The Royal Threat Behind Trump’s Petty Pomposity

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Watching Trump’s inaugural week, it was both awful and comical to see the royal pretensions of King Donald and his petty pomposity.

In the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the framers were clear on what they were NOT creating: a monarchy. One delegate expressed the group’s absolute conviction that the founding document must exclude even the “fetus of monarchy.”

Yet, 238 years later, watching Donald Trump’s inaugural week, it was both awful and comical to see the royal pretensions of King Donald. There were silly gestures, like him waving around a ceremonial sword (made more ludicrous by the fact he was a cowardly rich-boy draft dodger). Plus, the staged spectacle of him imperiously signing stacks of orders, proclamations and pardons in a show of “Kingliness.”

Petty pomposity aside, though, he is an untethered megalomaniac whose inaugural speech re-asserted such monarchial concepts as “the divine right of kings” and “manifest destiny.” And let us not naively dismiss Trump’s flat-out claim that the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever I want as president,” or that he previously suggested “termination” of the Constitution to return him to the White House.

Indeed, he now contends that he can unilaterally terminate a bedrock constitutional right: the 14th Amendment provision guaranteeing citizenship to everyone born in the USA. He has royally and unconstitutionally decreed that children born here whose parents were undocumented immigrants are not citizens but “aliens.”

Well, at least there’s the 22nd Amendment, which makes clear that he can’t be president again, right? Uh … maybe. Trump with his signature pomposity is already suggesting his royal court might find a way to keep him in power, just as they’re now contriving to void the clear citizenship protection of the 14th Amendment. Despots don’t obey Constitutions — they pervert them. And We the People must reject the perverters.

What in the Name of Jesus is This?

The far-right potentates of Christian nationalism not only say they speak to God, but they now claim to speak for God.

They might, however, want to ponder a cartoon I recently saw. It pictured one of these pious flimflammers demanding entry to heaven, bragging that he had been God’s personal messenger on Earth. “Really,” said God, “You don’t look at all like Dolly Parton.”

But now — Great God Almighty! — here comes a gaggle of these lordly pretenders proclaiming that Yahweh has ordained their narrow religious sect to be America’s governmental rulers. This month, a flock of these “chosen ones” descended on the Texas state capitol, announcing that God has instructed them to transform our government into an authoritarian arm of their own fundamentalist churches. “We take charge and authority of [this] legislative session,” one of their leaders declared, informing the rest of us that his cult has “been given spiritual jurisdiction over the affairs of men.”

Unfortunately, this is not just another case of Crazy Texas. The extremist Christian nationalist show at the Texas Capitol was fully embraced and coordinated by the extremist Republican governor, attorney general, legislative leaders and state party hierarchy. More pointedly, it’s all part of a messianic crusade by two Bible-thumping, West Texas oil billionaires, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. This plutocratic/theocratic duo is pumping unlimited sums of crude political cash into the GOP to “Christianize” elections and all public policies.

So don’t laugh — pay attention. This right-wing, religious, anti-democratic power play is unfolding all across America. Ludicrous as it seems, they’re out to crucify our freedoms and force their state-run theology on everyone — all in the name of Jesus.

Jim Hightower
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