Last night, I had a dream that I was in the spin room following a Trump rally. Spin rooms are set up at political events to provide journalists with a place to ask questions about a politician’s speech. Typically, aides answering the questions spin the information in hopes of getting positive press.
In my dream, the Trump spin room was filled with Trump campaign staff. One staffer got my attention. She was a tall woman wearing a large button that read, “Ask me about the concentration camps.” I know Trump is right-wing, but he is not a Holocaust denier. So why did I hear someone say his plans for a second term include setting up “concentration camps” as part of his plans to “close the border?”
I walked up to the woman and introduced myself. I smiled and asked, “Tell me about the concentration camps.” She returned the smile and proceeded to tell me, with more than a hint of excitement in her voice, that to deport more than five million “illegals” from America quickly, they will have to be “rounded up” and housed in large camps built to keep them from escaping before they are transported to “whatever shithole country they came from.”
The woman did not wince at using the words “concentration camps” or “shithole.” When she noticed my discomfort she offered, “Don’t forget how many of these people came here illegally after being released from jails and insane asylums.” She looked pleased that I wrote that down.
I asked if the Trump campaign had any projections on how many “illegals” would go to which “shithole countries.” She responded, “You know, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and a bunch of other places—I can’t remember them all.”
I responded, “I see,” before asking if it was a good idea to call the camps “concentration camps” given the Holocaust.
The woman, still smiling, but not as much as before, said, “We are not going to gloss over what needs to be done. Nobody is planning to kill any illegals; we are just going to get them out of the country. They do not belong here.”
I responded, “I see,” before thanking her. She asked for my card, and I gave it to her. But as I walked away, I worried about what the Trump campaign might do with my information. I have read about plans for “retribution” and know it includes journalists, but how seriously should Trump’s rhetoric be taken?
In my dream, I continued my tour of the spin room and had another conversation, this one with a bald-headed young guy who wore a badge reading, “Ask me about getting transgenders out of woman’s sports.” I was curious but continued walking until I met another guy, also in his 20s, wearing a MAGA cap and a red tie that extended three inches below his belt with a badge reading, “The Ukraine War ends when we win. Ask me how?”
I took the bait but was not prepared to hear how simple ending the war might be. Without notes, he told me, “Trump will phone Zelensky on election day, right after he wins, and tell him to either quit or wait for America to give Russia weapons.”
I waited for more, but he was done, so I asked, “Are you sure?” He was. “Yes, I heard it from Trump himself. He hates wars and to stop the killing will do whatever it takes to end the war, even if that means switching sides.”
Nodding my head, I asked a final question: “So, Trump is okay with Putin having invaded Ukraine?”
The Trump aide paused, looked at the floor, and then looked back at me. “That is Zelensky’s problem. We here in America don’t care.”
With that gem still in my mind, I woke up. I realized my dream is not that far from reality. Donald Trump has no shame regarding any of his policies. He believes in doing whatever it takes to win. And for Trump, “winning” means Trump winning even when he knows so many others could lose.
It is easy to imagine every question—no exceptions—about Trump’s policies being answered with shameless admissions or blatant lies.
As I think about who Trump is and what he plans for his second term, I realize that he is, as Kamala Harris says, a threat to democracy. But Trump is more than that, he is a threat to decency, empathy, and for many people who will get caught up in his policies—his political enemies, undocumented migrants, transgender folks, and many others—a threat to their lives.
Election day is now 27 days away. Don’t assume Harris will win. She will not win the election by default. She must win it the hard way—by earning it. And she can only do that with the help of people who feel the same way about Trump’s agenda as I do. We must do what we can to mobilize the electorate and encourage all people to vote.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.
Mike says
“Last night, I had a dream” … so your whole narrative is dream based, which should not be surprising considering you lean way left.
The question for all should be:
the utter shamelessness, albeit competence, of Trump
vs
the utter shamelessness, albeit incompetence, of the Harris.
Election day is now 27 days away. Don’t be swayed by dreams.
John Dean says
As you might guess, I don’t agree with you, especially on the issue of which of the two candidates is incompetent. I refer you to “Lucky Loser,” a book about Trump’s career as a businessman and reality TV show performer, and Bob Woodward’s new book, “War.” Also, you might want to read the comments about Trump published in last Sunday’s New York Times, many of the comments from people who worked for Trump from 2017-21.
If you don’t want to do any of those things, just watch the video of Trump’s rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania. If I had experienced that rally as a dream, it would have been a nightmare.
stokes tomlin says
well, I certainly agree… I don’t know what else to say. I am rather discouraged.
Bob Moores says
According to my favorite AI information program, ChatGPT:
Shame is a complex emotional response that arises when a person feels that they have violated societal or personal norms, or when they perceive themselves as inherently flawed or unworthy. It often involves a sense of inadequacy, embarrassment, or guilt, leading to feelings of humiliation or self-reproach.
Is it be possible that Trump’s overt shamelessness is overcompensation for inner feelings of inadequacy and guilt?
Mike Waal says
Could be. For the record, I’m a blue-collar guy, but no Trumper. My opinion of Trump is that he is a vengeful, vindictive, bullying, lying, cheating, egomaniac. But he does love this Country, but not as much as himself.
My concern is that the best both major parties can do for presidential candidates is the above describe Trump, and in my opinion a mumbling, fumbling incompetent Harris.
I just don’t see Harris sitting across the negotiating table with Putin, Xi, Ali Khamenei, or any other head of a Country and be taken seriously.
People make a big thing over Trumps contacts with Putin after leaving office. My opinion, there is an old adage:
Keep your friends close, your enemies closer. I believe that is what Trump is doing.
Chris Gordon says
John, those are not dreams, they are nightmares. I have friends who swear they will leave this country if Trump is elected. I hope they are wrong and that true patriots like you and me will stay here to keep up the fight to preserve the country we believe in. I don’t think that our feared tragedy will occur. I believe that Trump will be returned to a life of peddling worthless trinkets to his gullible chump. My dreams are the psitive kind and I wish you, and our threatened country, well.
Gerry levin says
Why this man is eligible to run for President is beyond me. It makes me sad . . . and afraid . . . that our country has come to this..
John Dean says
Great comment. Thank you for it.
John Smith says
For me, it boils down to deciding if my hatred of Trump outweighs my love of country or if I love my country more than I hate Trump. I love my country too much to vote for Harris.
Patty Heaps says
Dear God, I hope you are under a doctor’s care. How clever to frame your fears in the framework of a “dream” when many of us feel as if we’ve been living a nightmare for the last four years. Over the last months, you’ve given no real reason to vote for Harris other than she isn’t Trump. You conveniently totally ignore how that particular turtle got to the top of the fence post. Americans haven’t forgotten her run for the presidency in 2020 that ended without a single vote due to her unpopularity nor the fact that she was rated one of the worst VPs in history – yet now we are asked to believe she is the model of black, female leadership. They haven’t forgotten that she brazenly lied for years about the true condition of Biden – and continues to lie about it. They certainly haven’t forgotten her role in securing the border. And what do platitudes like Turning the Page or Moving Forward say about the previous administration of which she was a major player? If so successful, why is she trying to distance herself from her boss?
Given her installation as a candidate without a single vote and a media working overtime for her, Americans wonder if Donald Trump is the real threat to democracy.
Tatiana Croissette says
Thank for sharing with us that this was only a dream. It is the nature of dreams to have but tenuous relationship to reality and they seem to go away when we wake up.