(Sunday Book Club)

My Thoughts:

Former President Trump tried to ban ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton's White House memoir but to no avail. Instead, he inadvertently made Bolton a bestselling author.

In his book, Bolton attempts to relitigate the unresolved conflicts during his West Wing tenure. He, however, should pay more attention to the elephant in the Oval Office—Trump's promotion of the Deep State as his presidential narrative.

Elected on a platform of strong national security and economic rejuvenation, Trump was seen by his right-wing base as a charismatic leader with a keen sense of the public pulse. He believed his overwhelming personality could change international dynamics in his favor. MAGA media stars like Tucker Carlson echoed him nonstop.

Making headlines is easy. Making headway is not. Before long, Trump found himself in the trap of over-promising and under-delivering. Faced with sliding poll numbers, the MAGA POTUS played the victim in his late-night tweets and off-the-cuff remarks, loudly complaining that what really got in his way was the Deep State—a secret, shadowy network purportedly working against him from within the government. Meanwhile, he was too busy soliciting Xi Jinping's trade promises to stop importing COVID in time. For this, he lost to Biden in November 2020. No Deep State stole the election from him, as no Grinch stole Christmas from us.

Something never changes. Trump's current campaign, as his previous one, sounds like a national crusade against a Deep State vast enough to encompass the whole non-Trumpist America.

Divisive politics make no sense to independent voters. Yet, both Trump and Biden are playing up divisive politics, which may explain why their rematch has been so tight so far.

Author: renqiulan