I don’t disagree with the main thrust of this article, but to say Trump has “empowered” anyone strikes me as absurd. These people’s anger is their anger, and though Trump might be acting as a lightening rod for it, it’s got nothing to do with him; he’s not given any power to anyone, he’s taken their power away by channeling what are often quite understandable concerns (job security, public services, falling wages), and given them his fascistic spin.

There’s a series of disturbing left wing articles going around that seem at some level almost disappointed that it *appears* that Trump’s campaign has gone of the rails. As though it might have been fun to see what would happen if you sent a bomb into the White House. And perhaps even some respect for Trump’s cuddling up to Putin. I’m genuinely not accusing JS of this, as I don’t know his writing well enough. But Pilger and various others who are uncompromisingly anti-western definitely seem to give off that sense.