Gary Wills wrote about Richard Nixon in the foreword to his 2017 book: , “Nixon Agonist”. Wills, perhaps unfairly, said, “Nixon’s real tragedy is that he never had the makings of a tragic hero. He’s a sad (almost heartbreaking) comedy.”
donald trump’s scary tree rings, during which he replaced Nixon as the saddest figure in post-presidential politics. Despite its flaws, the Commission of January 6 succeeded in establishing an official record of his attempt to steal the presidency (narrated largely by his own aide). .A special prosecutor is in charge of his case. for everyone to see.
A week after the midterm elections were disastrous for his party and his power, he announced that he would run for president again. The party and the public shrugged.
He then hinted at a “big announcement” that turned out to be a series of digital trading cards. photoshop image Paste his face from a Google search. Show him as an astronaut, a sheriff, a superhero who shoots laser beams out of his eyes, among other things (even Russian state television, snickers).
It can be reported that Trump was neither an astronaut nor a sheriff. If he had heat vision, Mike Pence would have been a pile of ash.
The contrast with Nixon after he took office is stark. In his exile Nixon wrote ten of his books, all of which were very serious, including his memoirs.he regained his reputation as a dispensing sage advice To president.
But that’s not the hard part. Surrounded by his loving family, his lifelong friends, and loyal aides, Nixon gave him the kind of support that politics doesn’t give him. His first and only wife was the love of his life.After Nixon’s death, they cherished his memory. Nixon in his exile was respected not only by his friends but also by his enemies.
of famously friendless Trump is Admitted That he wasn’t very good with real friends. Trump likes to be surrounded by people who tell him what he wants to hear. What he wants to hear is, “You are amazing.” According to reportswhich is why he got along so well with the neo-Nazi chatter who praised him for his now-infamous dinner with the artist once known as Kanye West.
This is what makes Trump a pathetic figure. Wills titled his book “Nixon Agonistes” — a reference to Milton’s poem “Samson Agonistes” — that Nixon was a man of struggle both inside and out and thirsty for respect.
Trump isn’t just asking for respect. He, as the children say,dryRespect for his strength, his “very stable genius”, his masculinity and of course his money.When Trump Reads 2015 digit While mocking the possibility of running in the New York Post, he turned to his aide, Sam Nambug, saying, murmured“Why don’t they respect me, Sam?”
Of course, there are people who look up to Mr. Trump, but most of them aren’t friends, they’re fans, and they’re the kind of people who don’t understand his trading card jokes. In 2016 he Said New Hampshire Audience: “As far as I’m concerned, I have no friends,” he said. “Do you know who my friend is? You are my friend.
Fans are generally the last people to tell you the hard truth. Worse for Trump: His definition of a fan is people he thinks he can do no wrong.
The main difference is that Nixon’s thirst for respect was tempered by a decidedly flawed mutual respect for the presidency, his party, his country, and those closest to him. escaped the ordeal of After being impeached twice, Trump ran again, lost, and tried to usurp the presidency.he recently asked to stop Constitutional proposals to reinstall him, because anything that prevents him from glorifying himself deserves respect.
Nixon’s struggles were complicated because he was complicated. Trump’s struggle is simple because he is simple. He is all but desires for fame, power, sex, and admiration, stripped of his inner life and unhindered by external attachments.
Wills may have been right that the secret tape showed the “real” Nixon. You don’t need secret tapes to know Trump. Because the real Trump is always on display for those who look him in the eye. And finally, even his fans are exhausted by the spectacle.
This story originally appeared los angeles times.