President Donald Trump leaned into his autocratic ambitions again on Thursday, suggesting that the fall presidential election could be delayed. On cue, pundits and politicians rightly went apoplectic. But the collective outrage distracted from a more salient message reiterated within Trump’s tweet.
Trump wants to set himself up to lose the election without being labeled a “loser.”
Trump does not care that his scorched-earth approach will leave the burnt husks of Republican candidates strewn across the country. He does not care that he will be handing Joe Biden not only a victory, but also a Democratically controlled U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
Trump definitely does not care about the country he swore to preserve, protect and defend.
The only thing important to Trump is the lie he can tell himself – and a fair number of his synaptically-challenged supporters – on Nov. 4.
