Former President Donald Trump is engaging in "fascist cosplay," wrote former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) in a scathing article on his Substack — and it only reveals what a hollow and weak leader he really is.
Kinzinger, a longtime critic of the former president and of the direction of his party generally, was one of the only Republicans to serve on the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack.
"As he campaigned for president last week Donald Trump turned up the volume on his authoritarian message. He followed the well-known blueprint for dictatorship, which included dehumanizing outsiders, predictions of violence, and dramatic warnings about a supposed emergency facing the nation," wrote Kinzinger — some stark examples being his prediction of a "bloodbath" if he isn't elected, and his claim that immigrants aren't even people.
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And yet, Kinzinger noted, there's something missing in Trump's autocratic performance.
"Trump is doing all the things that would-be autocrats do as they campaign for power, and this should scare the hell out of us," he wrote. "However, he is also doing it in a style that echoes with weakness and looks a little like cosplay. Outside on a windy day in Ohio, he donned a red ballcap to protect his precious hair and struggled to rouse the crowd. Frustrated, he reached for profanity but even that didn’t energize his audience." It's not a one-off either, he noted; Trump supporters seem to be "getting bored of the schtick that seems little changed since their man crashed onto the political stage in 2015."
Ultimately, Kinzinger concluded, Trump is still dangerous even if he is more vulnerable.
"Trump’s backers intend to create a government in his image, which will regard his opponents as enemies to be vanquished, bring outsiders to heel, smash so-called conspiracies, and make America into a land of Trumpian fantasy," wrote Kinzinger. "Say what you will about the weak, clownish pretender who you see on the campaign trail. Trump still wants the power of a dictator and his team is preparing to give it to him."