Top Trump official says his boss’ ego will solve the world’s problems
President Donald Trump’s cult of personality is alive and well—and apparently influencing foreign policy.
Billionaire Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy and Trump family crypto negotiator, appeared in an interview clip posted on X by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account Friday.
“The neocon element believes that war is the only way to solve things, and the president believes that his force of personality, the way he is going to respond to situations, can bend people to do things in a much better way, for, in the interests of the United States government, and I believe in that, too,” Witkoff said.
Witkoff, like any skilled propagandist, sprinkles in enough truth to lend a patina of credibility to his message—such as pointing out that neocons enjoy using military resources under false pretenses, like invading a country over nonexistent weapons of mass destruction.
Trump has created a cult of personality, turning his Mar-a-Lago resort into a seat of power where the wealthy and powerful are expected to come and kiss the ring, all while he grifts garish guitars to his base.
Trump’s oppressive demand for public displays of loyalty has led to increasingly cultish spectacles of fealty.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who is eagerly carrying out Trump’s war on the free press, has been sporting a gold lapel pin of a bust of Trump.
And GOP Reps. Brandon Gill and Troy Nehls of Texas introduced the Golden Age Act, which would replace Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill with Trump—in full color. Barf!
Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida introduced a bill directing the Interior secretary to have Dear Leader’s face carved into Mount Rushmore National Memorial. That’s a 60-foot, from chin to pompadour, tribute.
As far as foreign policy goes, Trump’s “cult of personality” powers have failed to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine or even bring down the price of groceries. At the same time, they have made Americans less safe to travel and severely undermined the country’s ability to take care of its citizens.
Trump might not be a neocon, but he does have planned a military parade for his 79th birthday. It won’t help U.S. national security or small businesses being choked by his trade war, but it will certainly help feed the ego that powers his cult of personality.