David Rothkopf writes:

Trump and his MAGA followers do shocking things—things that represent a profound threat to our society—and a combination of spineless GOP leadership, irresponsible media coverage, and the loyalty of millions of Americans who support the MAGA GOP movement quickly act to normalize and accept it.

We saw the same pattern around positions and actions that were far more akin to those of past enemies than anything resembling responsible citizenship. The litany is long and well-known by now.

A coup attempt. The theft of national secrets. Serial obstruction of justice. Efforts to place one man, Trump, above the law. Corruption on an unprecedented scale. Plans to throw opponents into jail or concentration camps. Ending democracy. Promotion of racism, xenophobia, and other deeply divisive forces in American life.

If our historical enemies—from the Nazis to the denizens of the Kremlin—sat down to enumerate the sources of American strength they wished to destroy—domestically and internationally, socially, economically, politically, and militarily—their list of targets would match perfectly with the Trump-MAGA agenda.

That is why—as demented and disqualifying as Trump’s latest rant [about NATO] should be, as much as he should be the target of unceasing public opprobrium—the real problem is not the leader, but the movement. [Continue reading…]