Trump is Not Our ‘Retribution,’ But Our ‘Reckoning,’ Elie Mystal Writes in Blistering Column

In a scathing column for The Nation, political commentator Elie Mystal offered a bleak assessment of America’s political and social landscape, arguing that the nation’s recent choices reflect a collective failure to reject forces of authoritarianism and bigotry. Mystal’s essay serves as both a critique of the nation’s moral direction and a forewarning of what he sees as the harsh consequences of electing leaders who embody, in his view, the worst of American society.

“We had a chance to stand united against fascism, authoritarianism, racism, and bigotry, but we did not,” Mystal writes. “We had a chance to create a better world for not just ourselves but our sisters and brothers in at least some of the communities most vulnerable to unchecked white rule, but we did not. We had a chance to pass down a better, safer, and cleaner world to our children, but we did not.”

Instead, he contends, voters chose leaders like former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, alongside a few “white South African billionaires who know a thing or two about instituting apartheid.” Mystal’s words underscore his view that the American electorate has willingly aligned itself with individuals who prioritize personal gain and perpetuate social division.

In previous writings, Mystal has urged news consumers to hold media accountable, especially those outlets he argues have failed to fully confront the dangers of a Trump presidency. This time, he emphasizes the idea that while no one person may deserve the challenges a Trump administration would bring, America collectively bears responsibility for the path it has chosen. “We, as a nation, have proven ourselves to be a fetid, violent people, and we deserve a leader who embodies the worst of us,” Mystal writes, adding that Trump “was created from our greed, our insecurities, and our selfishness.”

This leader, he suggests, is the embodiment of societal flaws, a figure who has “answered” the nation’s deepest desires and insecurities. Mystal further argues that Trump is less an aberration and more a reflection of American society itself. He asserts that Trump’s wealth, crassness, and self-interest mirror qualities many Americans either possess or aspire to. “He is rich because we are rich or think we will be. He is crass because we are crass. He is self-interested because we are,” Mystal continues.

Trump’s combative relationship with the media, his lack of intellectual curiosity, and his egocentric nature, he contends, are a direct reflection of an uninformed public that consumes superficial media narratives without much scrutiny. When it comes to the question of “saving” America, Mystal’s response is pessimistic. He argues that the country may not be worthy of rescue.

“A country that allows its environment to be ravaged, its children to be shot, its wealth to be hoarded, its workers to be exploited, its poor to starve, its cops to murder, and its minorities to be hunted doesn’t really deserve to be ‘saved.’ It deserves to fail,” he concludes. Mystal’s column presents Trump not as a punitive force but as a natural consequence of America’s collective decisions and social priorities. “Trump is not our ‘retribution.’

He is our reckoning,” he states, positing that the political climate and the nation’s moral fabric have aligned to make Trump a reflection of the country’s current state. In his forceful critique, Mystal challenges readers to consider Trump’s rise not as an anomaly but as a signal of where the nation stands. In this view, Trump’s reelection would signify not merely a return to power but a reminder of a deeper, unresolved reckoning within American society.