Donald Trump called American soldiers who gave their lives for freedom and who are now buried in France “losers” and “suckers.” The Atlantic broke the story but it has now been confirmed by numerous members of the military. The Washington Post and AP are also reporting that it’s true. Trump will, of course, deny the report, but that pits a man who lies regularly against people who have spent their lives serving their country.
The story lays out a devastating case against the president and builds on stories that have been widely reported before. Back in the Republican primary, Trump criticized John McCain for getting captured, saying he was “not a hero.” At a Memorial Day event in Arlington National Cemetery, he asked then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, whose son died in Afghanistan, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
That latter story gets to the heart of who Donald Trump is. He’s a man who can’t believe anybody would do anything outside of self-interest. In essence, Donald Trump is John Galt.
But this feature isn’t just about Donald Trump. It explains why Republicans stay silent while Trump insults heroes and profits off his presidency. They agree with him in principle. The free marketeers who have driven much of the GOP’s economic philosophy for the past 40 years support radical self-interest and eschew the values of community and self-sacrifice.
They latched on to Ayn Rand’s view that if everyone pursues their own self-interest, our society will better off. That’s exactly what Trump does. He has no concept of the public good and neither does the GOP. Their view of the world has given us a president who cannot see the value of taking care of others. He pursues his own self-interest much like the Randian hero John Galt.
Trump and his tenure shows what Randian free market libertarianism looks like in practice. It’s incompatible with the concept of patriotism or community. The radical individualism embraced by the free marketeers runs counter to the concept of self-sacrifice necessary for a healthy society. Republicans are silent while Trump and his band of grifters plunder the country because they are acting in their self-interests. The GOP will ignore Trump’s misbehavior because tax cuts for the rich and deregulation are rooted in the same core value: self-serving personal gain.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
“The free marketeers who have driven much of the GOP’s economic philosophy for the past 40 years support radical self-interest and eschew the values of community and self-sacrifice.
They latched on to Ayn Rand’s view that if everyone pursues their own self-interest, our society will better off.”
Yes, they did and do. It is also precisely that view which determined the lack of a serious response to COVID -19, and the attendant indifference to that reality by so many in this country. Tens of thousands are dead as a result, and many of those who have “recovered” are still experiencing continued problems. Large parts of the economy are in shambles — contrary to the self congratulatory messages from those watching the stock market and so-called unemployment figures. Shameful is an understatement.
The NYTimes ran an opinion piece today by Veronique de Rugy, of the Mercatus Center, on how shocked she was to see so much croney capitalism at play in the banking industry. Duh! This is what near-invisable regulation looks like, sweetie, of the kind think tanks like yours have been pushing for years!
She was shocked! Shocked, she tells us, to learn there was gamblilng, er, croneyistm going on. Riiiiiight.
Sort of reminds me of the classic line from Casablanca by the French Chief of Police “I’m shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here.”
Excellent comparison. Trump is the embodiment of the worst of Ayn Rand’s screed.