Trump is Running a Mob-Style Protection Racket Whose Victims Include NATO and Taylor Swift

The behavioral disorders of Donald Trump have been well documented. Psychiatric professionals have diagnosed him with a severe case of malignant narcissism and with prominent episodes of paranoia and sociopathy. These are mental maladies that are present in aspiring authoritarians and cult leaders.

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Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

Trump’s MAGA movement is a textbook example of a cult, wherein the indoctrinated followers regard the leader as infallible and near to a deity. They forgive him any and all transgressions. He can lie with impunity. He can break laws and openly violate moral standards. He can commit 91 felonies and repeatedly defame a woman that he raped. Trump has done all of this, while retaining the adoration of his glassy-eyed disciples, as well as his Republican Party parasites.

SEE THIS: IT’S A CULT! Poll Shows Republicans Trust Only Criminal Messiah Trump to Tell Them the Truth

But Trump and MAGA are more than just a typical cult. Trump’s model for his operations is organized crime. He envisions himself as a mob boss whose underlings are beholden to him by a combination of favors and threats. No one is safe from his wrath, which is the eventual end of nearly every relationship he has.

On Sunday morning Trump posted a comment to his failing social media scam, Truth Social that exhibited his crime boss belligerence. It was directed at pop superstar Taylor Swift and read

“I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists. Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will. There’s no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money. Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can’t stand me!”

Trump thinks Taylor Swift should support him because he signed a bill (that he had nothing to do with, and probably knows nothing about) that benefited musical artists. He’s actually trying to take credit for Swift’s success that predated his occupation of the White House by a decade.

What’s more, Trump thinks that this inane argument will win him Swift’s political support. He thinks that she is as stupid as his MAGA minions, and that she has no values of her own. He would certainly ditch her, and viciously malign her, the instant she expressed any appreciation for President Biden. In Trump’s mind it’s all about money. So, like his hero, Al Capone, he demands loyalty for protection.

That was not the only recent example of Trump’s protection racketeering. He pulled the same move on America’s NATO allies. At his cult rally in South Carolina Trump told a story, that is surely pure fiction, about a leader of a “big country” who asked if the the U.S. would honor its treaty obligations in the event that Russia attacked them. Trump says that he replied…

“You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent? ‘No I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.”

This is a grotesque betrayal of American and international law. Treaties are not mere handshakes between the signatories. They are explicitly cited in the Constitution’s Article VI as the “supreme Law of the Land.” As president, Trump couldn’t unilaterly withdraw for alleged non-payment. The funds that he is referring to are not even owed to the U.S. They are goals, not requirements, for the member nations’ own internal defense budgets. And yet, wannabe Dictator Trump believes that he can demand a ransom for America’s allegiance. To Trump American honor is for sale like any other commodity.

However, when Trump says that he would “encourage” Russia to attack our allies he is going even further into the realm of overt treason, as defined by Article III of the Constitution that refers to giving “aid and comfort” to our enemies. That couldn’t be more submissive to the will of Vladimir Putin than if Trump planted a big, wet kiss on his – let’s say mouth.

You know Trump is serious about this extortion scheme because that is precisely the position he’s taken on Russia’s invasion of – and continued slaughter in – Ukraine. It’s also similar to the threats he imposed on state election officials in Georgia and elsewhere to get them to falsify election results. He also tried to extort Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to pressure him to dig up dirt on Biden. Trump even threatened the Republican National Committee in order to divert donations to himself rather than the party.

SEE ALSO: Trump Threatens Republicans to Stop Using His Image to Raise Money that He Wants for Himself

The pattern you see developing here is not coincidence. It is representative of Trump’s transactional and tyrannical personality. And if he were to return to the White House he would sell the country to the highest bidder without blinking twice. We must never allow that to happen.

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TRUMP: Me Me Me Me Me, Lies about NATO, Me Me Me, Biden Sucks, Me Me

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a historic speech (video below) to the United States Congress on Wednesday to make a personal plea for aid to beat back Vladimir Putin and Russia’s brutal, genocidal invasion. It was a compelling, impassioned address in support of his nation’s battle for democracy and liberty. He was received by Congress with respect and admiration for his courage and devotion to freedom.

