Any Scapegoat Will Do: Authoritarians, Public Failure, Conspiracies, and Self-Immolation in Times of Crisis

The week started with President Donald Trump, the most powerful man on the face of the Earth, retweeting Chuck Woolery, former host of The Love Connection dating game show and all-around crank. Faced with record spread of the coronavirus, increasing deaths, and a looming tragedy with American schools set to reopen in weeks, Trump double-downed on his natural instinct to dive deep into self-pity and spread baseless conspiracy theories.

Woolery, who has engaged in bizarre online behavior, seemed to suggest a conspiracy existed between Democratic politicians, the media, public health institutions, and, interestingly enough, the nation’s doctors. Of course, this was absolute madness and stated without so much as an ounce of fact or evidence, but Trump decided to spread it to the over 80 million people who follow his account.

This turn follows on the heels of a concerted effort by Trump and his administration to smear Dr. Anthony Fauci, the scientists who has played an integral role on the Coronavirus Task Force. Dr. Fauci has appeared alongside Trump multiple times and has been dispatched to communicate the dangers of the virus for months now, but his recent warnings that states and areas suffering record outbreaks might need to consider closing down has drawn the ire of an administration desperate to reopen the economy in order to help its reelection chances.

Here at The Muckrake, we have not shied away from calling Donald Trump an authoritarian. After all, he fits the traditional model to a T. A tragically insecure man, Trump overcompensates, traffics in violence, anger, and cruelty, and is incapable of forming lasting relationships within government. To stroke his own ego, he pits sycophants against one another in contests over who loves and worships him more, creating a dysfunctional environment where colleagues cannot trust one another and are constantly worried their leader might dispose of them without so much as a notice. Like other authoritarians, his defining feature is his incompetence.

In this case, with a pandemic raging, Trump is incapable of leading. His administration is in shambles and his main priority is scapegoating his failures. To do this, he has blamed China, Democratic “traitors,” conspiracies at home and abroad, the media, and now, his own adviser. This is less than surprising, however, as authoritarians hate experts. Their very presence is a constant reminder to themselves and observers that the authoritarian does not hold all knowledge. This cannot last, and so inevitably the authoritarian will turn on the experts or disappear them, as was the case with Joseph Stalin and the ill-fated doctors of the Soviet Union. Dr. Fauci never stood a chance.

It is sad, fitting poetry that Trump would throw Dr. Fauci under the bus and turn to a fourth-rate, washed-up game show host. After all, Chuck Woolery and Trump share a worldview. Everyone is lying. Everyone is scheming. The only thing that matters is Trump’s reelection. 137,000 dead, the tens of thousands of newly infected, the youth of America now being put in harm’s way, none of it matters because only one thing matters: Donald Trump.

Trump’s behavior has been consistent his entire life. Whether it was leaving workers empty handed after finishing their labor, destroying Atlantic City as he skipped town with a bank bailout, his constant, sneering abuse of his loved ones and family members, or his empty promises to his voting base to build walls, drain swamps, and make all their dreams come true, it’s been a ruse and a lie all along. What Trump has promised was never meant to come true, but what is unavoidably real is his impulse to survive at the expense of everyone else. While his insecurity means he cannot lead, it also means he’ll find someone to destroy for his own survival.

Today it’s Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Tomorrow it could be all of us.

Jared Yates Sexton is the author of American Rule: How A Nation Conquered The World But Failed its People, available for pre-order from Dutton/Penguin-Random House. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, Politico, and elsewhere. He currently serves as an associate professor of writing at Georgia Southern University and is the co-host of The Muckrake Podcast.