Trump Advisers Treat Him Exactly The Same Way The GOP Treats Its Voters

One of the bigger stories yesterday before the Washington Post's bombshell report that Donald Trump virtually committed treason by releasing classified information providing by a foreign government under the promise of secrecy to the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador was a Politico report that detailed how Trump's aides manage the information he receives. Sometimes that involved showing Trump flattering stories from the internet. Other times, Trump gets presented with false stories or internet hoaxes in order to either get his attention or persuade Trump to take a particular position.

According the Politico, "White House and former campaign aides have tried to make sure Trump’s media diet includes regular doses of praise and positive stories to keep his mood up — a tactic honed by staff during the campaign to keep him from tweeting angrily." In addition, "A news story tucked into Trump’s hands at the right moment can torpedo an appointment or redirect the president’s entire agenda." The article cites Trump's hastily rolled out, one page tax "plan" as being prompted by an editorial in the New York Times co-written by four economic advisers to the Trump campaign recommending that Trump put out a proposal for tax cuts "with urgency" that Trump was shown by one of his advisers.

More troubling is the story that K.T. McFarland actually presented Trump with two Time magazine covers, one from the 1970s warning of a coming Ice Age and one from 2008 talking about the dangers of global warming. The only problem was that the magazine cover from the 1970s was a fake. Incredibly, a White House official actually defended McFarland's actions, claiming the cover was "fake but accurate".

But, in many ways, Trump's advisers are treating Trump exactly the way that Republican party and its media organs have treated their voters for decades. Besides the usual puff pieces and the acceptance and flattery of clearly flawed candidates, there is the avalanche of lies. Tax cuts increase government revenue, Newt Gingrich is a forward thinking leader, Obama is not an American, illegal immigrants are flooding the country, crime is at an all-time high, and on and on. Now Republicans are just outright lying about what is in the AHCA, denying that it will effect people with pre-existing conditions and that millions of people will lose coverage.

What K.T. McFarland did to Trump is merely a continuation of a decades long trend in Republican strategy.