As you know by now: On Sunday night, as part of what has become his weekly social media meltdown, Donald Trump posted this image of himself as Jesus Christ.
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The blowback —including the Christian right — was so intense that Trump deleted the post on Monday.¹ (Nota bene: he did not remove his post attacking the Pope.)
Asked about his blazingly blasphemous post, Trump offered this explanation:
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support.
“Only the fake news could come up with that one,” he continued. “I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better and I do make people better.”
HERE IS THE TEST:
Show or read Trump’s I-thought-it-was-me-as-a-
doctor explanation to your friends co-workers, or members of your family. Ask them: Do you believe Trump?
Do you really think he thought the image with the angels and glowing hands was meant to portray him as a doctor?
Clip and save, because this is a Rorschach test in the Age of MAGA: Their answer will be a remarkably accurate gauge of whether:
(1) Their brains have been melted by Trumpism;
(2) They are irredeemably lost to the Cult, or
(3) If they call bullshit, there’s still a spark of sentience in there somewhere.
Trust me, this as close to a scientific study of the MAGA-mind-melt as you’ll ever see.
Happy Tuesday.
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Trump Loses Meloni
Another beautiful friendship goes up in flames, because, well, everything Trump touches, dies.
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, described Trump's tirade against the Pope as "unacceptable". Now the US president has said it is "she who is unacceptable".
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Trump also said he was "shocked" by the Italian PM's comments. He went on to issue a stark warning over Iran's nuclear capabilities….
"She is no longer the same person, and Italy will not be the same country." Trump added that he had not had contact with Meloni "for a long time". Trump and Meloni have previously been close political allies.
You think?
The NYT’s Peter Baker goes there: “Trump’s Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate.”
A series of disjointed, hard-to-follow and sometimes-profane statements capped by his “a whole civilization will die tonight” threat to wipe Iran off the map last week and his head-spinning attack on the “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” pope on Sunday night have left many with the impression of a deranged autocrat mad with power.
“Trump’s Incredible Shrinking Tent”
Donald Trump is torching the coalition that made him president, seemingly unaware of — or simply unconcerned by — the depth of discontent permeating his movement.
Why it matters: Trump won back the White House with the most eclectic alliance in modern politics — a blend of MAGA diehards, crypto evangelists, nonwhite men, podcast bros, anti-war populists and culture-war Christians.
*What Republicans celebrated as a once-in-a-generation coalition may turn out to be exactly that, never to be reassembled….
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Trump’s war on his own coalition extends far beyond the pews.
MAGA media: Trump has lashed out at the most powerful voices in the “America First” ecosystem, disavowing erstwhile allies for their criticism of his Iran war. The fallout is tearing through the broader MAGA media world, forcing influencers who’ve spent years in lockstep to publicly pick sides.
Podcast populists: Trump’s 2024 campaign attracted a generation of young, nontraditional Republican voters who’d never pulled a lever for the party before. The Iran war, the Epstein files and suspicious trading activity tied to Trump announcements have shattered their fleeting trust in politicians.
Crypto enthusiasts: Trump ran as the “crypto president,” and the industry poured millions into his campaign. A cascade of controversies — including crashing prices, meme coin “rug pulls,” and new allegations of self-dealing by the Trump family’s crypto venture — has left even true believers questioning whether they were ever anything more than marks.
Farmers: Trump’s policies are hitting his rural base from every direction — tariffs that squeezed margins, deportations that thinned the farm labor force, trade tensions with China that sent soybean prices tumbling, and now an Iran war that’s sent fuel costs soaring.
Nonwhite voters: Trump made historic inroads with Latino and Black men in 2024 on the strength of his economic message. Deep pessimism about the U.S. economy has rapidly unraveled those gains, with Trump’s approval among Latinos cratering to 22% in February, according to a CNN poll.
BONUS:
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Hasan Piker Tells Us Who He is (Again)
Well, this is awkward for the let’s-embrace-Piker crowd. Via Mediate: “Hasan Piker Defends Hamas Support.”
“Pod Save America host Jon Favreau sat down with progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker on Sunday and, during a friendly interview, tried to get Piker to tamp down some of his more controversial statements.”
“This is one from January, ‘Hamas is a thousand times better than a fascist settler colonial apartheid state,’” Favreau said as he quoted Piker’s statement.
“I stand by that,” insisted Piker.
