[serge2k]

I don't really see evil. I see a combination of incompetence and hard right-wing policy.

I really don't like the latter, but at least you can argue it (e.g. pulling out of TPP is a perfectly reasonable position to take).

The former is just... ugh. Huge numbers of unfilled positions, firing all the ambassadors with no replacements, completely unqualified cabinet nominees (DeVos, Carson, Perry).

[ams6110]

Trump is not hard right-wing. I'm not sure what he is, time will tell, but he's not that.

[craigvn]

He appears to be exceptional at one thing, manipulating people. The right wing have been manipulated by Trump for his own agenda, which I suspect is just a lust for power. People seem to miss that Trump is trying to set up a dynasty, he plans after he ends as President to ensure his daughter/son/son-in-law are all succeeding him, like the Bush's or the Kennedy's but much greater.

[intended]

I think it's much worse and much dumber.

Trump saw an opportunity and went for it with everything he had. He used modern tools and knew how to apply it to the modern public. He knew his audience and his audience also knew how to navigate the new medium.

I doubt he expected to do so well when he started but apparently the old world institutions and cultural protections of pre 1990 are well and truly dead.

Tomorrow someone else is going to navigate this path, and they are going to do it better.

[eli_gottlieb]

The problem here is that there are two different typical definitions of "far-right", possibly even three.

* Minarcho-capitalist, "Snow Crash"-style. Absolutely minimal government, only contracts and property titles being enforced. On everything else, you're free-to-starve.

* Religious dominionism, Mike Pence style. "Electrocute the gay away". Scary and weird. Kinda like a Middle Eastern country.

* So-called "right-wing populism", aka fascism. Trump's typical style. Very nationalistic, often claiming to adopt left-wing economic policies like industrial management and regional equalization while actually installing policies more similar to the minarcho-capitalists, but with more corruption. Dog-whistles to religion but no real religiosity. Military parades in the streets, Orwellian blatant lies, etc. Cult of leadership.

[dragonwriter]

The last two are essentially the same, differing only in window dressing, and the first isn't far right (while the Republican Party has made some selective rhetorical mods in the direction of minarchism -- particularly at the federal level over issues where they want states to be free to pursue policies more right-wing than there is federal support for at the time of the argument -- minarchism isn't particularly right-wing at all.)

[seanmcdirmid]

I'm guessing mental illness at this point. The unsubstantiated voter fraud accusation is moving me to that conclusion.

We should expect to see more of this, there is no one to moderate his behavior that I can see at this point.