The often anti-Trump personality, George Conway, made an appearance on The Daily Show, spouting his usual anti-Trump rhetoric. This staunch Trump critic regularly throws in his two cents on major networks like MSNBC and CNN and is known for wanting to “deprogram” Trump supporters.
During his comedy show exchange with host Ronny Chieng, Conway reiterated his character assassination of Donald Trump, labeling him a “narcissistic sociopath.” Furthermore, he insisted on the necessity of broadcasting such diagnoses. He claimed this not only vexed Trump but also provided ammunition for future criticism, creating a vicious cycle that continues to fuel his disapproval ratings.
In a strange twist, Conway had some advice for liberals. Rather than expressing their distaste for Trump with anger, he advised they resort to mockery — a tactic he found more effective. He went as far as stating that Trump supporters enjoyed seeing irritated liberals, as it validated their support for him, a sentiment he felt could be flipped with humor.
The show host, Chieng, played along by agreeing that they indeed were doing their part as comedians in this political war. Conway concurred, arguing that everyone, including the comedic world, played a significant role in this fight against Trump. And while he understood the gravity of Trump’s potential victory, he rationalized that deriding Trump was just as essential.
Conway then switched gears, presenting a doomsday picture of Trump’s re-election. In his words, the result would be unprecedented civil unrest, a blatant abuse of power, public protests, and a detrimental economic state. Not to mention a mass exodus of human and financial capital from the U.S.
Right up to the conclusion of the interview, Conway remained confident that Trump would lose. He seemed most worried about the aftermath, specifically, how to cope with the 60 to 80 million Americans who voted for Trump. To this end, he maintained that “deprogramming” these supporters was crucial.
However, his dream of widespread Trump ridicule and “reeducation” remains just that — a dream. After all, Conway’s echo chamber may be filled with cheers and laughter from the liberal audience, but the reality remains that this is just another form of an echo chamber, and laughter will continue to be replaced with “clapter” therapy.
In summary, Conway’s projections and advice are at best biased, and his outlook on the U.S.’s future under Trump reek of unnecessary catastrophe. That said, the likelihood of his projections becoming a reality or his advice being heeded by the liberal audience of The Daily Show is debatable at best.
