Other than dying, what could Donald Trump possibly do now to redeem himself in the eyes of history and god?

You guys are really dark with this

Public and unmistakable manifestation of Alzheimer's. Death by foot stuck in toilet. Death after disturbing a beehive to get at the sweet sweet hunny inside.

And to clarify, I wasn't implying some #resistanceporn style fantasy where his followers all "wake up" like at the end of a movie and think "gee willikers, we've been had!" throwing their hats to the ground, looking defeated as the main characters celebrate in the foreground of the shot. More of the chaos of mixed emotion aftermath. However agree if there was any sense that he'd be delivering this hypothetical message with a wink it would have zero effect.

yeah i meant that if he simply said that stuff, like he half ass said the vaccine is good, people would take it in whatever self serving way they want. For the effect you'd stated he'd literally have to go on a nationwide "i hate you all and I'm not kidding" tour and insult the audience in unfunny ways the whole time. Of course in this ridiculous scenario people would still strain to find winks, nods, conspiracies

And I wish to further clarify that I don't just want Trumpers to suffer disillusionment for schadenfreudian reasons (though I do want that).

This style of politics - antigovernment antiwoke populism with "liberal elites" as all-purpose bogeyman - is older than Trump. It's inherently racist and inherently treads on the downtrodden. It's a clear through-line to the Gingrichian "Contract with America," in Reaganism, in the Klan, in the Confederacy, in Know-Nothings, in Andrew Jackson.

You don't have to be a stan of the government (as currently constituted) to recognize that this strain of antigovernment rhetoric is specifically aimed at hampering its efforts to reduce the suffering of the disadvantaged. It doesn't want to reduce militarism, or curb police violence, or halt the march of empire. It's only opposed to those few and scattered bits of government that try to heal and help and comfort the afflicted. I hate it, kinda a lot.

Redeeming himself in the eyes of history in general is a ridiculous scenario, so I don't think the thread is concerned with the likelihood factor of any proposal. Not that you're challenging it on that point, just saying. That being said I was imagining a single televised, perhaps secretly recorded but verified video confession fwiw

xp

ymp otm and what makes it extra galling is that it’s almost always in the service of wealthy interests that want that distrust and discord to mean a transference of public funds into fewer and fewer private hands.

like go get a fucking job, Winborne

I honestly think if he did the “the joke is on you, you’re all idiots and I hate you” move, there would be a short pause before their media outlets rearranged it to make sense to them. Even if it was just like “he’s saying that you’re his loyal goons! You’re his henchmen now! He hates you and you hate everyone else!”, and they’d keep going, only with even more resentment

He's been pretty transparent about his loathing for his supporters and hangers-on (and, y'know, the people inhabiting earth in general) on a number of occasions. They don't care, he's still their number 1 daddy.

I just want him to die because I'm tired of hearing about him and while we would still hear about him after death, we wouldn't hear about him *from* him anymore

also i lol picturing Eric and DJT Jr's cryfaces

he's never going to redeem himself or get the just punishment he deserves (look at Reagan ffs) so let's just cut the cord, just die, on the toilet, during wank session, i don't care.

Reddit's r/asktrumpsupporters sub is full of nonrepentant Trumpers who acknowledge his flaws, but still think he's light years better than any alternative. Or they think he's a bull in a china shop but the bull in a china shop that was needed. Loads of copium and self-justifying circles.

"You either get how he speaks or you don't."

"I wish he didn't get caught up in these petty Twitter beefs but he's still better than Hillary."

"Do I wish he didn't hire foreign workers at his clubs? Sure, but he's still loads better than Biden."

"That's typical of him, he was speaking in hyperbole. He exaggerates for effect - not like the media that just outright lies."

"He was joking. Don't you humorless libs get it?"

Etc.

So we would do well to remember that these people aren't just caricature automatons, they have a whole structure of rationalizing escape hatches and ways out of what one thinks will be "gotcha" moments.

Much as I crave death and humiliation for him personally, it's going to take more long-term work to exorcise the stain of his influence from the minds of his audience. Sorry.

I know Q and MAGA aren’t necessarily an overlapping circle but listening to the QAA pod you really get a sense that Q has essentially moved on without him (or any Q drops in nearly a year). Honestly feel like MAGA will do/ is doing the same. They’ve got vaccine and masks mandates and disrupting school board meetings to keep them busy

Fair point but they still have no greater hero to run. It's his spot to lose.

Direct to question, good joke on Trillbillies this week that the Trump rehabilitation will start when he starts a podcast with Hillary.

Why does Donald Trump need to be redeemed? Who even cares at this point?

wild to think about how these things happen, like with W

i can fix him

i'm with DJP

Who even cares at this point?

Little as anyone wants to think it, Trump remains a danger to us all until he is dead. Nothing will ever discredit him among his base and there are plenty of fascists out there who want to destroy what's left of our rights and see him as their best bet to succeed. That is a form of real power, even if he is currently out of office. So I care that he stays out of office. As for redemption, fuck that. He needs to die.

can't speak for forks but assumed the thread was merely a thought experiment

Even dying won't redeem him. Forming a 3rd party and completely splintering the GOP then burning both completely to the ground while simultaneously locking American capitalism into cement boots and drowning it publicly after convincing Kavanaugh and Barrett to successfully complete a suicide pact would be an okay start.

― Jaq, Thursday, October 21, 2021 9:17 PM

highly underrated post imo

Kavanaugh and Barrett are too Catholic to kill themselves. They have to be queer victims of the police.

joke on Trillbillies this week that the Trump rehabilitation

yeah and i especially liked the follow-up where it's explained why it probably won't ever happen (outside of him just being singularly repellant): the Sorkin-brained who cooed and clapped for W will never accept him because of the incivility he shows when he manages a stopped-clock take, eg Powell hagiography

sport a ponytail

I'd like Trump to be tried with war crimes and get sentenced along with Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton. There's no Redemption, accountability is all I want.

i can fix him

― John Stockton buying a used car from (Karl Malone)

lol, i was joking, but apparently some people believe this

...With only a handful of seats needed for Republicans to win control of the House next year — and the likely prospect of McCarthy becoming speaker — he has been selling himself as a singular leader of the party, able to stand up to the unpredictable former president without breaking their bond.

“I stay close to him. We have a good relationship. But he and his team don’t have a veto power on what we do,” McCarthy, 56, tells the donors, according to the witness. He even contrasts himself with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has distanced himself from Trump and earned his public scorn.

“I can do it,” McCarthy has assured his donors about the balancing act before him, according to the witness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHKSBvW8wZE

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

let me just say it - what if he destroys his own balls on television

I’d be excited at first but then all the promo ads would get annoying “NOVEMBER 22nd. DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT... MAKES HISTORY... ONE. MORE. TIME ‘nobody thought I’d be able to do this’ ‘he’s unpredictable!’ LIVE. TRUMP DESTROYS HIS OWN BALLS ‘folks you’re not gonna wanna miss this’”

Then is pre-empted by coverage of the US being bombed by David Hasslehoff's army

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Ah well nevertheless

People have spoken

It's the only outcome other than death that I would accept.

"not even dying" would have won in a landslide