Cancel Culture’s Biggest Practitioner
Donald Trump fuels a movement he rails against.
Yesterday, another 1,349 souls were lost to a pandemic that the US government was either incapable of mitigating or indifferent to preventing. A Republican advisor has admitted that Trump has “grown bored” with the virus. Indeed, something far more exciting has surfaced. A bigger fish to fry, if you will.
“Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES — They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!)” the president tweeted.
Goodyear has a policy of discouraging overtly political actions by its employees. The same policy, for example, would also dissuade employees from wearing an Obama “hope” t-shirt. But why provide objective context when you can be the victim of your own narrative?
Trump used his official Twitter handle to call for the boycott of a private business for political reasons. If this isn’t cancel culture, I’m not sure what is. Right wing politicians have long waged bad faith culture wars in an effort to scare voters. Trickle down economics won’t motivate voters to the polls, but some social justice warrior trying to cancel you? Now we’re talking.
It’s the precarious duality of Republican politics. Right wing populism when campaigning, country club economics when ruling.
Cancel culture, Antifa, and gender neutral bathrooms — the holy trinity of all that is wrong with America, according to the right. This manifestation of liberal indoctrination can explain all that ails us.
Trump once gave a universally panned speech about cancel culture. The July 4th speech, held in front of Mount Rushmore, did not honor July 4th or its ideals of freedom, justice, or autonomy, but instead focused on defending Confederate monuments and attacking a leftwing mob hellbent on canceling all that is patriotic.
For Trump to so consistently rail against cancel culture only to practice it on Twitter is not shocking. He is no stranger to hypocrisy. But what does separates Trump from other hypocritical politicians is his brazenness.
Goodyear-gate made me think of other times Trump has tried to cancel people or things for political reasons. There are many lists online. Here are some of my favorites:
— Trump attempts to cancel CNBC because they didn’t include him in a list of the most influential business leaders. “Stupid poll should be canceled — no credibility,” Trump said.
— In 2014, Trump tried to cancel the country of Mexico. He wanted people to. “Boycott Mexico” until an American was released from prison there. He also called to boycott Italy twice.
— Trump tries to cancel almost every conservative writer, editor, or outlet. The list includes Jonah Goldberg, Charles Krauthammer, Rich Lowry, Karl Rove, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, and Megyn Kelly, among others.
— Cancelling pretty much every magazine in existence. Trump has called for his followers to boycott Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, The Oklahoman, and various other magazines or newspapers.
— Famously, Trump tried to cancel the NFL generally and Colin Kaepernick specifically.
It is important to note that this list is strictly about cancelling. Cancelling would include boycotts, coercion, cancelling subscriptions, or trying to fire certain people. A list of people or things that Trump just dislikes generally or whines about incessantly would be far longer.
Whether it’s Macy’s, CNN, Apple, or Harley-Davidson, Trump has tried to boycott or cancel dozens of perceived enemies. Saying “no other politician has spent more time trying to cancel those who offend him,” the journalist Mehdi Hasan has called Trump the “King of Cancel Culture.”
Trump once called “cancel culture” the “definition of totalitarianism.” Given the fact that he promotes it, I would have to agree.
