The Harborwalk Press

What Makes a Sycophant

One of the biggest dilemmas to me, as we approach the 2020 election, is what makes the people in support of Donald Trump so supportive, even in the face of all evidence indicating that he is only interested in what benefits him and his.  

I suppose I never really considered the word sycophant.  As a noun Merriam-Webster's definition is: a servile self-seeking flatterer.   Yet I look at the people surrounding Trump and I wonder, are they really self-seeking when they are flattering him as they do?  

One example comes to mind.  Yesterday I watched Wolf Blitzer interview Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg after the news came out that Olivia Troye, who served as Vice President Pence's Homeland Security adviser and an adviser to the White House coronavirus task force, said that Trump failed to keep Americans safe.  Just another in a long line of ex-Trump staffers and long time Republicans who have come out to say that Trump is dangerous to the Republic and is only interested in himself.  Yet General Kellogg, with a long distinguished career in the military, comes on CNN and refutes everything that Ms. Troye said about Trump.  He essentially said she was either a liar who had an ulterior motive or insinuated that somehow she was coerced into saying what she said.  When Blitzer brought up the fact that she was just one of many, and named General Mattis, General McMaster and General Kelly, all colleagues of Kellogg, all he could say was: "they just didn't like his style." 

Come on man!  They just didn't like his style.  Its like there is a whole different reality when it comes to Trump.  I see people like Kellogg and Kellyanne Conway that can say absolutely nothing bad about Trump.  I see the people at his rallies wearing red hats screaming his attributes.  Yet when I listen to him, I hear a person who can't string ten words together in a sentence that makes any sense.  I see a person that loads every sentence with the words I or me.  I see a person who either lies about or exaggerates every endeavor.   So what is in it for the Kelloggs and the Conways.  It doesn't seem that they are self seeking in their flattery.  I don't have the answer.  I wonder if anyone does.