In the years since former real estate “mogul” and reality TV wash-up Donald J. Trump stepped out onto the political scene (or, rather, rode his golden escalator onto the political scene) there’s been a long-running “joke” about how it seems as though the man could quite literally stand in the middle of Time Square New York, shoot five people in cold blood and broad daylight, and walk away scot-free when it was all said and done. I say “joke” here because it’s not actually funny, and millions of Americans fear there is far more truth to this quip than many could ever begin to conceive.
We’ve watched, over the course of Trump’s 2016 candidacy, throughout his presidency, and even through the months and literal years of his post-White House disgrace, as the 45th US president becomes more and more exposed as the conman criminal he truly is — all while continuing to pile on new crimes and transgressions with each passing moment, it seems — and yet somehow manage to never be held to true justice, accountability, or ramifications for the things he has done and continues to do.
We’ve been forced, as a nation, to bear witness to Donald Trump not only blatantly skirting the law, but continuing to foster what has long been a growing and dangerous cult of supporters. I truly believe that this nation has forever been changed for the worse as a direct result of the MAGA “movement.” I don’t believe I will ever see a time in my natural born life where the far alt-Right truly comes to their senses, and all of the unhinged devout Trump loyalists have been weeded out of not only our citizens but our government.
However, while it’s certainly true that Trump still boasts a cult following so massive that I can’t even wrap my head around it, it also seems to be true that his support is beginning to dwindle.
The former president is, as we all know by now, embroiled in one of the most monumental scandals of his 76 years on this earth — after news broke early last month that the FBI had executed a search and seizure warrant raid against his Mar-a-Lago country club turned post-White House personal residence. The search warrant raid, which resulted in hundreds of highly-classified documents being seized by agents from the ex-president’s Palm Beach compound, was personally signed off on by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland a connects back to an investigation that’s currently being conducted by the Justice Department into multiple possible violations, by Trump, of numerous laws and regulations, including the Presidential Records Act and the Espionage Act.
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Suffice it to say, it is becoming harder and harder for Donald’s base to defend not only the man but his actions and decisions as well — and it seems as though that is beginning to show in a brutally tangible way for the scandal-ridden, disgraced former guy.
Over the weekend, ex-President Trump held yet another of his MAGA-turned-Save-America rallies, this time in Youngstown, Ohio, where he was supposed to be campaigning for his endorsed Congressional pick, J.D. Vance. Though, as we’ve come to expect from these nightmare-ish events, it ended up being a whole lot less campaigning, and a whole lot more of Donald’s tired, self-pitying, Q-Anon-fueled nonsense.
But it wasn’t Trump’s unhinged rants that seemed to catch social media’s attention this time, but rather, the number of people who showed up at the rally to listen to that mess. Or, should I say, the lack of people who showed up.
In the hours ahead of Saturday’s event, Conservative journalists and reporters tried desperately to paint a picture of a “YUGE” turnout, with people waiting in lines for hours and hours, just for the chance to hear the one-term, twice-impeached former guy ramble on for a couple of hours:
Crowd at the Trump Rally is YUGE! President Trump speaks at 7 pm and thousands are lined up waiting! It’s a great day in Youngstown, OH! Join us! #TrumpRally #AmericaLoveTRUMP #MAGA pic.twitter.com/mlIWioITzi
— Christina Bobb (@christina_bobb) September 17, 2022
But at the end of the day, photos and videos from inside the arena paint a far more pathetically dismal picture for Donald Trump, and his wavering support:
Whatever you do today, please do NOT retweet this video showing the tiny crowd at Trump’s rally last night.
Don’t ruin Trump’s weekend. pic.twitter.com/jaMQmC0iwV
— Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 18, 2022
Crowd size at Trumps Ohio rally at the Covelli Centre as @JDVance1 takes the stage. I was among the last to enter thru general admission pic.twitter.com/Hzp9IPLW8g
— Elad Eliahu (@elaadeliahu) September 17, 2022
Floor view of sparse attendance at Trump Q/ Nazi Hate rally last night. Looking even more staged. Next he will have to do rallies in a studio with paid Q actors and CGI in the crowd. pic.twitter.com/XH9pJLOtRg
— Tom Joseph (@TomJChicago) September 18, 2022
In case anyone might be curious how careful tRump is to set up the optics to make his rally crowds look huge and enthusiastic on TV, here is what the crowd behind the podium *really* looked like. As the MAGA’s saluted tRump with fascist Q-Anon hand sign. pic.twitter.com/HLWR0ghKsz
— karl m koons (@KoonsKarl) September 19, 2022
Will we live long enough to ever see a world where Donald Trump’s rabid alt-Right base no longer exists? Probably not. But it seems we do have a ray of hope to hold on to here that # 45’s base is beginning to dwindle as he digs his own hole deeper and deeper into the ground.
Featured image via screen capture
