Trump in Winter … Drift, Fragmentation and Just Low Energy

I’ve been under the weather. That partly explains missing two days of posts. But another reason is a feeling of repetition. Everything I see in our politics right now - or at least at the pinnacle where Donald Trump dominates all the visuals and attention - has a feeling of drift, spectacle and fragmentation. Trump’s ballroom epitomizes it - crass, stupid, vulgar, unacceptable and yet ultimately meaningless. It’s the full-size version of having his stacked Kennedy Center board, of which he is the chairman, rename the institution after him. That was, I believe, Wednesday, though the days run together. Then there’s his new hall of presidents, a sick-burn tweet storm embedded on a wall of what remains of the White House. These all have the feeling of a man who is bored, tapped out, losing coherence and energy and who others are trying to keep distracted. Want to keep reading? Join and get The Backchannel member newsletter along with unlimited access to all TPM articles and member features. Latest In The Backchannel

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