Fascists are unbelievably petty

There really is no act of bigotry too petty for Donald Trump and his administration. Over the weekend, we were reminded of this again with two yes-it-really-happened stories. 

First, HHS altered the portrait of Admiral Rachel Levine, a pediatrician who served as the assistant secretary of health during the Biden administration. Levine is trans, and to insult her, they changed her name from “Rachel” to the male name she was assigned at birth. 

Second, Trump had MLK Day and Juneteenth canceled as “free” days at national parks — and replaced them with his birthday. Because his racism and narcissism are thoroughly intertwined. 

These things may not seem like a big deal compared to boat killings and ICE raids. But they also matter, because it’s a constant reminder that, ultimately, fascism is a movement of people with tiny, miserable minds. People who have nothing of substance to offer, only pitiful, obsessive hate. 

Hegseth’s carefully edited version of “warfighting”

I must admit, I’m genuinely surprised that the story of the Venezuelan boat bombing is still in the news. Donald Trump’s usual tactics to change the subject haven’t worked. Perhaps it’s because his move was to unleash a racist diatribe against Somali-Americans, which only reinforced the narrative of the boat bombings, which is that he and his administration are unhinged racists. If you want to know how atrocities like genocides begin, well, you’re looking at it — and people don’t like it. 

The telling detail in all this is that the administration refuses to release the video of the second strike that killed survivors, who reportedly were clinging to wreckage and waving for help. Ever since the bombings started, the White House has hyped selectively edited videos of the attacks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in particular likes to post them to social media, pretending to be some tough guy single-handedly taking out “narcoterrorists.” 

It’s all very “Taxi Driver, “ but with worse acting. It’s telling, because when he can use it for propaganda, Hegseth is all about the videos. But suddenly it’s classified for national security reasons when the footage, if reporting is accurate, suggests he’s engaged in cold-blooded murder from afar of defenseless people. 

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Hegseth is an unbelievable coward. If he thinks killing people in boats who can’t fight back is a legitimate policy, then he should have the stones to defend it. Instead, he lies, prevaricates, and tries to hide the evidence. He can call himself Secretary Big Balls or Secretary Conan the Barbarian or whatever the hell he wants, but at the end of the day, the man is a giant weiner. 

Support the progressive journalism you trust. Become a Salon member today!

Why aren’t Trump voters more embarrassed by his delusions?

After all this time, it’s hard to know what to say about Trump getting a fake award from FIFA, which he, of course, childishly freaked out about like it was a real thing. Most everyone else, if given a fake award like this, would be embarrassed. First, because anyone would think you’re stupid enough to not know it’s a fake award. Second, because it’s a reminder that you’re too much of a failure to earn real awards. 

But Trump likes trophies, and doesn’t much care if they mean anything. Narcissism is a weird personality disorder and he appears to have the worst case in all of human history. There’s no mystery left to why he acts this way, and it’s just painful seeing how easy he is to bribe by shameless actors. 

The real question that should trouble all of us is why so many Americans are okay with this. I do know that swing voters who backed Trump as, by and large, ignorant people who pay so little attention to the news that they may not know how bad he really is. The whole purpose of the “Trump derangement syndrome” meme on the right was to trick people into thinking that objective descriptions of Trump’s behavior are liberal hysterics, and sadly, that lie worked. 

But there are millions of MAGA voters who do pay closer attention and see this behavior. Worse, they enable it, by treating Trump like something close to a god figure. Again, you’d think people would feel basic shame, but no. 

Honestly, I do think the explanation goes back to white male privilege. Trump’s delusions get ignored or even valorized, because he’s a white man and the MAGA base needs to believe that being white and male inherently makes someone special. They participate in Trump’s narcissism because they think they get to share in it, by sharing some of his identity markers. But in reality, he sees them as marks who will never be part of his elite club. And the grift is still strong, a decade in. 

Join the conversation: Comments are open for subscribers!

Click the speech bubble icon to leave a comment or click the heart to like this post.

What we're reading this week

• “The Right’s Post-Trump Civil War Is Already Underway,” Sarah Jones, New York

• “Dear Troops: Please Don’t Go to Jail for Pete Hegseth,” Steve Kennedy, Slate

• “Democrats Need to Treat the Supreme Court Like the Villain It Is,” Paul Waldman, Cross Section

• “He’s Unpopular. A Lame Duck. And Taking Heat From Multiple Directions,” Michelle Cottle, New York Times

Forwarded this email? Get Standing Room Only in your inbox twice a week.

ALSO FROM SALON

In partnership with

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

Sign up to start learning.