Donald Trump: A Trojan Horse

You know the story of the Trojan Horse.  After a long and inconclusive siege, the Greek army ostensibly admitted defeat by sailing away from Troy.  But they left behind an enormous wooden horse, evidently as a token of their respect for an indomitable enemy.

The Trojans, who were flattered by this gift, tore down part of their wall in order to bring it into the city.  Then, after night fell, a selected band of Greek warriors, who had been sequestered inside the horse, came out to do their worst.  They opened the city gate and then went door to door to slaughter the inhabitants.

This much is well known.  Less well appreciated was why this offering was a horse.  The Trojans, it seems, were horse traders.  They raised and sold these animals far and wide.  The horse was for them a sacred animal.  No wonder they were prepared to take an effigy of it to their bosom.

We are now watching the same story unfold within the Republican Party.  Donald Trump is nothing other than a Trojan Horse.  If the Democrats had intentionally chosen someone to create havoc within their adversary’s ranks, they could scarcely have found a better man.

Trump, a Democrat in Republican clothing, is not a conservative.  When asked during a debate to explain what conservatism is, he lamely answered that it meant to “conserve.”  He did not say it stood for smaller government, liberty, and a strong defense.  Why?  Because he stands for none of these.

Trump has long been an advocate of a big centralized government.  And although he now claims to treasure our freedoms, he has not hesitated to use the government to deprive others of their property.  As for a strong defense, this is man who did not even know what the nuclear triade was.

So why is he now trying to talk like a Republican?  It is because, like the Greeks, he knows the weak point of his foes.  He tells people what they want to hear—pretending that he believes it.  He will strengthen the borders, carpet bomb ISIS, and make America great again.

But this is a man who cannot be believed.  Time and again on the campaign trail he insists that “I never said that” after saying exactly that the previous day.  Time and again he has been forced to soften his rhetoric because it sounds so crudely jingoistic.  (My goodness, he even endorsed ObamaCare.)

Why then are so many Republics buying his brand of lunchmeat?  Why do they confuse loud-mouthed bullying with strength?  Do they actually think that Trump will be a great negotiator?  The Donald tells us that he gets along with everyone.  So why has he had such a difficult time getting along with any of his Republican rivals?

As for the purported conservatives who are dazzled by his displays of foul-mouthed ignorance, why have they allowed themselves to be fooled?  Many of them are apparently so angry about the devastation wrought during the last seven years that they cannot think clearly.

When I worked as a methadone counselor, most of my clients were angry.  Life had been cruel to them and they longed for revenge.  Nonetheless they were impotent and so they turned their wrath on themselves.  More than a few literally killed themselves in an attempt to get even with those who had abused them.

Are Republican voters doing the same?  Have they decided to shoot themselves in the foot so that others will realize how distressed they are?  The trouble is that their aim is so bad they are apt to kill their party—and the nation.

All of this is, of course, completely unnecessary.  The Republican Party has several good candidates who are bona fide conservatives.  They may not be as flamboyant or as destructive, but they can get the job done.  Obama’s liberal agenda can be rolled back, but only by someone who actually intends to do so.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University