’t think CNN did themselves any favors by hosting the event. They spotlighted a man with a dedicated following, both of which hate CNN, and he berated them live on television. That would discredit them if anybody watched the corporate press anymore.
Case in point: after the town hall, I got a glimpse of the after show before I turned off the TV. The angry man who came on the screen criticized Trump because he called a black officer a thug. Recall when Trump called Ashli Babbitt’s murderer a thug. That was CNN’s takeaway. Trump called a black man a thug. That could be the most deluded point of view I’ve ever seen.
Trump did what he has always done best since the day he got into politics: he revealed. Responses to Trump have always been more interesting than the man himself. He causes people to take sides and hold insane positions. He reveals how much contempt the ruling elite have for the common man and his views, as well as the frailty of the entire system. He reveals that the state, and state media like CNN, do not represent us.