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Donald Trump

However, at the same time that Zelenskyy was speaking, Donald Trump was tweeting (via his Twitter ban defying spokes-shill). And his message to the nation – or more accurately, to his cult followers – could not have been more different. Rather than acknowledging the unprecedented event that was taking place in our nation’s Capitol, Trump chose to regurgitate some old, debunked lies that were laser focused entirely on himself, as if he could ever do otherwise. In his typical, run-on incoherence, he babbled that…

“People forget so quickly, with the help of the Fake News, that it was me that got the 20 out of 28 delinquent NATO countries to start paying the money that they owed in order to rebuild a floundering NATO. Nobody knew things would happen so rapidly, but NATO was poor and now it is rich, and all of the Fake News commentators that said Trump was tearing down NATO should be ashamed of themselves for telling lies. Not only was the United States being taken advantage of by the EU on trade, but it was forced to pay the costs of the many delinquent NATO countries. Bush and Obama did nothing but make speeches and talk—I acted, and acted strongly. I said to them, ‘if you don’t pay up, no protection.’ They all paid up, and paid up quickly. It’s a story that’s never reported, but that’s only because we have a corrupt press in our Country!”

This meandering mess merits a fact-based breakdown. Let’s begin with Trump’s complaint that the “fake” news has made people forget that he “got the 20 out of 28 delinquent NATO countries to start paying.” First of all, he didn’t do that. NATO members began “increas[ing] their defense spending in 2015 and 2016, before Trump took office.” That was during Obama’s term. And the assertion that NATO was “floundering” is wholly fictional.

RELATED: In Flaming Fox News Fiasco Trump Proves He Has No Friggin’ Idea What To Do About Ukraine

Trump went on to whine about “Fake News commentators that said Trump was tearing down NATO.” Which is demonstrably true. He even referred to the alliance as “obsolete,” and planned to withdraw from it.

Trump’s claim that the U.S. “was forced to pay the costs of the many delinquent NATO countries,” has no basis in reality. What’s more, there are no “dues” to belong to NATO, so member nations cannot be “delinquent,” and Trump never made them “pay up.” NATO members simply agree to a goal of spending 2% of of their annual GDP on their own defense budgets.

Finally, Trump actually admits that he extorted NATO by threatening to renege on the commitment of mutual defense stipulated in the treaty. “If you don’t pay up,” Trump warned, “no protection.” That’s reminiscent of Trump’s extortion attempt against Zelenskyy, when he withheld military aid already allocated by Congress if Zelenskyy didn’t help him manufacture dirt on then-candidate Biden.

RELATED: Traitor Trump Can’t Stop Attacking America, but Won’t Condemn His Hero Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

This entire statement reflects the mind of someone severely disturbed. It affirms prior diagnoses of Trump as a malignant narcissist. He turns every discussion into one that is centered on exalting himself. And if he can also disparage his foes, so much the better. For him to yammer like this on the same day that Zelenskyy acquitted himself with such dignity, truly distinguishes the differences between a hero and America’s preeminent zero. Yet he is still the beloved Dear Leader of today’s repugnant Republican Party.

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In Flaming Fox News Fiasco Trump Proves He Has No Friggin’ Idea What To Do About Ukraine

On the morning after President Biden delivered the first State of the Union address in years that was intelligent, coherent, compassionate, and free of maniacal rage, Donald Trump staged another of his pajama-clad call-ins to Fox News from his Mar-a-Lago bedroom. This time his (my)pillow talk was with the Senior Fox News Trump-Fluffer, Maria Bartiromo on the Fox Business Network.

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Donald Trump, Fox News

The Interview was filled with Trump’s typical spasms of self-exaltation and infantile insults directed at anyone who hasn’t been sufficiently worshipful. And considering the prominence of Russia’s horrendous invasion of Ukraine in the news, Bartiromo sought to give Trump an opportunity to express his “insights.” Although she never bothered to acknowledge his prior tributes to his hero, Vladimir Putin, she did ask about the conflict and the consequences for the NATO alliance.

Trump’s first thought on the subject was to lie that “There wouldn’t have been a NATO if I hadn’t been president.” Which is peculiar considering that he frequently disparaged it as “obsolete” and sought to withdraw from it. His efforts to weaken NATO were actually the fuel for Putin’s imperialistic aggression against Ukraine. But he then went even farther down the rabid hole in this exchange (video below):

Bartiromo: President Zelenskyy is being hailed as the modern Winston Churchill. I know you’ve met him. What does Zelenskyy need to do right now – and you say we’ve gone wrong on Ukraine – what is the most important move that this administration needs to be making to stop this fighting in Ukraine?
Trump: Well, I like President Zelenskyy for another reason, cause he was very honest.

