The Friday Brief

June 20, 2024

The Big Picture

Don’t Get Cocky

Trump's mental, physical, and moral decline is the story of the week, but until this week, his political decline was still a lagging indicator. The idea of Trump’s puissance is so deeply wired into the media and political culture of the country that even as the obvious signs of his decay become increasingly evident.

It reminded me of a joke I saw the other day:

Q: ”Japan after 1942 was unstoppable. How did they fumble so hard?”

A: “The United States invented a portable sun that could be delivered by aircraft.”

By the tone of the media coverage of this race so far, you would think that Joe Biden was defeated by Trump in 2020, not the other way around. The cracks are showing, and Trump’s run of bad news, bad luck, and bad stories are taking their toll. He looks and sounds increasingly terrible.

And it has been a spectacularly terrible week for Donald Trump.

His polling lead forced even Fox to admit it: Joe Biden is ahead right now in the 2024 race. Like all authoritarians, Trump depends on — and demands from his staff — a constant image of dominance, strength, and being in the lead.

Every strongman is unbeatable until he gets beaten.

But don’t get cocky.

The debate next week will be for all of the summer political marbles.

The bothsides media will scrutinize Biden’s performance with a level of granularity that will surpass all human understanding: “We’ve brought on dementia expert Dr. Edward Snitterty-Ditterton of Eastern South Dakota Community College to tell us if Joe Biden scratching this side of his nose at 14 seconds into the debate is a sign of his imminent death.”

Trump can crap his diapers on stage, roll around on the floor making feces castles, and express himself in nothing but grunts and howls. The New York Times will write, “Trump’s passionate and articulate performance reminded voters of his ability to command the stage.”