We’ve seen the ads on the web and reports on FOX, Newsmax and OAN of the fawning red-hatters lining up for them—the Trump “Save America Rallies” showing up in various cities.
People wearing weird outfits, Trump and Qanon regalia, with banners and hoopla all lined up and waiting, with video clips angled to make the crowds look bigger than they are.
And then there are the interviewers from both sides of the Trump divide. Some with religious fervor talking about the miracles of the “freedom” he represents and all his accomplishments—but unable to name one. Then there’s the comedy show producers interviewing attendees that show a deep vein of almost unimaginable gullibility.
Apparently this uneducated and tragically dis-informed group represented a profit opportunity for the former guy who entered into a lucrative deal with American Freedom Tour. According to a piece from Washington Post, “a company that puts on for-profit Trump rallies, including an upcoming Mar-a-Lago gala and multimillion-dollar fees for the former president.”
Like any other unsustainable “business” model, the ride appears to be coming to an end.
According to the same Post article, American Freedom Tour appears to be in dire financial straights. They struggling to pay their bills with vendors and venues and are now cancelling events. The comparison to the former guy’s own reputed business practices is all too easily drawn.
It is easy to see how these guys conceived the idea of a for-profit fan-driven business. Fan-based events are a big deal. Trekkies, anyone? Star Trek conventions are a huge deal. More recently another smart entrepreneur began putting together Golden Girls events. Very successful.
It is easy to see how the people behind American Freedom Tour made the poorly researched leap of faith that all fans are created equally. And that fans of the former guy would be an even easier mark because they were just dumber and had demonstrated an ability to swallow just about anything. Candid photos of events show dwindling attendance and infer a clear diminishing of the Trump “brand.” Even haters can get tired of the same old hate lines and “dancing” that makes Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes look coordinated.
This is more than just another business “touched” by Trump on its way out. It is bumping up against the fact that anti-social people are vastly outnumbered by their opposites—the people who care about others and are generally likeable. While this scares the hell out of the former guy’s core supporters—Nazis and white supremacists—it is good news for the rest of us.
Caring for others is contagious. And, strangely, we seem to have an administration currently in office in D.C. that has demonstrated actual help for people who are not millionaires and billionaires. While it may not be obvious to the former guy and his core supporters from the nether regions of humanity, that contagion of care is slowly spreading and probably contributing to the eroding numbers at his “rallies.”
At the very least people must be tired of having to pay cash money to see their messiah and his antics on stage.
Marty Kassowitz
Marty Kassowitz is co-founder of Factkeepers. As founder of Interest Factory and View360, he brings more than 30 years experience in effective online communications, social media management, and platform development to the site. He is a writer, designer, editor and long time observer of the ill-logic demonstrated by too many members of the species known as Mankind. After a long history of somewhat private commentary on a subject he totally hates: politics, Marty was encouraged to build this site and put up his own analyses as well as curate relevant content from other sources.