(Continued)
Chapter 3
IS THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY ACCIDENTAL?
COUCH: Several accounts attributed the president’s constant and persistent attack against the Mueller’s investigation to his concern that his stunning success would be less triumphant if it is perceived that his victory was achieved, even in part, with Putin’s help.
It was on the record that the president did not believe that he would win the election. I do not believe that he even wanted to be president. The luckiest man in the history of mankind did not need anything that he did not already had. He lorded over a faithful and obedient staff and consultants compared to the cantankerous, opiniated public servants who would be working for him at all levels in the government. The White House was smaller and less luxurious than Mar-a- Lago; Camp Davis could not compare to Bedminster.
ME: Then, why did he enter the race?
COUCH: A very good question. I thought, before the information came out of the Muller’s investigation and from the press, he did it out of vanity to show the Republicans that he was better than any of the potential republican candidates.
He was not initially endorsed by any conservative Republicans such as Mercer, Murdoc, or even Bannon. During the campaign, he offended the Republican establishment by openly showing disdain to almost all the big names in the party such as McCain, Bush, and did not spare even lesser figures such as Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina.
With the benefit of new information, I am certain that his decision was not motivated solely by vanity; it was a cold calculation with cash in his mind.
ME: Cash? The president is a billionaire.
COUCH: I don’t know if he is a billionaire or not. But there is no record, public record, that he is. He has refused to release his tax returns. For a man who flaunts his wealth at every turn, that is not just unusual, it’s agony.
But, there are signs that he is not rich or at least not as rich as he insists. One billionaire called him a con man. Another billionaire said that if he had parked his assets inherited from his father in an investment fund and did nothing, he would have been richer than with the fortune he claims he is worth. These talks came out only during his campaign for president. Think about such dismissive and derisive talks among the rich people in New York City and probably the country, that must have been circulating for years. They must surely have smarted him. Russia then was the solution.
ME: To build in Russia. But it would be illegal to do business with Russia.
COUCH: That’s why I suspected that he did not enter the republican primaries just for narcissistic reasons alone. He wanted to get to the power center, or better yet, to be the center of the Republican Party. He would position himself either to protect some still unknown interest, assumedly he already had in or with Russia, or to take advantage of the new position to gain more lucrative business opportunities with the Russians once the sanctions would be gone. I am pretty certain now that he only wanted to head the Republican Party going into the general election then lose it, so that he would be the de facto leader of the Republican Party which, or at least its most vocal, aggressive faction, he knew had secretly pushed for a rapprochement with Russia.
ME: As the leader of the Republican Party, he would lead the charge to lift all sanctions against Russia and create a much preferable alliance with the Russians.
COUCH: And in the process, he would be able to benefit handsomely for his family’s business and – very possibly – to cover up any illegal activity – if any – that had been committed, with the help of Putin and his cohorts. He would become a billionaire many times over and shove his new status to the face of those hypocrite and fake money people in New York.
ME: So, candidate Trump’s aim was simply to win the primaries.
COUCH: And his performance during the primary campaigns was astounding. Just like a sink hole suddenly appearing in the middle of a lake of 17 candidates, all water rushed over and carried everything with it into the hole. All other 16 candidates looked weak and defeated. The stunned Republicans swiftly abandoned them and focused their energy on Trump. And for the first time, witnessing his raw, coarse, bully like manner on the podium, they saw their victory against a formidable opponent, dawning.
ME: The hard part was to defeat Hillary Clinton.
COUCH: Yes. Even though Mr. Trump had the ageless looking, energy, street fighting skills, Mrs. Clinton did not seem to faze. She had the upper hand in all the debates against him.
ME: That was when the Russian helping hand was needed?
COUCH: No doubt. The question is, had the Russians already messed with our political system before there was any hint of a collusion with the Republicans? The most logical answer is yes, the Russians had done what they have always been doing, spying and messing with all nations, not just the U.S. They were already in our system.
ME: Surmise, right?
COUCH: Don’t have to remind me. That’s my specialty. Remember that the Republicans historically were the scourge of the Communist Soviet Union and continued to be with Russia under Putin for the same ideological reasons? Why would they want to help the Republicans?
There was a theory pushed hard by the ultraright that Putin held a deep grudge against Clinton because she voiced doubt regarding the Russian presidential election result giving him another term. I am not sure Putin was that emotional (an emotional person would not show his less than athletic body to the world). Besides, she was the one to have pushed the reset button. But even if that were true, that Putin hated the Democrats, why would he want to help the Republicans, Russia’s mortal enemies? Unless there was a quid pro quo.
ME: You promise to lift the sanctions and we will help you take control of the White House?
COUCH: Exactly. So, in that sense, in addition to the assumed fact that he did not really want to win the election and actually become president of the U.S., an immensely difficult and complex political position on this earth, the Trump presidency is accidental.
But that’s too simplistic. His performance was very convincing. For the first time, the ultraright saw one of them walking to the White House through the front door: pink skin, golden hair fluttering in the wind, intimidating in body as well as in manner, freshly naive just like Reagan (his attitude about getting North Korea to the negotiating table was a copy of Reagan’s I will get the Soviets to the negotiating tables) but more devious and cunning, calling things as the ultra right want them to be called (Mexican immigrants are rapists and criminal; there are decent people in the KKK and among the white supremacists etc.)
His bully like manner has since attracted sizeable number of followers to the tune of 30% of the voting population who have made him a cult leader. But the president did not create the cult. The cult had been in existence, albeit silently, for a long time before he came along; they just found a soul mate and made him its face. No matter what he did or would do (killing someone on Pennsylvania Avenue?) they would still stand behind him.
ME: But he was elected with more than 30% of the voters, more like almost 50% of the popular votes.
COUCH: That’s true and that’s why I am reluctant to label his presidency accidental. He blended his racist messages with legitimate concerns of ordinary Americans such as a flawed immigration policy, terrorism, economic disadvantages, perceived unfair trade practices by other countries especially China. That swayed the 20% in his favor and mind you not just Republicans but a significant number of Democrats voted for him too.
For that success, you have to respect his and his backers political acumen. His election would be definitely accidental and illegitimate if the Russian investigation could determine how much influence their interference had in the 2016 presidential election. Even 1 or 2% would have made the opposite of the outcome, and supported people who contended that Trump’s presidency is illegitimate.
ME: I detect some sadness and worry in your voice.
COUCH: Because of the takeover of the Republicans Party by the extremists.
(To be continued: “The Republican Party and the American Dream”)
