Who Pays the Price
Wiley lifted his cell phone, held it in the air in front of him, pushed a button, turned the phone toward Fred.
‘This is Trump’s new ad.’
Leaning forward, shoulders hunched, Fred watched. Rocking back, laughed. ‘That’s great.’
Parting his lips in a crooked grin, voice sharp, grating, Wiley turned to me. ‘I’m guessing in your book Fred got it wrong?’
Trump had posted the video on X 100 hours after taking office – it started with Trump standing on stage behind a parting curtain; as people cheered in the background, narrating the ad himself, Trump said, ‘The Golden Age of America begins right now.’ Rolling on, voice getting tougher, said, ‘I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU. AND WIN FOR YOU.’
The screen went dark then 8 white words appeared on the black background: THE MOST HISTORIC 100 HOURS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
Staring back at Wiley, I asked: ‘Would you say Trump’s first 100 hours were more historic than D-Day?’
‘You’re nit picking,’ Wiley snapped. ‘Forty million people saw that video on X – Trump’s a genius.’
He’s right. There’s no one as clever as Trump when it comes to getting attention on social media.
But that leaves a question: Who pays the price when forty million people cheer a tale that’s not true?
(Note: This story’s a roman à clef. The history’s real but some characters mirror cartoons – which fits politics today.)
*******
Telling stories, in his memoir Carter Wrenn follows The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics from Reagan to Trump. Order his book from Amazon.
Who Pays the Price
Wiley lifted his cell phone, held it in the air in front of him, pushed a button, turned the phone toward Fred.
‘This is Trump’s new ad.’
Leaning forward, shoulders hunched, Fred watched. Rocking back, laughed. ‘That’s great.’
Parting his lips in a crooked grin, voice sharp, grating, Wiley turned to me. ‘I’m guessing in your book Fred got it wrong?’
Trump had posted the video on X 100 hours after taking office – it started with Trump standing on stage behind a parting curtain; as people cheered in the background, narrating the ad himself, Trump said, ‘The Golden Age of America begins right now.’ Rolling on, voice getting tougher, said, ‘I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU. AND WIN FOR YOU.’
The screen went dark then 8 white words appeared on the black background: THE MOST HISTORIC 100 HOURS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
Staring back at Wiley, I asked: ‘Would you say Trump’s first 100 hours were more historic than D-Day?’
‘You’re nit picking,’ Wiley snapped. ‘Forty million people saw that video on X – Trump’s a genius.’
He’s right. There’s no one as clever as Trump when it comes to getting attention on social media.
But that leaves a question: Who pays the price when forty million people cheer a tale that’s not true?
(Note: This story’s a roman à clef. The history’s real but some characters mirror cartoons – which fits politics today.)
*******
Telling stories, in his memoir Carter Wrenn follows The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics from Reagan to Trump. Order his book from Amazon.