Trump’s bonkers Phoenix rally highlights his delusional vision of reality
Covering Donald Trump’s post-presidential activities often seems exploitive, like one is attempting to draw attention to the extremely regrettable mental illness of someone too helpless to control their behavior.
While empathy may be an enviable quality to possess, Trump’s narcissistic and self-serving penchant for dissembling to further his own selfish goals deserves no measure of accommodation from those whose lives have been diminished by his rise to the White House and his fractious fall from the pinnacle of power.
Thus, the disgraced former president’s lie-fest at his “Rally to Protect Our Elections” in Phoenix should by all rights simply be dismissed and ignored without sympathy were his propaganda not so dangerous to the continued existence of our American democracy.
Vox journalist Aaron Rupar provided highlights — or, more accurately, lowlights — of Trump’s speech last night at the rally and we’ve selected some of the most notable excerpts for your thoughtful consideration.
The speech began with an introduction designed to pretend that Trump had not been unceremoniously defeated in a landslide in both the popular and electoral college votes.
he's … not the president pic.twitter.com/zYv1tao6LF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
Trump immediately launched into a promotion of his “Big Lie” about election fraud, tempering it by prefecing his statement with “in my opinion,” essentially signalling the worthlessness of his claim.
"He doesn't do a damn thing" — Trump dogs Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in his home state of Arizona and gets the crowd booing him. He then pivots to bashing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also gets booed. pic.twitter.com/3HMuZHrx5V
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
Trump’s bellicose posture extends beyond Democrats to go on the attack against members of his own Republican Party, essentially weakening the ability of the GOP to achieve victory in its fractured state, but assauging the ego of a man who wields a grudge like no other.
The danger of Trump’s rhetoric to our democracy was evident in the rabble-rousing he conducted in defense of his pitiful election lies.
Irony just suffered a mortal wound pic.twitter.com/BwG9KVXywC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
Trump’s exhortations to “fight” seem eerily like those that preceded the January 6th insurrection, and he continued his adversarial stance with an unwarranted attack on the first six months of Joe Biden’s presidency, but only after oddly taking. credit for the Republican loss of their previous Senate majority in the Georgia runoff elections of the same day.
is there a single person in the world who actually believes this about Biden's first 6 months in office? pic.twitter.com/VpNqxsfYRn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
The twice-impeached ex-president took some time out from his focus on his false claims of a stolen election to irresponsibly stradle the fence on the topic of COVID vaccines.
Trump is out here just making stuff up in hopes of snowing people into believing the election was stolen from him pic.twitter.com/YpLugDVxTn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
Trump has little compunction at simply inventing things up out of thin air, it seems, as he continued to harp on his phony assertions of voter fraud.
Trump suggests he'll be returned to office following state-level audits of the 2020 election (he won't be returned to office) pic.twitter.com/K2hOpfvqr9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
This is Trump in full delusional, invented, alternative reality mode. The font of bovine manure continued unabated.
Trump threatens that if Republicans don't amplify his (false) claims about election fraud, Republican voters won't want to vote for Republican candidates in future elections pic.twitter.com/PnL8e0xo6w
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2021
If only!
The magnitude of Trump’s delusions and lies have only grown since he left office under the cloud of his second impeachment, conviction averted once again only due to the cowardice of Republican senators cowed by the thought of a primary challenge by a more loyal lackey to the former president.
His analysis of the proposed Green New Deal legislation was noticeably thin on facts while heavy on fear-momgering.
Trump still thinks you need an ID to buy groceries pic.twitter.com/CDwXlSRmCb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2021
Often Trump inadvertantly reveals the depths of his pathology, as he did in recounting the reasons that he picked General Mark Milley to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Trump has been speaking for more than 90 minutes now. He's currently goading his audience into booing the US women's soccer team. pic.twitter.com/yKubKXTuUO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2021
Trump’s marathon speech eventually ended after nearly two hours, but not before he reminded his audience of his incompetence in the world of foreign affairs.
Trump indicates that the leader of the Taliban communicates in grunts and groans (he also has his name wrong) pic.twitter.com/dXjSdfZ9cN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2021
While one risks giving Trump’s delusions more oxygen to stay alive by covering his speeches, it’s important to highlight just how dangerous his rhetoric truly is and warn people of the lies that he is spreading and how they may effect out nation going forward.
Only by vigorously countering his lies with the truth will his detestable alternative reality be defeated.
If it isn’t, America as we know it will cease to exist.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Aaron Rupar at Vox.
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Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art.