We have discovered what Trump and Gollum have in common
News and commentary -- and a little satire -- from a Florida point of view
By J.C. Bruce
You would think Donald Trump should have more pressing matters on his mind, what with the Mideast exploding, his polls tanking, and the Reflecting Pool still a disgusting mess.
But instead, he asks us to consider his latest insights about LeBron James.
It all started in an Oval Office gaggle with the press when a reporter asked: Who’s the greatest all-time N.B.A. player, James or Michael Jordan?
Trump’s response:
“LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist. Maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know. But I only like people who like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
There is so much to unpack in those few sentences.
But before we get to Trump’s answer, let’s start with the question itself. What’s with the chumminess? A round-ball question? With the world on fire, you ask the commander-in-chief of the world’s most dangerous nation about basketball? Who does that?
The answer is: a Fox News reporter, which pretty much explains all we need to know, right? We’re all pals here. Let’s talk sports, never mind the Epstein Files or the Strait of Hormuz.
So, why does Trump think LeBron is prejudiced? Trump, of all people, accusing someone, anyone else, of being a racist? Really? With his history?
This is the man whose real estate company was sued for discriminating against Black renters, who wanted the death penalty for the (ultimately exonerated) Central Park Five, who led the “birther” movement against Barack Obama, of whom NAACP President Derrick Johnson once said:
The “racism and anti-Black agenda that continues to permeate out of this current White House is a danger to our democracy, livelihood, and safety.”
That Donald Trump?
Moving on, what’s Trump’s beef with LeBron?
Well, LeBron did call Trump a “bum,” and he endorsed Kamala Harris for president. So, yeah, Trump carries a grudge. But does he seriously think their differences are because he’s white? That it’s some odd form of reverse discrimination? That if any person of color criticizes Trump, it’s okay to pull out the race card?
Or is he projecting?
And then there’s this thing the president does, constantly referring to himself by his name as opposed to using a perfectly good pronoun.
As in:
“Maybe he doesn’t like Trump…”
As opposed to:
“Maybe he doesn’t like me…”
What’s that about? Is he pronoun impaired? Pronouns such as “I” or “me” are very short words. Surely, a stable genius can remember them. After all, he’s already mastered “person, woman, man, camera, TV” on those cognition tests his worried doctors keep making him take.
Technically, it is known as an illeism, the act of referring to yourself in third person.
There can be many reasons people do this, some legit, I suppose: For branding purposes, for instance. And Trump is all about branding. Others, according to my research, may involve:
Using one’s own name or title to project “an elevated self-image, mirroring patterns seen in charismatic or narcissistic communications styles.”
Trying to “create distance between himself and his actions, which helps avoid deep emotional feelings.”
Said another way:
People who endlessly refer to themselves in third person are acting as if they are talking about someone else even though the person they are talking about is themselves. And even if it sounds odd, we shouldn’t worry about it even if the person who is experiencing this out-of-body moment also has the nuclear codes.
I was unable to determine if anyone has tabulated the history of presidents referring to themselves in third person to see how 47 ranked. The never-wrong internet did say, however, that “linguists and political analysts note it as a very distinct and frequent habit of his compared to modern predecessors.”
Now, even though J.C. Bruce might think Trump’s a weirdo for doing this, J.C. Bruce needs to be fair (that reads perfectly normal, right?) because Trump isn’t the only one.
A little research shows that this third-person self-reference stuff crops up all over the place. Trump finds himself in the company of, for example, Lord of the Rings’ Gollum, Kanye West, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Flavor Fav, Elmo, and even LeBron, who, when he announced his plans to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, said:
“I wanted to do what was best, you know, for LeBron James, and what LeBron James was gonna do to make him happy.”
Other political leaders have also referred to themselves in third person. Among the most notable:
Richard Nixon (the only president to resign from office in disgrace) and Julius Caesar (who lost his job as Rome’s self-declared dictator after starring in the earliest known version of Knives Out).
So, Trump’s not alone.
My fave, though, is Grimlock. In case you’re not familiar with the Transformers movie series, Grimlock is a dinosaur leader who famously refers to himself in third person, bellowing:
“Me Grimlock no bozo. Me king!”
Life imitating art, I would love for Trump to just come out and say what he really believes:
“Me Trump no bozo. Me king!”
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Our democracy as we’ve known it for 250 years is at risk. To save it, we will need a groundswell of support from voters in the coming midterm election.
The purpose of this newsletter—and the accompanying Tropic Press website—is to encourage that engagement.
Currently, Tropic Press is reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere, which is great, but there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
You can help spread the word.
Please like this post. Comment if you are so inclined. But, please, also take a moment to share it with people you know.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort.
Thanks.
J.C. Bruce
Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files
Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.
Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here:
I wish I had something clever to say, but for now, I just want to thank you, J.C, for doing what you do and putting a smile on my face and some comfort in my 80-year-old heart, just reading your column and knowing you are standing guard for our democracy. BTW - If you're a granddad, I publish a magazine for grandparents (21 years now), and here is a link for free access GRAND - www.ReadGrand.com. Keep up the fantastic work!
That’s what she loves about this column. She always learns something new. Illiecism. What was it? She will look up and practice it today. She will also look into the potential benefit of possibly eluding the designation of domestic terrorist because “it wasn’t me”