President Donald Trump has gone on a series of conspiratorial rants this week about former President Barack Obama and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough -- the latter of whom he baselessly accused of murdering an intern two decades ago.
Politico media critic Jack Shafer argues that Trump is ramping up his outrageous behavior in a desperate bid to stay in the spotlight even as his presidency is swamped by a deadly pandemic and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression.
"Almost three and half years into his presidency, he’s learned that there’s little political blowback from his followers for whatever lunacy the camera records," Shafer writes. "In fact, as we’ve seen from his rallies, the more he lies and blusters, the more they like it."
However, Shafer believes the twin crises of COVID-19 and the economic recession have robbed Trump of his ability to drive news cycles by making shocking statements -- which is why he's had to try extra hard to break through.
"My intuition tells me that both his supporters and critics have grown numb to his previous rhetorical excesses and need for him to cross new boundaries, violate new taboos, and break fresh panes of glass in order remain engaged," he writes. "Then there’s the matter of his recent dip in the polls, reportedly putting him in a “foul mood.” He knows he can’t charm his way back to better numbers, so he’s trying furiously to stay in the public eye by displaying more ferocity."
