Before Donald Trump was president, before the orange makeup, before the rallies, there was the broomstick.
According to journalist Marc Fisher, who co-wrote Trump Revealed, Trump’s bullying started early — and it was not subtle. As a student at military school, Trump reportedly used a broomstick to hit classmates who did not follow his orders.
“He was in part enforcing the rules of the academy,” Fisher told PBS. “But he was equally so enforcing the rules of Donald Trump.”
That quote says a lot. Even back then, Trump didn’t just want to follow rules — he wanted to be the one making them. And if he needed a stick to do it, so be it.
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The story was brought up again this week by New Yorker editor David Remnick. In a new piece, he connected the young Trump with the current one — arguing that the broomstick days never really ended. The only thing that changed was the size of the stage.
Remnick pointed to a quote Trump once gave Bob Woodward: “Real power is — I don’t even want to use the word — fear.”
He used it anyway. And now it’s everywhere.
Six months into his second term, Trump has turned that same mindset into a full strategy. According to Remnick, he has built a White House around division, fear, and personal control.
The list of targets is long. Immigrants. Teachers. Librarians. Trans people. Scientists. Artists. College presidents. Federal employees. Even historians. Anyone who speaks up is a problem. Anyone who steps out of line gets a subpoena.
Remnick also said Congress is no better. “Fear keeps the Republican majority in line,” he wrote, “and causes all too many Democrats to mind their language.”
He said Trump’s inner circle acts like a “quivering collection of yea-sayers.” The people around him are either silent or scared. They say yes. They keep their heads down. They act like everything is fine.
But it’s not.
Trump has already fired or humiliated multiple cabinet members. He mocks his own staff. He calls rivals names and dares them to push back. He treats public service like a reality show, and every meeting like a chance to dominate.
Remnick even compared Trump’s second-term behavior to foreign autocrats. Some political scientists now describe it as “competitive authoritarianism” — a system that pretends to be a democracy, but isn’t.
And it all traces back to that kid with the broomstick.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
