Another Angle: Real Gaslighting Isn't Red or White — It's Gold-Plated and Trademarked

Highland City Club's OpEd, “On Projecting,” draws from authoritarian history, Bolsheviks, Nazis, and modern strongmen, but fails to name the most blatant perpetrator: Donald Trump, convicted felon, and his Republican enablers. He launched a meme coin to enrich himself, promised dinners at the White House, and then called for investigations into those who fought Russian election interference. He smeared U.S. foreign aid workers as “corrupt” while building a $200M White House ballroom and accepting a $500M Qatari jet. He called Fed Chair Powell “the most destructive person in government” while simultaneously cutting a trade deal and opening a golf resort in Vietnam. He fired the BLS head after an unfavorable jobs report, screaming that the report was rigged. This is daily life under Trump. Not a red vs. white wine debate, but democracy vs. deception.

Rather than condemning Trump’s corrupt antics, the OpEd focuses its outrage on Zohran Mamdani and Omar Fateh (representing 2.6% of the US population). Why? Because they are Democratic Socialists running for mayor, and advocate for policies aimed at making life more affordable for ordinary people. Oh, and because they are Muslim. Mamdani is advocating for affordable transit, rent, and groceries. These proposals may be flawed and bad policy, but they are grounded in democratic debate, not fascist deception.

To equate Mamdani’s efforts with the tactics of the Bolsheviks or Nazis is politically irresponsible. It is an effort to distract while turning a blind eye to actual fascist tendencies on the American right. The OpEd repeatedly warns about projection, yet fails to name the politician who embodies it most. This isn’t fiction. It’s 2025 America. The gaslight is real. And the flame burns orange.