Whereupon, Trump, totally ignoring the question, embarked on an extended rant, lying about Zelenskyy absolving him of any wrongdoing during the infamous “perfect” phone call. The call where Trump tried to extort Zelenskyy into fabricating dirt on then-candidate Joe Biden. The call that was the basis for Trump being impeached the first time.

The truth, contrary to Trump’s contention, is that Zelenskyy never said that Trump did nothing wrong. But he had to be careful not to upset Trump at the risk of losing U.S. military aid. You can’t ask a hostage if he’s under pressure and expect a candid answer. However, Zelenskyy did tell an interviewer at the time that he didn’t “want us to look like beggars.” Then went he on to say that “If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us.”

Trump, however, did block military aid to Ukraine at a critical time. That’s something else that Bartiromo neglected to mention. Eventually, Bartiromo tried to steer the wildly off track Trump back to the question:

Bartiromo: But what about Joe Biden? What does Joe Biden need to do now to stop the fighting in Ukraine? You said that they’ve gone wrong. How? What should he do?
Trump: They’ve got to get them the weapons that he needs and he’s got to open up the oil.

Really? Trump’s insightful analysis of Ukraine’s dilemma as Russian forces are advancing is that Biden needs to do what he is already doing with regard to arming the Ukrainians? Thanks, Donnie. And as for his advice to “open the oil,” what does that even mean? Does he want the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline brought back online? And how would that “stop the fighting,” which is what Bartiromo had asked?

It is simply mind boggling how anyone can take Trump seriously as a leader in governing, or diplomacy, or even in managing a Wendy’s in Boca Raton. If he can go on Fox News and make this big an ass of himself, imagine how he would fare if he were interviewed by an actual journalist. And yet his cult following continues to revere him as their messiah.

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Trump’s Ego and Fear is Totally Out of Control in Monday Morning Rage-Tweeting

Throughout his occupation of the White House, Donald Trump demonstrated his servile obedience to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Not only did he never utter a word of criticism, he slavishly praised Putin at every opportunity. That craven toadyism continued, and even escalated, since returning to civilian life.

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Donald Trump, Padded Cell

However, Trump may have exceeded the boundaries of tolerance within which he has managed to get away with undermining American interests and subverting democracy. His noxious fawning over Putin during the hellacious assault on Ukraine has caused some of his most devoted disciples to back away. And in the face of that retreat, Trump is trying to overcompensate for his fear by pumping up his already gargantuan ego.

In a pair of desperate but impotent tweets on Monday morning, Trump lavished himself with ludicrous accolades. That’s nothing new for the malignant narcissist of Mar-a-Lago. But the quantity and the dishonesty he is capable of is still pretty impressive in a nauseating way. In his brief tweet tantrums Trump bragged that…

“I hope everyone is able to remember that it was me, as President of the United States, that got delinquent NATO members to start paying their dues.”

“There would be no NATO if I didn’t act strongly and swiftly.”

It was me that got Ukraine the very effective anti-tank busters (Javelins).’

If my energy policy had remained in place…the world would have had no problems whatsoever.”

“If the Election wasn’t Rigged, America would right now continue to have record-low gas prices, as it was under my Administration.”

There is so much wrong in that that it deserves some further attention.

First of all, Trump is trying to take credit for saving NATO. Never mind that he has repeatedly attacked NATO, calling it “obsolete” and sought to withdraw from it. He was serving Putin’s purpose by attempting to weaken the alliance. And he’s flagrantly lying about having raised hundreds of billions of dollars by getting member nations to pay their dues. There are no “dues” to belong to NATO. Just voluntary defense budget goals. And Trump didn’t even have any impact on that.

The Javelin missiles he’s referring to are the ones that he actually used to try to blackmail Ukraine into fabricating dirt about then-candidate Joe Biden. That’s why Trump was impeached the first time. And the funding for those weapons was actually allocated by Congress during the Obama administration. It was Trump who obstructed their delivery.

