Trump’s Memorial Day Message Wasn’t a Gaffe—It Was a Tactic
With his latest deranged outburst disguised as a “holiday message,” Donald Trump once again desecrated a solemn American occasion. And no, it wasn’t spontaneous. It was deliberate. It always is.
After watching this grotesque pattern repeat enough times, I think I finally understand the cynical political arithmetic he’s playing. It’s not incoherent madness—it’s targeted manipulation. His behavior is engineered to exploit the emotional, ideological, and moral fractures in this country. He’s running a three-pronged strategy aimed at three very different Americas.
Group 1: The Democratic Idealists
Roughly one-third of the country still believes in the social contract: that government exists to serve its people through justice, equity, competent leadership, and collective progress. They want civil rights protected, wages fair, science respected, education funded, and policies grounded in empathy, truth, and long-term thinking. These are the “liberals,” the “progressives,” the “socialists,” and the “idealists”—often caricatured, always concerned. They are not without flaws, but their compass generally points toward inclusion and shared prosperity.
Group 2: The Chaos Enthusiasts
Another third thrives on nihilism masquerading as patriotism. They don’t want policy—they want carnage. They are animated not by vision but by vengeance. They want someone in office who will wreck institutions, insult norms, degrade discourse, and humiliate “elites.” Trump is their avatar of destruction. His vulgarity, cruelty, and lawlessness aren’t side effects; they’re the appeal. Whether it’s online troll farms, conspiracy cults, or cosplay militia groups, their ideology is simple: blow it up and laugh. No rebuild required.
Group 3: The Amoral Opportunists
Then there’s the final third—arguably the most powerful—who simply do not care. Their moral compass is a spreadsheet, and their vote is cast by the Dow Jones. These are the transactional pragmatists, the “I got mine” crowd who will tolerate anything—corruption, cruelty, coups—so long as their assets are safe. Ethics are for lectures, not for life. They worship prosperity and dismiss politics as a game best won, not understood. For them, Trump’s madness is tolerable background noise—as long as it keeps taxes low, regulations lax, and profit margins wide. They don’t see the circus; they see opportunity.
Trump’s Strategy: Feed Chaos, Soothe Greed, Provoke Conscience
Trump doesn’t need a majority. He needs to keep Group 2 constantly entertained and agitated with daily outrage, and Group 3 sufficiently unbothered and enriched. Group 1? He uses their decency as a weapon. Their outrage becomes his fuel. Their fact-checking, moral pleas, and appeals to tradition only serve to reaffirm his supporters’ contempt for institutions and truth.
So yes, Trump spit on Memorial Day. He hijacked a moment of national mourning to settle personal scores, stoke division, and remind his base that he serves no master but himself. Group 2 cheered. Group 3 didn’t even notice.
And that’s the point. That’s the game.
I don’t have a perfect answer for how to win it, but I do know this: Until Group 3 feels real economic pain—until the chaos eats into their bottom line—nothing changes. Trump could dismantle every moral pillar of democracy and they’d still shrug, check their portfolios, and go back to brunch.
He knows this. And he’s betting everything on it.
Julie Bolejack, MBA
