Republican voters know Trump isn't joking with his "dictator" remarks -- it's why they love him

[marmar]

Republican voters know Trump isn't joking with his "dictator" remarks — it's why they love him
MAGA folks are gaslighting reporters when they say Trump is kidding

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 15, 2023 6:00AM (EST)


(Salon) Stupid or evil?

It's the perennial question that haunts those of us who support democracy when gazing upon the red-hatted minions of Donald Trump, who are working to destroy it. The everyday Republican voters who issue ungrammatical and fact-averse defenses of their beloved orange demagogue are a forever mystery. Are they really just too stupid to know that backing Trump means ending democracy? Or are they fascists who long for an American Reich, where all the people who made them feel bad for being racist will be made to suffer? On one hand, Trump supporters do sound like a bunch of morons, leading credence to the "stupid" theory. On the other hand, it's impossible to believe anyone could think a guy who attempted a coup is safe for democracy. Most Republicans hold down jobs and manage to dress and feed themselves, suggesting they aren't so braindead as to miss that Trump cannot wait to be a fascist dictator.

....(snip)....

To be certain, many a Trump supporter claims to believe that he's merely "joking" when he says he wants to be a "dictator." Some may even keep a relatively straight face as they tell reporters, as one Republican, Clyde Carson, did, that Trump "was trying to fool with the media" and "he just done that because he knew the news would go crazy with it."

But it's worth unpacking this comment for a moment. The 53-year-old Carson admitted that he thinks it's good to lie to the media, who he has no doubt been trained to loathe after absorbing decades of right wing propaganda. As he notes, his hero, Trump, lies to the media. Which is not to single Carson out. The issue with believing anything Trump voters say to reporters is this: They hate reporters. They believe lying for the MAGA cause is righteous. Indeed, nothing is seen in MAGA-land as a better time than trolling reporters with lies and bullshit. And so their claims to believe Trump is "joking" must not be taken at face value. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/12/15/know-isnt-joking-with-his-dictator-remarks-its-why-they-love-him/