Trump’s secret appeal | Sheneman

One of underrated issues drawing voters to Donald Trump has nothing to do with inflation, border security, or wokeness. It has to do with behavior.

Trump and his total disregard for others creates a permission structure that allows his supporters to be their worst selves. He leads by example. They watch a 78-year-old man who has risen to the highest office in the land by paying off porn stars, committing financial crimes, and inciting riots, and wonder why they bother going to the trouble of being civil. At his most benign, Trump encourages his followers to lock up his foes or throw a punch at the press, and at his most malignant he can spark an insurrection.

Trump is the perfect president for anyone who wants to let their intrusive thoughts win. He is "why not?" made flesh. Want to scam the public with a fake university, why not? Want to walk into the dressing room at the Miss Teen USA pageant, why not? Want to casually drop some slurs on the set of your reality show, why not? Is now a good time to remind you that the president of the United States is legally forbidden from running a charity in the state of New York? He was forced to dissolve his foundation and pay 2 million bucks because he used charitable funds for personal use. YOLO!

I would, however, urge caution to those who seek to live the same sort of consequence-free existence as Donald Trump. While he has thus far managed to avoid any significant comeuppance, those around him attempting the same escape act are rarely as lucky. Ask Michael Cohen or Rudy Giuliani or Steve Bannon or any of the others who have orbited Trump and found themselves on the receiving end of karma.