I doubt Trump has ever actually read him, but “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” is an aphorism from the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. I think that Trump in his über narcissism believes about himself even though he may not say or think these words .

In 1888, Nietzsche wrote “Aus der Kriegsschule des Lebens.—Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker,” which can be translated as “Out of life’s school of war—what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.” It appears in his book of aphorisms, Twilight of the Idols, and no further explanation follows.

Nietzsche expanded on the idea somewhat in his autobiographyEcce Homo, also composed in 1888. Here, he refers to select individuals as “nature’s lucky strokes…among men,” and says of such a person, “He divines remedies for injuries; he knows how to turn serious accidents to his own advantage; that which does not kill him makes him stronger.” Reference

A recent test of four ads meant to sway some of his voters away from supporting him showed the ads backfired big time.

Coinsider this article in Politico:

An anti-Trump group produced four ads attacking his legal troubles. They backfired.

The ads showed the biggest hurdle Trump’s opponents have encountered this primary: His court dramas have helped him.

The story, with a link to Politico, was on RawStory here.

Sometimes the ads that appear in articles posted on RawStory seem to fit in with the subject of the story. This was the ad in the above article which inspired me to make the image I used to illustrate this blog story.

I am glad the anti-Trump PAC tested the ads before releasing them because the better we understand these cultists the more effectivelty we can fight them. 

The fact that the ads backfired should not be surprising. They help Trump play the victim for his cult. In his feral intelligence (not to be confused with having a high testable IQ) he has figured out that if he can’t be the victimizer he will make the most of being victimzed. So far it has been a highly effective tactic. Using an effective tactic isn’t the same as having a strategy which is likely to work in the long term.

If Trump’s strategy is to keep a vise grip on his cultists it won’t succed if he is stripped of his wealth, kicked off the ballot in several states, and unable to hold his rallies because he is sentenced to home confinement for practical reasons in lieu of being in prison. If the stress of all of his legal troubles starts to cause him to seem even more unhinged and deranged this can also hurt him among supporters. His appearing manically enraged works for him among cultists, but more and more photos and videos of him looking haggard, defeated, and tired may garner some sympathy, but they also don’t fit the image he wants people to have that he is Superman or Rambo.

Polls are showing that Trump is in the lead among Republicans , however this is still early and I think there are two candidates who could make the race closer. They are Nikki Haley and, if he should change his mind, Virginia governer Glen Youngkin (it is possible for him to enter race this late but not easy). Both have their appeal to non-Trumper Republicans.

It took five or six millions years for the Colorado River to make the Grand Canyon through solid rock (sorry Mike Johnson, the Earth isnt really 6000 years old). Perceptions and beliefs aren’t made out of granite. They are malleable. While deeply held beliefs are exceeding dificult to change by telling people the truth about worshipping Trump as a divine superhuman who will empower them as white under-educated and poorly informed Americans who will, thanks to him, become the ruling class.

He’s not the person depicted in his cartoonish images and nothing he can do will make these cultists more than the pathetic people they are. It may be a hard sell but the one crucial thing exposing Trump as dangerously unhinged is that it is the truth. Among other things Trump should be exposed as a discount ex-president who wants to grift his supporters out of their cash.

Trump cultists are unlikely to read progressive websites like RawStory or watch MSNBC, or know or care who Joyce Vance is. However, one thing is sure, that don’t want to see descriptions like “desperation showing” applied to their mighty hero with photos like the one (below) that RawStory used to illustrate their article.

Trump’s ‘desperation is showing” as clock ticks down and trials ramp up: ex-prosecutor.

Dare I suggest that you can almost smell the flop sweat (see Garfield cartoon) when you look at the photo above…

If Trump was as knowlegable about the Bible as he’d like his cult to think he is, and wasn’t mired in delusions of being invulnerable, he’d be reading and heeding the handwriting on the wall and thinking about the  biblical story of Daniel, in which the prophet interprets some mysterious writing that a disembodied hand has inscribed on the palace wall, telling King Belshazzar that he will be overthrown. Reference.

Previous blog stories here.