Raving Trump

[Timsup2nothin]

Given the recent display on Faux News I have a slightly hypothetical situation to consider.

What happens if the president completely breaks down, in public? There's some retrospective concerns about how the white house basically covered over the late second term deterioration of Reagan, but they were effective enough at the time that it wasn't an issue. But what if Trump calls in to some television show and goes completely, indisputably, around the bend? Think Captain Queeg and the strawberries, only without the stops so Trump ends up actually gibbering incoherently and howling like a wounded animal.

Would the GOP party firsters accept the necessity to remove him? How would the Trump faithful media play it in their echo chambers? Would this exceed "shooting someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue," or would he lose no support whatsoever among his faithful?

 

[Gori the Grey]

Would the GOP party firsters accept the necessity to remove him?

No

How would the Trump faithful media play it in their echo chambers?

"What he clearly said* was . . . "

Would this exceed "shooting someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue," or would he lose no support whatsoever among his faithful?

He would lose no support whatsoever.

*This is a lingering grudge of mine. All through the campaign, Trump would say his incoherent-offensive things, and his supporters would be on the commentary shows and say "What he clearly meant was . . . " and they'd propose some coherent-inoffensive version of his comment. That was bogus and offensive enough. But one time during the campaign, Trump said one of his incoherent-offensive things, and Pence said "What he clearly said was . . ." No. NO. NO! What he said was the crazy-hurtful thing he said. Try your spin on what he meant, that's your role. But don't tell me my ears didn't hear the thing they heard. Sorry, lingering grudge, as I say.

 

[Broken_Erika]

If Trump completely looses it, get ready for 24/7 Banghazi specials from fox news.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

*This is a lingering grudge of mine. All through the campaign, Trump would say his incoherent-offensive things, and his supporters would be on the commentary shows and say "What he clearly meant was . . . " and they'd propose some coherent-inoffensive version of his comment. That was bogus and offensive enough. But one time during the campaign, Trump said one of his incoherent-offensive things, and Pence said "What he clearly said was . . ." No. NO. NO! What he said was the crazy-hurtful thing he said. Try your spin on what he meant, that's your role. But don't tell me my ears didn't hear the thing they heard. Sorry, lingering grudge, as I say.

I have the same sort of grudge. But I meant a serious, no holds barred raving gibbering inhuman style breakdown that would be (at least theoretically) impossible to 'interpret.' Or an uncontrolled laughing or crying fit that drags on and on until someone else obviously cuts the connection. Something like that.

 

[Gori the Grey]

that would be (at least theoretically) impossible to 'interpret.'

No such thing.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

No such thing.

C'mon man, play along. If Trump broke down in the middle of an interview and there was five minutes of uncontrolled hysterical sobbing followed by the sound of breaking down the bathroom door and shouts of "get his phone" it would be pretty hard to cover.

 

[Broken_Erika]

I have the same sort of grudge. But I meant a serious, no holds barred raving gibbering inhuman style breakdown that would be (at least theoretically) impossible to 'interpret.' Or an uncontrolled laughing or crying fit that drags on and on until someone else obviously cuts the connection. Something like that.

They'll find a way to blame Hillary, Obama, the Democrats and the Liberal Media elite.

 

[Gori the Grey]

I believe with all sincerity what BE says.

"What about that time when Clinton collapsed on the campaign trail? Why was there no media coverage of her incoherent babble at that time?"

The reason I believe this is that we're long past five-lights stage with his supporters. There is literally nothing he could do that they wouldn't just flatly claim didn't really happen.

Do you remember the thing at one of the primary debates? Rubio for once decided to drop to Trump's level and went after him for the size of his hands. Trump held up his hands, his visibly small hands, and said "My hands aren't small."

His supporters have cathected to such a degree; they identify entirely with him. They would cover for, apologize for him to the degree that they would do for their own selves.

 

[BenitoChavez]

When Trump called Mexicans drug addicts and rapists I thought Republicans wouldn't defend him, yet they did.

When Trump said John McCain wasn't a war hero because he was held as prisoner I thought Republicans wouldn't defend him, yet they did.

When Trump mocked disabled people by crudely imitating one of them I thought Republicans wouldn't defend him, yet they did.

When Trump openly admitted to sexually assaulting women I thought Republicans wouldn't defend him, yet they did.

If Trump completely loses all ability to form coherent speech I think Republicans will defend him, and they will.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I believe with all sincerity what BE says.

"What about that time when Clinton collapsed on the campaign trail?"

The reason I believe this is that we're long past five-lights stage with his supporters. There is literally nothing he could do that they wouldn't just flatly claim didn't really happen.

Okay...in the interests of getting some sort of response to the hypothetical, lets add that as a result of this breakdown that the right wing echo chamber, his faithful, and the party firsters would desperately want to pretend didn't happen Dingbat Don is so far gone that there is no possibility of any sort of public appearance. Reagan, towards the end, got braced up no more than a couple times, but that wasn't given a lot of attention because he had never been all that frequent with appearances anyway and he still retained the actor's ability to deliver his lines. But if we had this melting down by Trump, followed by his disappearance from public view, no calls to his confidants, no golf, no social media rants from the toilet in the morning...that would be hard to get past.

 

[Gori the Grey]

I don't mean to ruin your hypothetical, Tim; I'm giving you my honest answer. I really believe there are no lengths to which his supporters wouldn't go to apologize, redirect, misdirect on his behalf.

 

[Broken_Erika]

As i said, they'll blame it on hillary and the democrats. Probably something along the lines of "Hillary and the Democrats have poisoned the president as part of a coup attempt. Therefore we have no choice but to declare a state of emergency and postpone all elections indefinitely until the perpetrators are brought to justice and the nation has been purged of traitors and anti-nationals/liberals"

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I don't mean to ruin your hypothetical, Tim; I'm giving you my honest answer. I really believe there are no lengths to which his supporters wouldn't go to apologize, redirect, misdirect on his behalf.

I must confess that the evidence supports this conclusion.

 

[Gori the Grey]

I watch Hannity many evenings, at least his opening. Something utterly and undeniably disastrous will have happened to Trump during the day, and he's there to tell you why it's all actually the fault of the deep state, Democrats, media.

 

[Lexicus]

The reason I believe this is that we're long past five-lights stage with his supporters. There is literally nothing he could do that they wouldn't just flatly claim didn't really happen.

The corollary is that there are no human rights abuses the government could commit that they won't firmly support.

 

[Gori the Grey]

There's a zillion corollaries, and they all spell bad news for our republic.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Pence is probably just waiting for such an event. Timing the use of the 25th Amendment is everything.

 

[schlaufuchs]

Same thing a cheater does when they get caught: try to turn it around on the accuser.

How did you get this?!
It's none of your business!
This is a gross invasion of my privacy!
Yeah well you were doing [x]
You made me do it with all your [nagging, not-sex-having, snooping, etc.]. I had no choice!

 

[Perfection]

What happens if the president completely breaks down, in public? There's some retrospective concerns about how the white house basically covered over the late second term deterioration of Reagan, but they were effective enough at the time that it wasn't an issue. But what if Trump calls in to some television show and goes completely, indisputably, around the bend? Think Captain Queeg and the strawberries, only without the stops so Trump ends up actually gibbering incoherently and howling like a wounded animal.

How's that different from what he's doing now?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

How's that different from what he's doing now?

His gibbering currently consists of words put into meaningless order. I'm thinking of the guttural sounds, no words type of gibbering.