Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway

President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok

In Front of Our Noses: Unreality Hype Man

Steven L. Taylor
15

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President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok

“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”-George Orwell.

For previous entries, click here.

This whole “dead country” v. “hottest country” stuff is just so very silly. It is kayfabe hype. And it is all a blatant attempt at creating unreality.

And his constant assertion that the world was laughing at us always makes me think of the only time I can ever remember a US president being laughed at, and in this case, literally by representatives of the world. Here’s the clip:

And that speech was a similar ridiculous, exaggerated set of utterly unreal claims.

Speaking for myself, I would be embarrassed if someone I voted for spoke like this.

Reality should matter, and it should matter even more when powerful people blatantly claim that reality isn’t real.

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15 responses to “In Front of Our Noses: Unreality Hype Man”

  1. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    Speaking for myself, I would be embarrassed if someone I voted for spoke like this.

    I’d be embarrassed if someone who claims to be of the same species I am spoke like this.

    On the other hand, I’m saving a fortune on blush.

    10
  2. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    What a total horse’s ass he is.

    7
  3. Moosebreath Avatar
    Moosebreath

    Based on the title, I thought it was going to be about the picture of Trump in Superman costume which the White House released.

    Not sure if you can un-see that, so be forewarned before clicking on it.

    4
  4. Daryl Avatar
    Daryl

    Reality? Hahaha…
    https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1943493150644777199

  5. just nutha Avatar
    just nutha

    @Moosebreath: TBH, Trump’s face and head are so “digitally enhanced” in that picture that without a caption for context, I wouldn’t have guessed who it was at all. They shoulda hired the Rambo Trump artist to do the adaptation.

    A waste of stolen creative property. Or even stollen creative property. Sad. Low energy.

    2
  6. gVOR10 Avatar
    gVOR10

    Once again, it ain’t just Trump. Be charitable, what else would you have Republicans do? In this reality their political philosophy is that the rich should get richer as we may not have yet exceeded Gilded Age levels of inequality. Their platform is lower taxes for the rich, lighter regulation of their corporations, and for gawd’s sake don’t upset oil and coal profits, plus racism. What else can they do except try to create an alternate reality?

    Isn’t taking control of media to create an alternate reality a standard tool in the autocrat’s kit? My only hope is that the many conflicts with reality pop the bubble at a level of damage short of WWII.

    6
  7. Scott F. Avatar
    Scott F.

    @gVOR10:
    This. A 1000x this!

    Trump being Trump is so very distracting that we are missing the long con(servative strategy). A) The Republican political agenda (oligarchical favoritism, plus racism) Is. Not. Popular. B) Popular election is necessary to hold power in a democracy, so the Republican political agenda must be unrealistically represented and distracted from in order to win elections. C) Disenfranchisement helps, so gerrymandering is leveraged and anti-majoritarian electoral advantages have to be maximized. D) When alternate reality and electoral advantages aren’t enough, crank them up to 11.

    Voila! Trump. The living embodiment of shameless mendacious hype and wannabe authoritarian. The answer to GOP Dreams.

    Trump is not the problem. Republican minority rule is the problem and Trump is a means to an end. And since it’s working for the Republicans right now, I believe it is much more likely that they will ratchet up the strong man unreality than they will dial it back. “Popping the bubble” is going to hurt.

    7
  8. Scott F. Avatar
    Scott F.

    @Steven

    Speaking for myself, I would be embarrassed if someone I voted for spoke like this.

    See above – apparently needing something so very badly does a great deal to quell embarrassment and shame.

    3
  9. al Ameda Avatar
    al Ameda

    Speaking for myself, I would be embarrassed if someone I voted for spoke like this.

    Yes but … I believe that a majority of the 77 million people who voted for Trump like this about him, they like that he’s constantly selling and hyping America, himself, and frankly his constant astro-turf patriotism plays well with the MAGA base.

    It really doesn’t matter that I think he’s the fricken barker that stands outside the strip club door urging guys to come on in, see the show, and no cover charge! Of course there’s a 2 drink minimum and drinks are $25 per.

    5
  10. de stijl Avatar
    de stijl

    At least Flava Flav has talent.

    Seriously. Dude could play 13 instruments.

    2
  11. Scott F. Avatar
    Scott F.

    @al Ameda:
    It doesn’t really matter except for the fact that the minority of Trump voters who don’t like this about him, plus the voters that think like you do and hate him for it, plus the voters who didn’t bother to vote last year because they thought it wouldn’t matter – those people together represent the majority of the country.

    I’m convinced that pointing at what’s in front of people’s noses and asking people to challenging them on how they can find him acceptable is a meaningful way to undermine the Republicans. Guilt by association has been underutilized.

    5
  12. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    And once again, Trump attacks the Fed.
    This is really seriously unwise, both for the US, and if he had the wit to see it, Trump himself.

    If the Fed goes to low interest and loose credit policy that lets inflation rip, the dollar and bond markets are not likely to be happy.

    Trump seem to think that if only he can engineer a loose credit boom, all will be well.
    But almost all economists reckon that won’t deal with the deficit, as Trumps seems to imagine, and will just end in an inflation spike, and subsequent crash. With a possible bond crisis for extra flakes on top.

    Silly bunny.

    3
  13. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    @JohnSF:

    Powell’s term expires on May 2026. El Taco can’t seem to wait that long.

    I’ve no doubt interest rates will be reduced to very low levels, if not to zero, eventually. The question is whether El Taco will wait another 10+ months, or will sack Powell before then.

    My question is whether a disastrous reduction in rates on May 2026 can have catastrophic effects soon enough to swing the midterms to the Democrats.

    Look. It’s going to happen, no matter what we or anyone else does. So we may as well plan for it.

    An yes, I can see my biases in what I wrote above.

    2
  14. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    @Kathy:
    The problem Trump has is that the Fed is not just Powell.
    Even if he could install J. Maga-Headcase as Chairman, the Board gets to vote.

    He could, of course, attempt to overturn the entire current Fed and replace it by executive decree, with a board subservient to the whim of Trump, regrdless of the law, and hope the Supremes and the MAGA-cowed Republicans in Congress will let him do so.

    At which point the markets all run screaming for the door marked “Exit”.

    3
  15. al Ameda Avatar
    al Ameda

    @Scott F.:

    I’m convinced that pointing at what’s in front of people’s noses and asking people to challenging them on how they can find him acceptable is a meaningful way to undermine the Republicans. Guilt by association has been underutilized.

    You’re right and I can’t argue with what you say there.

    Between now and the November 2026 mid-term election(s), the message has to hammered home every day, because if the Democrats don’t gain control of at least one Chamber of Congress, this will go on unimpeded. We must know that we cannot count on any Republicans to be much more than ‘very concerned,’ because when it comes to the votes they fall in line.

    2

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