Trump’s energy policy did not produce energy independence. That was achieved prior to his election, and it was lost in 2020, during his term. The low gas prices he touted were the result of a deadly pandemic (that was exacerbated by his incompetence) during which the demand – and therefore the price – of gas dropped. And the notion that the U.S. has oil resources could exceed Saudi Arabia and Russia combined is pure insanity. As is his ridiculous assertion that “the world would have had no problems whatsoever” were he he still in charge. The world has not forgotten that during his term in office there were nothing but problems.

However, Trump is right that the war in Ukraine should never have happened. But notice that Trump doesn’t – and hasn’t ever – criticized Vladimir Putin for having started the war. In fact, Trump blames it on the “rigged” election, which to him is the cause of everything from the extinction of the dinosaurs to tooth decay.

Trump is displaying the classic symptoms of malignant narcissist. He is psychologically incapable of acknowledging any personal faults. So he will blame whatever is going badly on someone/anyone else, and invent things to congratulate himself for. We can expect this sort of deranged behavior to continue, and to become even more severe, as his world falls apart around him.

Hopefully, we can mitigate the harm that he and his cult followers are capable of creating. The next couple of years will be challenging for America and for the sane and responsible Americans.

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Traitor Trump Can’t Stop Attacking America, but Won’t Condemn His Hero Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

For the entire four years that Donald Trump occupied the White House, he never once criticized Vladimir Putin. To the contrary, he lavished Putin praise and justified his atrocities. That servile submission to America’s most foreboding foe was a constant reminder of where Trump misplaced his always self-serving disloyalties.

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Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin

Trump’s own national security aide, and renowned expert on Ukraine and Russia, Fiona Hill, did not mince words when describing Trump’s aversion to America. “There’s no Team America for Trump,” Hill said. “Not once did I see him do anything to put America first. Not once. Not for a single second.”

On Tuesday morning Trump unleashed yet another exhibition of his rancid anti-patriotism. In a statement posted by his Twitter ban defying spokes-shill, Trump took some familiar swipes at the U.S. and its response to the invasion of Ukraine by Trump’s pals in Russia, saying that…

“If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all. I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump Administration what he is doing now, no way!”

Tuesday morning quarterbacking is always easier than actually coming up with effective policy. Notice that Trump didn’t bother to lay out what he considered “proper handling.” That’s because his policy was always to kowtow to Putin. Trump is right that Putin would never have done what he’s doing now during the Trump administration. He didn’t need to. Trump was doing it for him. Trump was working arduously to undermine NATO, which is what Putin’s goal is today with regard to Ukraine. Trump continued, saying that…

“Russia has become very very rich during the Biden Administration, with oil prices doubling and soon to be tripling and quadrupling. The weak sanctions are insignificant.”

First of all, oil prices have not doubled, much less tripled or quadrupled. As usual, Trump is exaggerating (i.e. lying) to keep his cult followers disinformed. Oil prices have gone up, but then you know who else is getting rich on that? America and U.S. oil companies. And it will benefit the U.S. far more than Russia when the sanctions kick in that prevent Russia from selling its oil, and the U.S. assumes those markets. But we need to remember that oil is an international commodity and its prices are not set by the U.S. or U.S. policy.

Trump went on to repeat his old standard lies about his allegedly having achieved energy independence for America (which was achieved before his term in office), and spat out disingenuous complaints about Putin’s wealth. If Trump actually cared about that, the best way of cutting into Putin’s oil profits would be to transition faster to renewable energy. Which Trump and the GOP oppose.

Finally, Trump posted another statement attacking our ally, Germany, for shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. That’s something that Trump advocated before he felt the need to flip flop because now it is being done as part of the sanctions package put together by NATO and President Biden.

What makes this criticism of Germany even worse is that Trump sourced his complaint with a link to an article on RT, (Russia Today), a Kremlin-backed disinformation network that is registered as a “foreign agent” in the United States. Which is just further evidence of Trump’s embrace of Russia and its anti-American propaganda. As if any further evidence were needed. And for good measure, Trump phoned in to the Travis and Sexton radio show to humiliate himself by slobbering even more over Putin…

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WRONG! Trump Lies that Ukraine President Said He Did Nothing Wrong

On Monday morning Donald Trump whisked off to London for a summit with NATO, the international alliance that he repeatedly disparages. That is, at least, when he isn’t shilling for Vladimir Putin and Russia to be admitted into the group that was formed to counter the hostile intentions of Russia.

