The Intelligencer has a fantastic piece by Olivia Nuzzi (Who one should follow). It describes a man, Trump, who is almost “pretending” to run for president, which – Nuzzi is quick to point out doesn’t mean he can’t win. But he has gone very soft. Even worse, the man who once built or bought tall buildings (With whose money is a question for another time), living in big-time Manhattan, with a big voice booming out even bigger boasts on big networks, is now one of the smallest men around. His life consists of shuffling around Mar-a-Lago, looking for a crowd to applaud upon his entrance or one that will listen if he picks up a microphone. He dances with brides with a red hat on, no tie, and unbuttoned shirts. To the extent he goes anywhere, it’s a two-hour drive to his club in Miami to play the Doral Course. He never really goes anywhere.

He has to be terrified about what the new year might bring, and he’s terrified to go out and “see” how far he’s fallen.

First, there is his need for attention, which is tied up with his fear of boredom. “He doesn’t have anything else to do,” one adviser told me. “What else can he do? Why did he see Kanye? He wants to be relevant and wants the limelight. He’s thirsty.”

Trump did not like this. “I think I’ve always been relevant. Like, I’ve been relevant from a very young age. I’ve been in the mix, to be honest,” he said.

In a sense, Trump is right. He is relevant, just not as relevant as a president, a kingmaker, or even a strong candidate. He is relevant regarding the damage he could still do. He is relevant in his constant drive to divide the country, just today saying that the FBI, Twitter, and Joe Biden, all conspired against him and stole the election, essentially calling Biden a criminal. (Always accuse your opponent of doing what you’re doing…)  He just isn’t president, nor is he a “winner” anymore, having helped lose three straight elections.

So, the relevance problem is one reason he’s so sad and bitter. The other thing is the possibility of arrest:

In the span of 24 hours, the January 6 committee announced referrals for criminal charges (obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement and to “incite,” “assist,” or “aid or comfort” an insurrection), and the House Ways and Means Committee announced it would release six years of his tax returns, information he had fought bitterly to keep private throughout his earlier campaigns and presidency.

“That didn’t play into it,” Trump said. He did not like this, either. “I did nothing wrong,” he said. Had his lawyers given him that advice, as some of his advisers told me they had? “No,” he said. “I don’t know how you get indicted if you’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

He repeated that phrase, “I’ve done nothing wrong,” nine times in 30 minutes. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

Incorrect. It was the radical liberal Steve Doocy on Fox and Friends who said, “Why didn’t he just give the files back?” Which, as I’ve written before, was the top answer in a survey of seven-year-olds on the subject of Trump getting in trouble for keeping illegal files.

Ultimately, it’s the title of the piece that sums everything up best:

The Final Campaign: Inside Donald Trump’s sad, lonely, thirsty, broken, basically pretend run for reelection. (Which isn’t to say he can’t win.)

Sort of sums it up perfectly, especially when paired with a drawing of Trump looking sad, lonely, thirsty, and broken.

Oh if only I could write like Olivia Nuzzi!
Donald Trump 2024: His Final Presidential Campaign https://t.co/LeDKPfXWDU

— grannynanny (@grannynannynews) December 23, 2022

So very not sorry for him. He built all of this and continues to rip democracy apart in this country. Trump himself may be on the way out, too much criminal baggage. “Trumpism” is very much still in play, right, Ron DeSantis? That, too, might contribute to Trump’s pathetic plight.