One of the things I’ve always liked about reading history is that many of the stories are far more intriguing than most fiction…and that some of the best fiction, like West Wing or House of Cards, while very compelling can’t compete with what’s really happening.
We all knew that once Trump became President again, there would be a steady stream of material coming out of his 2025 “Reality” show…”As the Oval Office Spins.” The “Apprentice” was slow and boring in comparison.
Heather Cox Richardson attempts to keep up with the daily details and provide an educated historical perspective.. she’s working hard at it.
There will be many books and movies coming from many sources…you can count on it.
Trump is prolific and relentless. Pick the topic, mass deportation, tariffs, mass layoffs, etc. etc. and the characters he has chosen are a pretty “colorful” mix, from Musk to the Border Czar, Bondi, Hegseth and many more.
They create plenty of pain and suffering, which is too bad because they affect real people…not some extra’s in a movie.
He has an audience that loves his UFC style shtick and buys his merch from China.
He even produced a car commercial for the show.
The fact that a lot of what he says and promotes is based on lies and whatever strikes him to say on Fox or write on “Truth Social” in the moment is beside the point. It’s his version of his “truth”, it’s his script or ad lib and much of the time he sort of controls his TV reality special of the day….at least the topic or topics he wants. They may get confusing and hard to follow, and the writing is not Shakespeare but he plows on, throwing red meat to his audience…even the names of locations like Alligator Alcatraz get them stirred up.
However his show seems to have hit a snag and a recent episode is getting more attention and higher ratings than he wants. (That’s something new) This dead Jeffrey Epstein character doesn’t want to exit stage left and be gone forever. The crowd wants more. They don’t want him to be written out and left behind.
The mob is into this “ghost of predators past”…and they want to know the backstory, the connections and ALL of the details…on YouTube, Facebook, X, podcasts…yes Donald you are right, he is a “creep”, but there is also a mystery that involves the rich and powerful, an island and a group of young beautiful girls who were exploited and taken advantage of. It’s really too bad that it’s not fiction…but it’s real.
Mr. President, I think you need to face the fact…that mix is high ratings TV and is not going to evaporate because you don’t like that storyline and don’t want to participate any longer. You stoked the story while Obama and Biden were President. It has acquired a life of it’s own. It appears that you are going to counter program as fast and furiously as you can…but I think the ghost of Jeff, has a life that’s not over. People are going to follow this to the end. No matter how much you protest.
Agreed.
I was going to write about this but you beat me to it! I'll now have time for the afternoon nap. Thanks! Also Lucian Prescott IV did a terrific one as well. And even David French...
This story is too hot to go away. Americans are bored with immigration, tariffs, DOGE, anti-vaxx, bombing, slaughter in Gaza, drones destroying Ukraine, women denied healthcare, FEMA being kneecapped, NOAA and the NWS crippled, crashing planes....all getting old for the public that seems to watch all this as if in a Roman Coliseum.
Next up is the Ghislaine Maxwell story. Will she be found hanging like her boyfriend? Will she spill the beans out of spite (no pardon)?
FSM forbid that the headlines could be about progress in addressing the Climate Catastrophe, or better care for Veterans, or boosting research on cancer and kids diseases, or helping with the cost of college, or helping GenX find homes to get out of their parents basements, or housing the homeless, or finding pathways to legalize the immigrants that we NEED as workers....
Nope, national politics are now going to be salacious dribble. Nothing meaningful. Just juicy.
Pathetic.