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Tuesday
Even as we focus on Sunday’s monumental political developments, Republicans have been trying to convince us—and perhaps themselves—that last week’s attempted assassination has resulted in a kinder, gentler Trump. Or at least they did so in the early days of the GOP convention. Their efforts remind me of Rabbit’s desire to “unbounce” Tigger in A.A. Milne’s House on Pooh Corner.
Fascism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat alerted me to a Natalie Allison article in Politico that cited Trump allies voicing the desire:
Republicans would seem to have a vested interest in projecting Trump as a more reflective, subdued version of himself, after his polarizing rhetoric during his presidency turned off many swing voters.
And later:
GOP allies, in roughly a dozen interviews, used words like “emotional” and “serene” — even “spiritual” — to describe Trump in the days since the attempt on his life. A person close to the former president’s family described him taking on “humility, in the biblical sense.” In moment after moment at the Republican National Convention this week, Trump’s usual resting face — a scowl with squinted eyes — was replaced by a more subtle expression. One Republican who spoke with Trump, granted anonymity to describe private discussions, said he seemed “existential.”
A number of news organizations, meanwhile, appeared to have indulged in their own fantasies about Trump. Trump’s niece Mary Trump shared some of the headlines:
The Boston Globe went with “In departure, Trump calls for unity, healing in America.”
The Dallas Morning News claimed, “Trump emphasizes unity.”
The Pioneer Press chose “Trump takes a unity tone.”
And USA Today asked credulously: “After attempt on life, can Trump unite US?”
Perhaps these people thought their fantasies had been realized in the early moments of Trump’s acceptance speech, when he momentarily sounded reasonable. Of course, it all went south just minutes later. As Washington Post’s Dana Milbank summed up the final hour or so of the speech,
Trump himself, after a feint toward unity — “the discord and division in our society must be healed” — soon reverted to type. He complained about the “fake documents case against me” and the “partisan witch hunts.” He denounced “Crazy Nancy Pelosi” and invoked the “China virus.” He said Democrats “used covid to cheat” and called the United States a “nation in decline” with “totally incompetent leadership,” where there is “cheating on elections.”
Will those Republicans and news organizations fantasizing about an unbounced Trump end up as chastened as Rabbit? Here’s what happens in the story, starting with Rabbit’s plan, which he shares with Pooh and Piglet:
“Well, I’ve got an idea,” said Rabbit, “and here it is. We take Tigger for a long explore, somewhere where he’s never been, and we lose him there, and next morning we find him again, and—mark my words—he’ll be a different Tigger altogether.”
“Why?” said Pooh.
“Because he’ll be a Humble Tigger. Because he’ll be a Sad Tigger, a Melancholy Tigger, a Small and Sorry Tigger, an Oh-Rabbit-I-am-glad-to-see-you Tigger. That’s why.”
When Piglet expresses concern about Tigger becoming sad, Rabbit reassures him:
“Tiggers never go on being Sad,” explained Rabbit. “They get over it with Astonishing Rapidity. I asked Owl, just to make sure, and he said that that’s what they always get over it with. But if we can make Tigger feel Small and Sad just for five minutes, we shall have done a good deed.
It’s not clear that his brush with death made Trump feel Small and Sad for even five minutes. Nor does Rabbit’s plan work. In fact, like the GOP, it is Rabbit himself who ends up diminished.
That’s because he manages to get himself thoroughly lost. Like many a campaign consultant and political pundit, however, he never lets the others see his uncertainty but always exudes an air of confidence:
“Come on,” said Rabbit. “I know it’s this way.”
They went on. Ten minutes later they stopped again.
“It’s very silly,” said Rabbit, “but just for the moment I——Ah, of course. Come on….”
“Here we are,” said Rabbit ten minutes later. “No, we’re not….”
“Now,” said Rabbit ten minutes later, “I think we ought to be getting—or are we a little bit more to the right than I thought?…”
“It’s a funny thing,” said Rabbit ten minutes later, “how everything looks the same in a mist. Have you noticed it, Pooh?”
Pooh said that he had.
“Lucky we know the Forest so well, or we might get lost,” said Rabbit half an hour later, and he gave the careless laugh which you give when you know the Forest so well that you can’t get lost.
The companions separate, with Pooh and Piglet finding their way home on their own. (Once he is no longer overwhelmed by Rabbit’s incessant chattering, Pooh is able to hear his honeypots calling to him.) Tigger, meanwhile, takes on the task of search party:
Tigger [tore] round the Forest making loud yapping noises for Rabbit. And at last a very Small and Sorry Rabbit heard him. And the Small and Sorry Rabbit rushed through the mist at the noise, and it suddenly turned into Tigger; a Friendly Tigger, a Grand Tigger, a Large and Helpful Tigger, a Tigger who bounced, if he bounced at all, in just the beautiful way a Tigger ought to bounce.
“Oh, Tigger, I am glad to see you,” cried Rabbit.
Many years ago members of the Republican establishment thought they could unbounce Trump. Then they drank the Kool-Aid and came to see Trump’s bouncing as beautiful, despite January 6, the Big Lie, his defamation and felony convictions, his jokes about Paul Pelosi getting attacked with a hammer, and his remarks about immigrants as vermin poisoning the blood. That they used words like “serene” and “spiritual” to describe him following the shooting indicates that the earlier dream has not entirely died. Trump’s reformation, however, has proved to be short-lived and MAGA Republicans have reverted to blind acceptance of Trump as he is, reassuring themselves that he is “a Friendly Tigger, a Grand Tigger, a Large and Helpful Tigger.”
Meanwhile, Tigger continues on doing what Tigger has always done.
Further thought about Rabbit: Try applying the following observations about Rabbit to these Trump-excusing politicos and pundits. They appear in the story about the windstorm, which begins with Pooh and Piglet visiting their friend:
We’ve come to wish you a Very Happy Thursday,” said Pooh, when he had gone in and out once or twice just to make sure that he could get out again.
“Why, what’s going to happen on Thursday?” asked Rabbit, and when Pooh had explained, and Rabbit, whose life was made up of Important Things, said, “Oh, I thought you’d really come about something,” they sat down for a little … and by-and-by Pooh and Piglet went on again. The wind was behind them now, so they didn’t have to shout.
“Rabbit’s clever,” said Pooh thoughtfully.
“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit’s clever.”
“And he has Brain.”
“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit has Brain.”
There was a long silence.
“I suppose,” said Pooh, “that that’s why he never understands anything.”