Donald Trump Impeach Fearful

Prior to his departure, Trump felt it was necessary to whine some more about the impeachment proceedings in Congress. These are the proceedings that he said were unfair because they weren’t public. Then he complained when they became public. And he was furious that he wasn’t allowed to participate. But he is now refusing to accept an invitation to participate.

Trump is obviously afraid to appear under oath before the Judiciary Committee because he knows that if he tells the truth he is likely to further incriminate himself. But if he lies he’s committing perjury. So his only recourse is to tweet from the safety of his bedroom. And that’s what he did several times, addressing a new interview by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Trump said exonerates him:

It will not surprise most people that Trump is lying. He simply made up this assertion that Zelensky said he “has done nothing wrong.” In fact, Zelensky said quite the opposite:

“Look, I never talked to the president from the position of a quid pro quo,” Zelenskiy told Time and a handful of European publications in an interview published Monday. “That’s not my thing. … I don’t want us to look like beggars. But you have to understand. We’re at war. If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness. It’s not about a quid pro quo. It just goes without saying.”

Trump zoned in on Zelensky’s comment that he never talked about a quid pro quo. But it’s clear that his meaning was that he didn’t want to portray his dealings with Trump as subservient. His complete statement in context shows that he was plainly concerned about Trump’s threat to “block” critical military aid, and that it doesn’t matter what you call the arrangement, it “goes without saying” that the aid and Ukraine’s concessions to Trump were inextricably intertwined.

However, that didn’t stop Trump from lying about Zelensky’s comments. He has been saying for months that there was no quid pro quo. Which is odd considering that his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said there was. Even more damning, Trump actually admitted that there was indeed a quid pro quo on national television:

REPORTER: Mr. President, what exactly did you hope Zelensky would do about the Bidens after your phone call? Exactly.

TRUMP: I would think that if they’re honest about it they’d start a major investigation into the Bidens. It’s a very simple answer. They should investigate the Bidens.

It is truly mind boggling that there is anyone who still believes anything that Trump says. He lies with the reckless abandon of sociopathic con man. He even lies about the lies he told a few days, or even hours, before. Even one of his staunchest defenders on Fox News, Tucker Carlson, recently called Trump a full-blown BS artist.” And that’s coming from someone who knows Trump well, and whose job relies on intimate knowledge of bullshitting.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump Wistfully Yearns That ‘Hopefully, Someday, Maybe’ Vladimir Putin Will Be His Friend

Now that Donald Trump has concluded his meeting with NATO, he will be spending a couple of days at his golf resort in Scotland, and then it’s off to Helsinki and his tryst with Vladimir Putin. Trump’s behavior at NATO was typically hostile in nature toward America’s long-time allies. And he is already expressing his affection for Putin in advance of their meeting.

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin

At an impromptu press availability, just prior to leaving Brussels, Trump, unprompted, reiterated that he is “a very stable genius.” He was later asked if he thought he would get along with Putin. The question was not especially probing considering the fact that Trump has many times confessed his deep regard for Russia’s murderous dictator. However, Trump went even farther than he usually goes to display an affinity for Putin that defies reason (video below). He said of Putin that:

“Well, he’s a competitor. He’s been very nice to me the times I’ve met him. I’ve been nice to him. He’s a competitor. Somebody was saying, ‘Is he an enemy?’ He’s not my enemy. Is he a friend? No, I don’t know him well enough. But the couple of times that I’ve gotten to meet him, we got along very well. You saw that.

I hope we get along well. I think we get along well. But ultimately, he’s a competitor. He’s representing Russia. I’m representing the United States. So in a sense we’re competitors. It’s not a question of friend or enemy. He’s not my enemy. And hopefully, someday, maybe he’ll be a friend. It could happen.”

Aw. Isn’t that sweet? Trump appreciates that Putin was nice to him. and twice insisted that Putin is not his enemy. He repeatedly referred to the Russian tyrant as a competitor, as if this were a business deal or a game and not a clash of international antagonists. But his expressed longing for a future friendship with someone best known for oppressing his people, stealing elections, and murdering opponents and journalists, is shockingly insensitive to those victims and to the principles of democracy and freedom. It’s like hoping to someday, maybe becoming friends with Mussolini, Hitler, or Kim Jong Un (Oh wait. That last one Trump does want to be friends with).

