'We all thought he was an asshole': Mary Trump on Uncle Donald

[canetoad]

On November 9, 2016, while the rest of the world was digesting the news Donald Trump would be the 45th President of the United States, one woman was uniquely qualified to understand the potential ramifications.

Mary Trump, daughter of Trump’s eldest brother, Freddy, grew up with Donald and has gone on to become a clinical psychologist, giving her a singular insight into the mind of her uncle, whom she has since dubbed “the most dangerous man in the world”.

“We knew him so well, it never occurred to us anybody could possibly be fooled by him,” said Mary, on the phone from Massachusetts, ahead of her upcoming speaking tour of Australia. “I think I had been living in a state of total denial. I was absolutely gobsmacked.

“I didn’t realise the extent to which America was willing not just to put up with but to endorse the kinds of racism and misogyny and anti-immigrant hatred etc that Donald represents. Let’s put it this way: it was a really bad morning.”

https://www.theage.com.au/culture/books/we-all-thought-he-was-an-asshole-mary-trump-on-uncle-donald-20230306-p5cpq7.html

*This is being reported in Australia because Mary Trump will be appearing 'Live in Conversation' in Melbourne and Sydney in June.

No Paywall: https://archive.md/fVtup

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Yep, and anyone who knows Ron DeSantis like college friends say he

is such a horrible person he went out of his way to embarrass people and hurt their feelings.

[lambchopp59]

2. Trumper's true colors show inadvertently

There was the overwhelming racism inherent in Trump's campaign Trumpers pitifully try and pretend they had some sort of bullshit moral excuse to ignore all that deplorable bigotry.
Then they wore the "adorable deplorable" T shirt in public.
I brought the issue up with what few Trumpers I knew of at the time. Their two-faced motives became apparent long after they forgot the thinly veiled attempt at justifying that asshole.
Trump appealed mostly to the most backstabbing, untrustworthy people I've ever had the displeasure to encounter. Just like their torrid hero.

[musclecar6]

3. Yes

Seldom do we see someone with NOOOO redeeming qualities. Not a single one and of course if ever the term asshole should apply, we all know the answer to that one.

[NJCher]

6. This alone

So uniquely bad, so awful.

A freak of nature.

[stopdiggin]

4. all on very clear display

(for anyone that cared to look, and many who were only casually engaged)

Which is where the great surprise (to many in the US and around the world) came from - in that the American voter would, knowingly, actually countenance such a man in high office. It was all on very public display (and, yes, the media did cover it - extensively) - and the voters went ahead and did it anyway. Gobsmacked is right.

[UTUSN]

5. K&R

[betsuni]

7. But HRC, life-long do-gooder Methodist champion of women and children was evil, the lesser of.

"I don't wanna see the American people voting for the lesser of two evils." And too many were stupid enough to believe it. At least most of what Biden has to deal with is whining about being him being old and unpopular, not evil.

[brer cat]

8. +++ nt