Varsha and I talked a lot about fear today. It was the thematic element that all of the stories we discussed today shared. Fear of women, fear of immigrants, yes, but most importantly, fear of losing power.
All of the actions that the Trump administration are taking lead back to one fear: losing. Trump is terrified of losing. According to many sources, Trump never wrote an acceptance speech for the 2016 election. His whole team thought he would lose. Hell, he thought he would lose. All he wanted was a springboard for his TV network. But to the shock of many, and to no surprise to those sharpest among us (ahem, Sarah Kendzior) – he was elected.
He was elected because white people were afraid of losing their white supremacy. He was elected because men were afraid of losing their dominance over women. He was elected for fear.
Each one of Trump’s policies relay that fear. Every move made by his administration is carefully calculated to maintain the balance of white male supremacy. Every dog whistle, every law aimed to limit abortion, every new immigration policy, from the Muslim ban to family separation, are crafted to maximize fear in his base.
The message is clear: Trump believes we live in a zero-sum world. That if power is shared it is lost. Winning is the only thing that matters to Trump and his new Republican party. Winning to them means holding on to the power that white men have clung to for centuries. And they have shown they will win at any cost.
You can listen to Episode 131: [Title Here] and hear more about Trump’s fear here.
