Conor Friedersdorf, of The Atlantic, recently penned a stunning article on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s long history of cruelty for cruelty’s sake. This should not — and cannot — be ignored.
Donald Trump ‘Willfully Causes Pain And Distress’
We all know Trump is completely unqualified for the office of President of the United States. We know he’s a serial liar. However, the sheer magnitude of his cruelty is perhaps slightly less well-known.
Friedersdorf’s article lays out the argument that Trump, based on his history, is someone who causes others pain for the thrill of it. He writes:
“Trump crossed a line this week when he declared his intention to invite Gennifer Flowers to today’s presidential debate. What kind of man invites a husband’s former mistress to an event to taunt his wife? Trump managed to launch an attack that couldn’t be less relevant to his opponent’s qualifications or more personally cruel. His campaign and his running-mate later said that it was all a big joke. No matter. Whether in earnest or in jest, Trump showed his tendency to humiliate others.”
It’s typical of Trump to make a statement and then later say it was a “joke” or a “misunderstanding.” We’ve seen this time and time again. Deleted tweets, backpeddling — these are Trump’s modus operandi.
Sometimes, though, he leaves his cruelty out in the open. This retweet, for instance, is still up:
"@Don_Vito_08: "A picture is worth a thousand words" @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016
What purpose does that picture serve other than deliberate, senseless cruelty? This was most certainly not the only time Trump attacked someone’s appearance, but it was one of the most egregious. He’ll attack anyone — friend or foe — to inflate his own sense of self. It’s one of the signs of a sociopath, by the way, and not the only one Trump exhibits.
It Gets Worse – Much Worse
Of course, the examples above are relatively well-known ones. Friedersdorf brings up another example, though, that is simply chilling.
Donald J. Trump, Republican presidential nominee, is not an only child. Though perhaps the most famous of the clan, he has four siblings. His older brother, Freddy, passed away in 1981 after struggling with alcoholism for years.
When Trump’s father died in 1999, there was, of course, an enormous estate to be split between his children. The following was reported in the New York Times (emphasis mine):
“Freddy’s son, Fred III, spoke at the funeral, and that night, his wife went into labor with their son, who developed seizures that led to cerebral palsy. The Trump family promised that it would take care of the medical bills.
Then came the unveiling of Fred Sr.’s will, which Donald had helped draft. It divided the bulk of the inheritance, at least $20 million, among his children and their descendants, ‘other than my son Fred C. Trump Jr.’ Freddy’s children sued, claiming that an earlier version of the will had entitled them to their father’s share of the estate, but that Donald and his siblings had used ‘undue influence’ over their grandfather, who had dementia, to cut them out. A week later, Mr. Trump retaliated by withdrawing the medical benefits critical to his nephew’s infant child.
‘I was angry because they sued,’ he explained during last week’s interview.”
So Donald Trump, the man who is currently one of the only two people who have an actual shot at the presidency, took away an infant’s medical benefits OUT OF SPITE. It’s gut-wrenching, to say the least.
As Friedersdorf writes:
“What kind of billionaire withdraws the health insurance of an infant with cerebral palsy in a fit of pique? A person comfortable being cruel to others.”
If Trump will do this to his own family, what will his policies do to yours?
A Schoolyard Bully Could Be Our Next President
Friedersdorf tells several more stories of Trump’s history of cruelty. The scary part is that his supporters don’t care. As Trump himself said:
“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
He made that comment in January, referring to the blind loyalty his supporters show for him. That loyalty remains intact to this day. They don’t care what he says or does. In fact, they love his cruel nature. “He tells it like it is” is code for “he says what I’ve been thinking all these years but didn’t think I could say.”
Donald Trump displays the kind of behavior we see in schoolyard bullies. He is Scut Farkus — the kid who taunts Ralphie and his friends in “A Christmas Story” — personified. Except he’s not a sixth grade bully. He’s a 70-year-old man who could have the nuclear codes in just a few short months.
Or, to put it another way:
“People disagree about the ideal traits to have in a leader. But almost no one wants a president who has proven himself an addict to being cruel, mean-spirited, and spiteful. For decades, Trump has been deliberately cruel to others, often in the most public ways. He behaves this way flagrantly, showing no sign of shame or reflection.
What kind of person still acts that way at 70? A bad person.
It is that simple.”
Indeed, Mr. Friedersdorf. It IS that simple.
Watch Ezra Klein speak about Trump’s cruelty here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7KcJY_bbY
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0 license
