‘Have you seen the latest campaign commercial released on X by Trump? It’s called: God Made Trump.’ I asked Camp as soon he sat down. 

            ‘It’s frigging cold out there,’ he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself. ‘The arctic freeze is here.’ He shook his head in disgust. ‘Yes, I’ve seen it. The one where he claims that God Almighty personally appointed him to come down to earth to save America.’

            ‘Yes, that one where he promised God and America that he would work 7 days a week, not only 6 like his boss, work until midnight every day, use his strong arms to wrestle the Deep State and then deliver his grand child?’

            ‘You don’t have to repeat it. It made me barf the first time. At first I thought it to be a farce, a comedy stunt but no, this is a genuine Trump narcissistic maniacal promo video. No doubt to be lampooned at nauseum by Saturday Night Live, Steve Colbert and every self-respecting Late Night Show comedian.’

            ‘Adding fuel to the fire, no doubt, more press, more exposure. Just exactly what he wants.’ I said.

Let me read you something that shows who is is. ‘He a liar and a cheat, says sports writer Rick Reilly. When he plays golf he takes ‘mulligans’ (extra strokes that aren’t counted in one’s score), throws opponent’s balls off the greens and into the bunkers, and kicks his own errant shots back onto the fairway so often that one of his caddies nicknamed him Pele, after the soccer star. Trump doesn’t just cheat at golf, Reilly concluded. He cheats like a three-card Monty dealer. He throws it, boots it and moves it. He lies about his lies. He fudges and foozles and fluffs.’

‘It’s harmless behavior on a golf course but not on the international stage as president of the USA,’ I said.

‘We know he is a psychopathic narcissist, a megalomanic, a thief and now he added a Messiah Complex.  A psychiatric evaluation should be mandatory before running for higher office but if the American people want to elect a delusional gangster as president they should not be surprised if he steals them blind, cheats on his taxes, lies to everybody and starts World War III because somebody criticizes his hair or his golf game.’

I feel sorry for the half of the Americans who don’t vote for him but I have no sympathy or empathy for the other half who believe him to be their savior.  From what? From a recovering and stronger than ever economy, lower fuel prices, the fact that in December alone the US economy added another 216’000 jobs, or the jobless rate fell to an all-time low of 3.7%?’

‘No, this time it’s not about the economy or any one policy, it’s about a cult of conspiracists, reality deniers and believers in a primitive, superstitious, fundamental and racist kind of Christianity against higher education, science, democracy and a fair judiciary that is threatening to put the lunatic reality TV show host in jail. It’s us against them, not right against wrong but wrong is right.’

‘And changing any Trump supporters minds seems impossible.’ 

‘It’s what we get to look forward to this year. Scripted Reality TV from the capitol to the townhalls, TV debates with no winners and two glitzy partisan conventions.’

Aren’t you glad we’re here in Canada?’

‘Yes, I am but this is no time to gloat. We got our own threats to democracy brewing in conservative, fundamentalist backrooms. Just look at Alberta or Quebec. It’s not much better here and democracy, majority rule and progressive secularism are under attack as we speak.’

‘Well, not in here,’ Camp said, slapping his hand flat on the table to make his empty mug jump and turning heads at the neighbouring tables.

‘Everything alright here,’ Vicki asked with a worrying look at Camp.

‘Absolutely,’ Camp said, picking up his fresh pint, ‘everything is perfect here.’