This is another example of Trump’s unfathomable, and un-American, interest in cozying up to brutal dictators. Trump’s flagrant infatuation, joined with the fact that he has never uttered a critical word about Putin, can only lead to speculation that the Russian leader has some compromising information that compels Trump to act in the service of our foes and against our national interests. Virtually everything Trump does – his tweets, his desperate rants, his infantile tantrums – affirms that speculation as well as a consciousness of guilt. Trump’s yearning for friendship with Trump only exacerbates the problem. No American should seek such camaraderie with an avowed enemy.

And naturally, Putin will be playing a role in the public presentation of what takes place in the meeting. So he has alraedy been booked to appear on State TV (aka Fox News) immediately after his meeting with Trump. Because where else would an ally of the Trump administration’s assault on the press, on U.S. intelligence and law enforcement, and on the truth, go to discuss his post-Trump get together?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News: Trump ‘is Going to Defecate All Over Everything, Squawk and Fly Away’

It’s getting more difficult with every new day to ignore just how deferential Donald Trump is to Vladimir Putin. Trump has never been shy about expressing his feelings, particularly when they are brash insults to anyone who he thinks is less than adoring to him. Trump will lash out viciously at friends, associates, and strangers who dare to criticize him, even in mild terms. But he never has a harsh word for his pal in the Kremlin. Many people are wondering what Putin has on Trump to guarantee this endless supply of affection.

Donald Trump Chicken

This peculiar – and conspicuously anti-American – behavior was exhibited again this week when Trump ventured off to Brussels for a meeting with our NATO allies. He even foreshadowed the position he intended to take when he told the media that his upcoming tete-a-tete with Putin would be “the easiest one” he would have on this junket. And in the very first public gathering open to the press, Trump demonstrated that his relations with our allies would not be easy at all by launching a wild harangue against Germany for partnering with Russia in a natural gas pipeline.

So the battlelines have already been drawn in just the first few hours of the NATO summit. And, naturally, Trump is bashing our friends and cozying up to our enemies. The brazen manner with which Trump displays his betrayal to long-time allies is now being noticed by his most vociferous defender: State TV (aka Fox News). As the summit was getting underway, Chris Stirewalt, Fox News digital politics editor, had a few words about the President’s disloyalty to America’s national interests (video below). Referring to members of Trump’s GOP who have been feverishly trying to spin Trump’s unsettling commentaries, Stirewalt said that:

“I want to tell these Republicans, quit kidding yourselves. You will not stop Donald Trump from undermining NATO, and you will not stop him from undermining U.S. foreign policy to be more favorable towards Russia. He is going to do it.

“And the Republicans who say, ‘Well, we have a broad foreign policy apparatus and we forced him to impose these sanctions, and we forced him to do these things.’ He is going to fly into Brussels like a seagull. He is going to defecate all over everything, squawk and fly away, is what he’s going to do in Brussels. And the Europeans are going to continue to say to each other, ‘We don’t have a reliable partner in the U.S. government right now. We don’t think this is a working relationship.’

“Plus, we have a trade war going with them. The President will succeed, whether it’s temporary or whether it’s lasting, realigning U.S. foreign policy away from Europe and toward Moscow.”

Clearly the quotable portion of that analysis concerns the defecating seagull. The media will likely highlight that colorful phrase to draw in readers and viewers (just as News Corpse did). But no one should let the more substantive part of Stirewalt’s remarks go by. Because the significance of a Fox News editor telling their primetime audience that Trump is “realigning U.S. foreign policy away from Europe and toward Moscow,” cannot be overstated. This isn’t Anderson Cooper or Rachel Maddow talking. It’s a senior Fox news editor who is issuing a warning to an audience that he knows won’t welcome it.

But will they listen? Probably not. At least not until one of the pharisees of the Fox/Trump cult like Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham says it. Until then, Trump’s disciples will continue to believe that he has the infallibility of the Messiah. And anything he says – no matter how destructive to American values or interests – will be agreed to and worshiped like gospel. And Stirewalt will be dismissed as a heretic. That’s how cults work.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.