Squid

Squid

Cephalopods such as the squid are often acknowledged as the most intelligent of the invertebrates. When threatened, squids have an interesting behavior: they release clouds of ink that baffle their predators and allow them to escape, much as warships have used smoke screens to escape when outnumbered or outclassed. This behavior is often used by politicians as well when they feel threatened. The release of disinformation by Donald Trump is a classic example of squid ink, meant to confuse and seed discord. With almost daily tweetstorms from his infamous Twitter account to bizarre statements in front of television cameras, he just piles disinformation atop misinformation atop gaslighting to create what Kellyanne Conway called “alternative facts”. While this is irresponsible and immoral in the best of times, it is a clear and present danger in the presence of a global pandemic that has sickened and killed and caused economic chaos worldwide.




In reading his thoughts (if they may be dignified with that word), one is struck that he is now in desperation mode to be reelected in November. The economy, his only strength, has collapsed. His tweets are ad hominem attacks against Joe Biden, Democrats of all types, inspectors general, indeed anyone he believes is disloyal to him and is therefore an enemy. His statements for television are marvels of word salad and illogic, also laced with attacks against individuals and institutions that dare to question his worldview. Dr. Bandy Lee, a forensic psychiatrist at the Yale School of Medicine, has questioned Trump’s mental fitness for the presidency for years now. She has been joined by many of her colleagues in the mental health community and has become even more concerned about Trump’s behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her concern includes the potential for violence built into the tweets and statements that Trump makes daily.




There is also a lot of squid ink from Trump’s mouth about the World Health Organization. WHO is cast as too cozy with China, sending the usual racist and xenophobic signals to his cult: this was not my fault, see the criminals in China and their WHO posse. Now Trump threatens to permanently withdraw the United States from WHO. WHO, founded when Trump was a toddler (WHO matured; Trump did not), was a keystone in the elimination of smallpox, the campaign to eradicate measles, and a multitude of other projects that have improved global health over the past 71 years. Such a move would simply jeopardize the health of not only Americans but of every human on the planet.




Today there were tweets threatening states that allow vote-by-mail because of COVID-19 with withdrawal of federal funding. Under the United States Constitution, the manner of conducting elections is left to the states and not the federal government. The right-wing claim of widespread election fraud based on voting by mail has been debunked but that does not prevent the disinformation being recycled constantly. Today’s tweets are simply the latest in the long string of lies, disinformation, and gaslighting we have seen from Trump.




Why does Donald Trump behave this way? My best guess is because he is scared silly that he will not be reelected in November to a second term. And why should that matter to him? He and his administration, with the willing help of the Republican Party, have swept tons of dirt from public view; one prime example was John Eisenberg having the transcript of the infamous call Trump had with the Ukrainian president moved to a secret server, safely out of sight. The evidence of corruption will not remain hidden forever and Trump wants to postpone the day of judgment for himself and his family members and other cronies. But there may be an even more fundamental reason that Trump wants to be reelected. Ross Douthat, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, notes that Trump really doesn’t desire authority (except to keep his foes at bay). He desires attention because he needs an audience to meet the needs of his fragile ego. To quote Douthat, “But in Trump both qualities are swamped by the far more important aspects of his character — a chancer’s fear of claiming any power that might lead to responsibility and someday blame, a showman’s preference for performance over rule, a media addict’s preference for bluster over deeds.”




So, instead of a leader in this crisis, we have as Douthat puts it, a shirker, a clown, a television star. By the way, just checked the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 map. The number of cases today is 1,537,584 and the number of deaths is 92,583. The United States deserves a leader. It is way past time to show Donald Trump the door to the street.