I can clearly recall the Nixon meltdown in 1974 and, seriously, the news coverage of Donald Trump during the past few days has already begun to feel a lot like that: Every day a few more details, a new eye-roll at the brazen amorality of the man, a fierce new condemnation of the press whose revelations were nibbling him to pieces.
.@CNN is in a total meltdown with their FAKE NEWS because their ratings are tanking since election and their credibility will soon be gone!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017
There is a vital difference between Nixon and Trump, though. As screwed-up as he was, Nixon could feel humiliation and, somewhere inside him, he did care about his country. Trump lacks that, or any interest in anything beyond his own aggrandizement; that makes him vastly more dangerous.
Thinking ahead, I see two different scenarios playing out. The first is a reprise of the Nixon collapse: paralyzed government as Trump disintegrates in slow-motion, occasional and then accelerating defections, a dwindling core of supporters who are simply unable to face the truth of how they were gulled or the injury they have done to their country. The second is the demonization of a public enemy — almost certainly the press — the emergence of brownshirts, and widespread vandalism against media outlets and violence against reporters. Kristallnacht.
Brace yourself. We’re in for a long and ugly ride before Trump is gone.