Favreau did his very best to get Piker to back off his gushing praise of the terrorist group:
“Well, so I will say this is the one that bothered me most when I first heard it. And I remember having a reaction to it when I first saw it in January because I think even if you believe what happened in Gaza is genocide and what’s happening in the West Bank is apartheid, those are different claims from Hamas is a thousand times better.
Because Hamas is an organization that has massacred, raped, kidnapped civilians on October 7th.”
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They’ve also been catastrophic for Palestinians by almost every measure. Governance, corruption, they made choices they knew would result in mass civilian deaths of their own people.
So,my question is when you say Hamas is a thousand times better, do you actually mean that or is that a rhetorical move or like a solidarity signal? Like what?
Piker wouldn’t budge: “I mean, it’s all of the above. I do mean it,” Piker insisted.
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Name one swing election where Piker’s involvement would help Democrats win?
Name one congressional district anywhere in America where Piker’s involvement would help Democrats win?
Name one state where Piker’s involvement would make it more, not less, likely that the Democrats would win?
Please take your time.
Today’s Podcast
This is an important discussion.
Ian Bassin is Co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy and a 2023 recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. (!)
He joins me to discuss the lessons from Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary’s elections, global authoritarian trends, and the importance of coalition-building in defending democracy.
Subscribers can listen to an ad-free version right here… or you can watch on YouTube / Listen (and subscribe) on Apple/ Spotify / iHeart / RSS Feed
Tuesday dogs (and other creatures)
A sign of Spring: The frogs have returned to our window well.
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Thanks for reading To the Contrary! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Rachel Bade explains why Trump — uncharacteristically — removed the post.
It’s not hard to see why. That Truth Social post from last night immediately sparked outrage among religious Trump supporters. Cries of blasphemy only crescendoed Monday morning — scorn that comes as the president is already hemorrhaging support among Catholics over Iran….
SOME REPUBLICANS MIGHT ROLL their eyes about this hubbub. But take it from someone who hails from an immediate and extended family packed with Catholic Trump voters. This kind of stunt turns their stomachs.
Growing up, for example, I distinctly recall the singer MADONNA being frowned upon not just because of her suggestive dancing and lyrics, but especially because she wore the rosary as jewelry — a huge no-no for Catholics. For some, Madonna’s offense almost pales in comparison. Here, the president used his bully pulpit last night to relentlessly attack POPE LEO XIV as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” — and then posted that picture of himself that certainly looked a whole lot like Jesus.
I CALLED UP A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS, and this sums it up pretty well:
“I think he’s way out of line — waaay out of line,” said one of my relatives who — like many in my family — has voted for Trump three times. “He’s barking up the wrong tree. I’m glad he took it down.”
Reactions from religious right online echoed this sentiment. Here’s a sampling:
“Faith is not a prop — and we shouldn’t laugh at it being used as one,” BRILYN HOLLYHAND, a young conservative Christian influencer, said in a video. “There’s innocent humor – and then there’s this…. Comparing yourself, even jokingly, to Jesus, it undermines the very value that many of us hold dear.”
“President Trump’s team never should have posted this image,” argued ARI FLEISCHER, who is Jewish (not Christian) but knows a thing or two about GOP politics. It’s inappropriate and embarrassing. It’s offensive.”
Here’s DAVID BRODY, a Trump supporter on Christian Broadcasting Network: “TAKE THIS DOWN, MR. PRESIDENT… You’re not God... This goes too far. It crosses the line. A supporter can back the mission AND reject this simultaneously.”
And Fox News contributor RILEY GAINES added this: “Does he actually think this? …Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked”
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Sherry's comments:
Bike Palestine is a wonderful and extremely interesting bike and van tour through The West Bank. It is a learning experience about the area. History, religion, politics, beautiful countryside and delicious food. WE can walk where Jesus walked in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. It was through The Siraj Center and Bike Palestine. It was so interesting and so beautiful and an incredible learning experience about everything we see in the news everyday. Full disclosure--I am trying to help a dog group there. Charlie, can you interview Diana George Babish from The Bethlehem Shelter. She works 24/7 to find homes for dogs and cats and donkeys. She is the only animal shelter in The West Bank--helping her get the word out. It is just like I got my Coco Louise from Ensenada when I lived in San Diego...just a longer distance. Nominated her for a CNN Hero several times but never make it to the finals.