Her answer? The Oval Office. Now repurposed as a gilded pleasure dome, this is where Trump stages his daily reality show. It is the stage where he signs executive orders, greets visitors and plays to the camera, sometimes to chilling effect.
Imagine if their roles had been reversed, and Ramaphosa had played footage of January 6 rioters chanting “hang Mike Pence” instead of being treated to a film of opposition politician Julius Malema at a rally leading cries of “kill the Boer”.
These are mere details. What matters is the spectacle. The stocks or pillory haven’t been used for punishment since the 19th century, but Trump has revived them by throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes at his guests.
The return of the pillory has spread to other branches of government. Trump wasn’t joking when he vowed, “I am your retribution”, to delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) back in March 2023. Perceived enemies in the liberal media and elite institutions appear to have found themselves at the sharp edge of expensive lawsuits, firings and pressure campaigns.
Ed Martin, the newly-appointed head of the Department of Justice’s so-called “weaponisation working group”, boasts that the bully pulpit is a useful method of attack against Trump’s foes. “If they can be charged, we’ll charge them,” he said. “But if they can’t be charged, we’ll name them, and in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are ashamed.”
square SARAH BAXTER Trump's facade of greatness is wearing thin with voters
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After a farcical hue and cry over the use of “86”, which can mean to kill someone but mostly means “to eject”, Comey was questioned by the Secret Service. Despite calls from intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard to “put him behind bars”, he is unlikely to be locked up but has received a thorough verbal punishment beating for his lèse-majesté.
This is playing havoc with the first lady of Florida’s hopes of succeeding DeSantis as governor. DeSantis has called the investigation a “smear campaign”, claiming “everything that’s been thrown at it is pure politics”. But then, what isn’t?
Together, the dinner guests have invested $148m in Trump’s highly profitable vanity project. The biggest 25 holders were granted a private VIP reception.
Sarah Baxter is director of the Marie Colvin Centre for International Reporting
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