Who wins the awards for the most hypocritical or most steadfast in the Trump orbit? With the unsealing of each indictment, release of incriminating tape recordings and media interviews of witnesses, the MAGA loyalists and previously allied officials run to the microphone to defend or denigrate Donald Trump. The hypocrisy is astounding and more condemnable, in some ways, than the actions of this unrepentant narcissist. A list of the contenders for the honorific of most stupendously hypocritical or slavishly supportive should include Mike Pence, Bill Barr, Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy, and Lindsey Graham.

What should the major criteria be? Previous adoration, now tempered by career enhancing considerations, flip-flopping with each developing situation, or consistency of support? Jim Jordan should be nominated as consistently and sycophantically enamored and protective of Trump. Though he wins in a separate category of hypocrisy having tried to champion supposed whistleblowers, when he has been accused of never taking that stance as an assistant coach at the University of Ohio. Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell and, Lindsey Graham tie for the most flip-flopping as regards Trump’s actions. Bill Barr has suddenly determined that his former boss is an accused federal and state lawbreaker. When he accepted his position as attorney general there was sufficient evidence in the public domain to know for whom he would be carrying water.

Mike Pence stands alone as winning in both categories. Unwaveringly loyal, fawning and enabling Trump in most speeches during the last six years, even in the face of being insulted and threatened with a hanging, Pence can barely utter a criticism or acknowledgment of the existential threat posed by Trump then and now. His calm voice of supposed maturity and reason are all artifice in his pursuit of garnering the affection of the MAGA loyalists he would need to win the election. Save for these two awards, Pence will never succeed in erasing his refusal to decertify the election, and will not hold any national office that requires the support and votes of Trump’s millions. Perhaps even meaningless accolades are better than none!

Betty Ussach-Schwartz

Southampton

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