I joined Truth Social recently. Yep. It happened. I didn’t go there for the vibes, the discourse, or the memes. I went because an AI video of Trump flying a fighter jet and dropping…poop…on protesters made me question all my life choices.
Basically, I didn’t want to fall into the trap of reacting to something fake because, wow, that trap gets bigger every day. So when I saw screenshots this morning of Trump supposedly calling for members of Congress to be hanged, saying their behavior was “punishable by death,” and sprinkling in a classic “lock them up,” I did what any responsible, mildly exhausted citizen would do – I went straight to Truth Social to check.
And of course…of course…he actually posted them.
Was I shocked? No. Was I surprised? Also no. Did I still stare at my phone like it had personally betrayed me? Absolutely yes.
What a thing for a President to do. And again, this isn’t Trump Derangement Syndrome. If anything, it’s “Trying to Keep My Sanity While the President Posts Wild Stuff Online Syndrome.” I don’t think there’s an acronym for that…yet.
It’s not derangement to point out when behavior is so far out of bounds it’s not even on the field anymore. The fact that the press secretary had to stand at a podium today and clarify that the President of the United States did not call for the execution of members of Congress is…not normal. And then, in the same breath, defend him calling a reporter “piggy” because we’re supposed to appreciate his “directness” and “transparency”?
What are we doing here!?
I know I’ve typed those exact words before, probably many times, but I truly do not understand how people justify this behavior. Have all the policy arguments you want – immigration, economy, national security – pick your topic. Debate away. That’s democracy. But defending the rantings, the attacks, the threats? That just makes all of us look ridiculous.
If even a handful of people…just a few with actual backbones…would say, “Hey, maybe the President threatening members of Congress is bad,” we could actually create an environment that allows government to function. Maybe. Maybe not. But at least we’d be attempting adulthood.
Maybe this is just me slowly aging into my “old man who yells at clouds” phase. I dunno. I don’t feel old, but the level of frustration I have might have me losing my grey hair.
Here’s the heart of it: a functional democracy requires a baseline of decency. Not perfection. Not kumbaya harmony. Just…baseline decency. When leaders toss grenades into the discourse every morning, it destroys the environment that allows success – national or personal – to actually happen. And we’re all left sifting through the rubble asking why nothing works.
Anyway…deep breath. Jack & Coke time (I ran out of scotch). Maybe I’ll scroll Truth Social again tonight just to ruin my sleep. (Not happening!)
One win: At least I verified the posts before reacting.
One question: At what point do we say, collectively, “No more nonsense”?
MattMunnell.com 