On the eve of Donald Trump’s electoral certification, the best thing sensible Americans who oppose him and MAGA’s leadership can do is remember that stupidity should be embarrassing.
Trump exists in our politics because he has convinced people to forget this simple fact. He somehow transformed fools like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and of course himself — a public figure who regularly spewed vulgar nonsense — into people who were taken seriously treat people.
Trump ranted about immigration after the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year’s Day, in which the suspect killed in the attack was a U.S. citizen. That’s stupid and unhelpful. This should be deeply embarrassing for the president-elect and the elected leaders who protect him.
Trump has made stupidity acceptable. It shouldn’t be.
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at the Mar-a-Lago Club on New Year’s Eve in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 31, 2024.
When Green hypothesized that a Jewish space laser started the California wildfires, it wasn’t a mistake, nor was it a “bad” moment. This was so stupid and should have been an embarrassing end to her political career.
When Kennedy encouraged people to drink bacteria-laden raw milk, he should have been laughed out of the country. Instead, Trump chose him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which is completely stupid and should be a huge embarrassment to Trump.
Viewpoint: What will happen in 2025? Trump is always right — and the predictions are even more guaranteed.
Yet here we are, waiting for Trump to return to the White House and confidently and shamelessly install reckless MAGA followers in all positions of power.
Bringing back shame could be a powerful tool against Trump
The problem lies in the last point: “shameless”.
We all do stupid things. There have been many times where I’ve said or written something stupid, made a stupid factual error, or yelled about something I didn’t fully understand. To be sure, this will happen again. I would never claim to be the smartest person in any room.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouts as President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024 in Washington.
But the difference is that in those silly moments when I realize my mistake, I feel embarrassed. When I have to correct a column or admit that I stumbled on something, I feel ashamed of the mistake.
Shame keeps us in check, or at least it should. Indeed it was.
If we tolerate stupidity in the public sphere, it will thrive
The shameless Trump has gone to great lengths to dismantle this social constraint.
How else do you explain politicians endorsing him for the third time—a convicted felon, a persistent liar, a man convicted of sexual abuse? The decision to return someone like Trump to the most powerful position in America should be embarrassing. This is not the case.
Viewpoint: Trump chose Musk’s money over MAGA, the “forgotten” Americans. Sorry, xenophobes!
It’s enough to make those who don’t like Trump, whether because of his politics or his personality, feel powerless. I see.
However, I think the best way to take back power in the age of Trumpism is to stop tolerating stupidity.
Stupidity is not wisdom in books, but choosing ignorance
Before we go any further, let’s clarify what I mean by “stupid.” I’m not talking about any educational level.
Heck, most of the people around Trump are highly educated but dumb as fence posts.
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Stupidity is speaking authoritatively about something you simply don’t understand. It’s a willingness to say things that are objectively wrong and a refusal to admit that you are wrong. It is this lack of curiosity that has led our leaders to embrace Bologna conspiracy theories instead of provable facts.
To me, these are embarrassing traits.
Stop giving those stupid elected officials a pass
But since Trump was first elected president, some have been afraid to point out these characteristics.
The essence of the argument is: “Well, he won people over, so we shouldn’t call him stupid lest we insult his voters, we have to do our best to understand them.”
And then – Rep. Matt Gaetz (L) supports former President Donald Trump during his hush money trial on May 16, 2024 in New York City.
This didn’t work out particularly well. If anything, proud ignorance has prevailed.
So now, as we wait to see what new hell the new Trump administration will bring, it’s time to stop pandering to politicians who accept a reality that is out of touch with reality.
No one’s job is to make fools feel comfortable
When Trump blames immigrants for a former U.S. Army soldier’s act of domestic terrorism, we should scream: Stupid. This is not a matter of disagreement or “agree to disagree.”
It’s, “If you can’t accept basic facts, you’re a fool who should be avoided.”
President-elect Donald Trump greets SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during a test flight of the Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas.
It’s not cruel to embarrass people for believing nonsense or telling outrageous lies. This is corrective.
We don’t coddle our children when they talk nonsense or think the truth doesn’t matter. We correct them. We do this to avoid the chaos that Trump has brought and will continue to bring.
Doing for America: Making Stupid Embarrassing Again
So as this year unfolds, I encourage you to make politicians who say stupid things uncomfortable. You may not think your voice matters, but the collective power of all our voices reminds people that our society looks down upon willful ignorance may matter.
Additionally, we tried other methods, but things only got worse.
Comforting fools paves the way for more fools. Do America a favor — laugh at stupidity everywhere.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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This article was originally published in “USA Today”: Trump’s election has become a fact, don’t be satisfied with stupidity | Opinion
