~by Amber Rogers
"President Trump, if you see this please save us! I don't even see our American flag anymore; Biden is talking with some kind of crazy flag! This is America; this is our land! Please, President Trump, please please, I hope you have a plan"...
~A Desperate, wailing, abandoned, Trump Supporter
It's slow at first, and very methodical. He sees his prey and his eyes fix upon it. The weak, the infirmed, and the gullible; predators select their prey wisely. "What is it that you yearn to hear? What are the issues of your heart that lie awake in its recesses, awaiting the the resuscitation of radicalization?
Are you out of a job? Disgruntled? Are you a closeted racist? What is the methodology and stimulus package needed to reel you into his lair? What trinkets and gifts could a predator offer an impending victim to satiate, appease, and lure him into a place, alongside of him, as willing co-conspirator, and lifelong sycophant? What is your sweet spot? The lies that pump, the promises that penetrate, and the veiled exclusivity that keeps Trump followers loyal and enticed are textbook! They are the virtual "How to" ingredients needed in the predator/victim relationship.
One of the first tactics that a predator must achieve when grooming a potential victim, is his isolation. And Trump's nefarious plan of isolating America was stellar! His divisiveness of cutting his victims off from reliable news sources was brilliantly played! America's News Media, was dubbed 'fake news'-they were the enemy and could not be trusted; because he said so... and so it was! This in turn, solidified the sprouting up of alternate news channels, and networks of his choosing. These pro-Trump sites, invigorated his followers. They provided exclusively positive Trump propaganda, and they were a gateway for right-wing extremists, White supremacists, and Conspiracy Theorists to cozy up on. Trump's disrespect of America's allies, along with his withdrawing America from the standing Paris Agreement, was pivotal in the solidification of our country's isolation.
Trump's case book, narcissistic personality, flamboyancy, and his devil-may-care, get her done attitude, impressed and engaged his prey. Throughout the last four years, when interviewed by the media, most of Trump's supporters in reflecting back upon why they supported him, all claimed that he had a "certain something" that they admired. When asked about his untruths, his lies, his misogynistic ways regarding women, and even his views on racism, all of his shortcomings were dismissed because he was (in their words,) charismatic. In their disillusioned minds the gift was bigger than the giver and so they continued along on the Trump Train preaching with the zeal of the converted.
It was a slow groom at first. His strokes were intentional, and focused as he caressed the breasts of our American society with his rhetoric and assertions. He made their dark places seem acceptable, and the underbelly of their brewing disgruntlement, was caressed with the lubrication of entitlement and privilege. Donald Trump made them feel essential, desired, and protected by his expanding ego and emboldenment. His constant pillow talk of "Making America Great Again," and "Reclaiming America," along with a sub-plot of growing racial unrest, smashed against the backdrop of a raging Worldwide Pandemic, kept his prey engaged, frenzied, paranoid and enraged. His words were golden, and above reproach. Nevermind that his incessant Tweets, and thoughts were laced with a barrage of lies, false information, and 'alternative facts.' And, nevermind that the former POTUS' Twitter Account, as well as his Facebook Account, had to be assigned a specialized team of informational Fact Checkers in order to protect the American people.
Yes, he was a Media Magnet, who shared his thoughts, obsessions, and inclinations with his followers. This tactic allowed the groomer in him to "test" his limitations. In Trump's case, it was "the good people on both sides," statement that tested America's tolerance for racism. It was the lewd stories of "grabbing women by their private parts" and getting away with it, and the many sexual misconduct allegations that tested their morality. Those tests gave the right-of-way to a well-placed lie here, an attack against The Establishment over there, and the bending of the Constitution by Trump at his whim. This bullet, quickly morphed from its state of a stored potential, into an all-on, frenzied, kinetic release of the new radicalization of America! New heights were ascended to, and new lows were born out.
They damned the world, and catapulted him into their frame of deity and savior of the world. And with a nod from the Evangelical Church, a king was born. The Evangelical Church, acting in the role of the complicit parent, watched her children be groomed, while she stood by and made concessions. Their concessions gave way to their supreme support. And with the discernment and accumen of the infirmed, the Evangelical Church lay down her blood- stained banner for Christ and worshiped their idol at their altars while suppressing the rape of their children. Evangelicals across America, saturated Social Media with they're unrelenting and unrepentant idolization of Trump and his new Trumpian Society. And as our nation faced his re-election, they were his Armor Bearers, cheerleaders, and prophets; proclaiming his unadulterated and assured win! This same group of people; the groomed, the infirmed, and the radical, became his insurgents, his bullies, and his henchmen, after Trump's humiliating defeat to now-president, Joe Biden.
Donald Trump's raping of America, laid the groundwork for his motley Crew of radicalized Trumpians to turn against their family, neighbors, and their country. And on January 6th 2021, in his honor, and for his favor, they stormed the State Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the election and to hand him a stolen victory. Watching thousands of radicalized Americans demanding a place on America's throne of democracy for their imaginary King, was like watching something out of a science fiction movie. This attempted Coup d'état, which played out in real time, culminated in hundreds of arrests, five persons dead, and the second impeachment of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
"Tyranny, as this analysis suggests, is the noxious result of the compounding of a malignant narcissistic personality structure and absolute power. ~The Encyclopedia of Leadership
America's downward spiral into the waiting and grooming hands of Trump was an anomaly. And he has left many of his cult-like followers without his leadership and they are circling the drain. Many of these "Forever Trumpers," now find themselves facing disillusionment, harsh realities, and for some Federal Charges! This rape of their minds turned fiction into facts, the non-violent into the violent, and their neighbors into their enemies. But for many Americans, the process of healing began as we exhaled a collective sigh of relief when now President Joe Biden, with the stroke of a pen, brought about our country's re-enterance into relationships with our allies. America, the beautiful, would no longer be America the estranged. This emotionally-rich event caused our country much retrospection and my mind took me back to fundamentals of the Modus Operandi of a predator.
You see, predators are patient. And they understand selection and their intended. The baiting, luring, and trust building is crucial. Trump sharpened his skills as predator by finessing his followers, stroking their interests, and playing to their individual agendas, while a paralyzed America watched a type of 'Stockholm Syndrome' play out. The awakening of Americans from under the spell of Trump is mind-boggling and a relief to see. However, as in the recovery of any survivor, questions arise over their journey to wholeness. After all, there are no 12-step programs, nor couches of analysis in place to regress a divided America back to her childhood of pre-Trump molestation. The only behavior modification that can be applied is the salve of hindsight, and the illumination of our now focused 20/20 vision. Baby steps will have to be taken in healing the lives that have been shattered, and the hearts that have been disillusioned. And a whopping dose of sensitivity, calm and tolerance must be applied to the intense cries now playing over social media for "Trump to come back and save us!"