Even Donald Trump性视界传媒檚 most ardent critics probably didn性视界传媒檛 foresee how he would morph from a television personality and real estate developer into a bellicose autocrat who is spreading his campaign of hate and fear-mongering from America onto the international stage.
One such writer who did see the disaster that is unfolding in America today is a brilliant academic-journalist named Sarah Kendzior, who shot into national prominence with her first book, 性视界传媒淎 View from Flyover Country,性视界传媒 in 2018.
Her second book explores the background of declining economic conditions and the rise of political dark money that made it possible for wealthy Republicans to finance their candidates for public office. And their intent is not to promote public service but to strip down the country into parts and monetize the remnants just like corporate raiders during the past 40 years.
Titled 性视界传媒淗iding in Plain Sight: The invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America,性视界传媒 Kendzior calls on her background researching the break-up of the former Soviet empire into several Central Asian countries ruled by kleptocrats. Kleptocrats are leaders who abuse executive power to enhance their personal wealth.
The role model for these autocrats or dictators is none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is rumored to be the wealthiest man in the world. And in America, Putin has no bigger admirer than Trump, who性视界传媒檚 used Russian oligarch money since the 1980s to bail out his shaky real estate and casino businesses.
Trump first came to Putin性视界传媒檚 attention publicly in 2013 when he visited Moscow to host the Miss Universe Pageant. Trump later bragged to Fox News that 性视界传媒淧utin contacted him and was so nice.性视界传媒
Russian state media outlet RT began to regularly promote Trump as a credible American political leader, even though he was widely regarded as a long-shot candidate best known as the host of 性视界传媒淭he Apprentice性视界传媒 television series. It wasn性视界传媒檛 until Trump asked Russia to help find Hilary Clinton性视界传媒檚 missing emails at a July 2016 news conference that Trump性视界传媒檚 illicit ties to the Kremlin became a mainstream media topic, Kendzior added.
Based on her prior research, Kendzior wrote, 性视界传媒淚n fall 2015, I predicted that Donald Trump would win the election, and that once installed, he would decimate American democracy.性视界传媒 And it hasn性视界传媒檛 stopped at American shores.
Trump has claimed that Putin can be trusted 性视界传媒 contrary to his record of 25 years of lying. That性视界传媒檚 a curious juxtaposition for Trump, who has his own lengthy record of lying about things big and small.
But now Trump is in a position to do Russia性视界传媒檚 bidding and force Ukraine into a truce that will turn over a large chunk of Ukraine territory to end Putin性视界传媒檚 brutal invasion. U.S. and Russian negotiators are now discussing ways to end the war, but Ukraine wasn性视界传媒檛 invited to the talks.
The Trump administration is like a reality show featuring villains from every major political scandal from the past 40 years, Kendzior noted. And with the backing of his MAGA faithful, Trump性视界传媒檚 campaign playbook is simple. Days after his inauguration in 2017, she gave an analysis to an interviewer about 性视界传媒渁lternative facts.性视界传媒
性视界传媒淲hat they性视界传媒檙e (Trump backers) trying to do is establish power: they are trying to flaunt power. They are saying to us: 性视界传媒橶e know that you know that this is a lie, and we don性视界传媒檛 care because there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.性视界传媒櫺允咏绱綕
Kendzior wrote this book ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol and would have no way of knowing how Trump added to his MAGA army of felons and evil doers by pardoning all those convicted of insurrection, even the most violent who attacked police officers.
Now that Trump stands convicted on 34 felony counts, he can add the new moniker of 性视界传媒渇elon-in-chief.性视界传媒
