What H.L. Mencken Said about Donald Trump & His Administration

Sidney Burris
1 min readMay 18, 2020

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H.L. Mencken (1880–1956)

Acerbic, forthright, opinionated, boisterous, and deeply entertaining, H.L. Mencken was no friend to stupidity. Very little in American life escaped his notice, but he was particularly obsessed by the ways and means of his beloved citizens as they managed the American democracy:

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

Of course, Trump’s election fulfilled the Framers’ nightmare: that a President who won the popular vote would lose the electoral college, the first in a series of nightmares that we are negotiating on a daily basis.

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Sidney Burris
Sidney Burris

Written by Sidney Burris

Essayist, poet, teaching nonviolence & engaged meditation. Founded a Tibetan oral-history project. Hangs with Tibetan monks, a brilliant wife & rakish daughter.

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