Even for late-model Donald Trump, a MAGA culture warrior with a PhD in insult and invective, the former President’s wailing about New York Times columnist Charles Blow is an extreme example of victimization and vituperation politics.
After Blow criticized Trump’s Waco rally — and he was hardly the only pundit to knock Trump for his rehashed grievances and January 6 positioning — Trump let loose to flame Blow on Truth Social, calling the columnist a racist and a degenerate, writing:
“Racist Columnist Charles Blowhard of the Failing New York Times, a sick degenerate who doesn’t like our Country or the values that made it great, prior to its massive FAILURE over the last two years, writes that I should be prosecuted by Radical Left, Soros Backed Lunatics, even without evidence, because I’m WHITE.”
Trump also writes that Blow, who is Black, is “dumb” — writing: “What has our Country come to? With Blowhard’s racist words and innuendo, dumb as he is, bad things happen, and we are now a Nation in Decline being stupidly led into World War lll.”
Trump has a little more than 5 million followers on Truth Social, where he posted the diatribe. On Twitter, where Blow has 600K+ followers he responded insouciantly to Trump’s post with lyrics from a Mariah Carey pop song, writing: “Why you so obsessed with me? Boy, I want to know.”
“Why you so obsessed with me?
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 30, 2023
Boy, I want to know.” — @MariahCarey pic.twitter.com/8NmrOaHlnZ
Trump is usually very good at cherry picking the reluctant or hidden compliments strewn throughout his opponents’ criticism, and taunting them back with their own acknowledgments of his inevitability and ubiquity.
But with Blow, Trump opts not to take that route. In a more generous mood, Trump might have acknowledged that Blow is unable to dismiss him — however he might wish to — saying that the former President had “reached a status” of “American folk hero” among his followers.
Blow hardly meant it as a compliment — Paul Bunyan might not get the GOP nomination — but Trump missing the chance to say Blow just called him a hero is unlike him.
