Megalomaniacs and narcissists who attain positions of power can be very charming and compelling, even charismatic, before things go south. Whether their appeal is warranted or simply an illusion due to their aura of power and a human predilection to be awed by celebrity, is an interesting question. I strongly suspect it is the latter.
Before Hitler came to power, he was generally ridiculed and dismissed as a laughable character by those in power and those unlikely to embrace his ideology, which at the time were the majority of Germans. Once he was declared Chancellor and began to wield power things started to change. Serious people took a second look. His early successes in stabilizing the German economy and establishing order were heralded as great accomplishments. Yes, he was a bit rough in his speech, and clearly a narcissist, but damned if he didn’t have a big effect on his country!
Credible newspapers, radio broadcasters, diplomats and cultural icons all begin to come around to Hitler due to his apparently dramatic impact on Germany. People who met him in person often came away enchanted by his personality and charisma. Perhaps he was what Germany really needed, they opined.
Donald Trump was a laughable character too, all through the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. His wealth was prodigious, but few people had any respect for him as a person. He was viewed as a pompous blowhard and self-promoter – the worst example of rogue capitalism writ large. In the elections of 2016 and 2020, few of the elites and powerful were in any way impressed by him.
He won the nomination in 2016 because there were enough MAGA crazies (there always are) to give him a slight majority over the 10 other more reasonable candidates. In the general election, large numbers voted for him (though not enough to win the popular vote!) simply because they couldn’t bear to have a democrat (or a woman) in the White House.
But time and familiarity do strange things. Despite the insurrection of January 6th and his ignominious behavior post-election and throughout the pandemic, or perhaps even because of it, Trump retained the loyalty of 15-20% of the population (again, more or less the crazies), and their activism was enough to doom any republican who didn’t profess allegiance to Trump and his catechism (climate change denial, stolen election, weaponized justice department, deep state radical left, etc.)
A weak attempt by less extreme republicans to sideline him in the 2024 primaries amounted to nothing, and the wealthy and powerful began to acknowledge that Trump was likely to be the next president. Years of exposure to his lying, his thin skin, his preposterous boasting, his vendettas and his messianic complex had made these characteristics seem almost quaint or eccentric rather than dangerous to people whose lives are already filled with vanity and excess.
We now have the elites, the tech bros, the financial tycoons all cozying up to Trump, seeking his favor. And Trump, who more than anything else has always craved the approval and respect of these people, is feeling empowered to go to any extreme to make his mark and create his legacy. What could go wrong? Ask the Germans.
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