{"id":8976,"date":"2026-04-02T20:22:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=8976"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:22:05","slug":"trump-is-worse-than-a-gangster-hes-flesh-eating-bacteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/trump-is-worse-than-a-gangster-hes-flesh-eating-bacteria\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump is worse than a gangster; he’s flesh-eating bacteria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nobody in Donald Trump’s orbit has ever seen a gangster movie. Not The Godfather<\/em>, not Goodfellas<\/em>, not The Sopranos<\/em>. If they had, they would know there’s nothing you can give to ever satisfy a gangster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gangsters never demand something you are capable of giving; it’s always more than you can afford, and you are indebted for life. Trump expected former Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his enemies, erase his personal culpability in the Jeffrey Epstein crimes, seize control of elections from the states, and on and on. All more than any one person could deliver, no matter how deeply they abased themselves, even if they were corrupt to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gangsters take and take and take until you have nothing left, and then if getting rid of you is advantageous to them, they will destroy you. In the movies, the sap gets violently whacked. In Trump’s world, you get “fired” in a publicly humiliating manner, like a contestant on the game show that fooled a large number of gullible Americans into thinking he was a savvy businessman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lucky few in Trump’s wake may get lifelines as podcasters or unregistered foreign agents for Turkey, but for most, it’s a lifetime of ignominy, disgrace, and criminal liability. It will forever be baffling to me that anyone, no matter how craven, would willingly sign up for this inevitable public humiliation, on his game show or in this administration. Short-term profit for some, maybe, but almost all end up in the gutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may even be a slight against real-life gangsters to categorize Trump as one, because any goodfella that manages to survive and profit is probably very clever. Trump is more like a quick-burning virus, a fungal parasite, or flesh-eating bacteria that blindly consumes and destroys everything he touches: everything from his father’s fortune, casinos, a mail-order frozen steak company, the US Government, and the global economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nobody in Donald Trump’s orbit has ever seen a gangster movie. Not The Godfather, not Goodfellas, not The Sopranos. If they had, they would know there’s nothing you can give to ever satisfy a gangster. Gangsters never demand something you are capable of giving; it’s always more than you can afford, and you are indebted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2249],"tags":[2247,1927,2245,2246,2248,2091],"class_list":["post-8976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","tag-authoritarianism","tag-donald-trump","tag-fascism","tag-living-hell","tag-pam-bondi","tag-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-2kM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4311,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/exhaustively-exhausted-live-by-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":0},"title":"Exhaustively exhausted: Ben Affleck’s Live by Night","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Has any topic been more exhaustively dramatized than Prohibition-era gangsters? Live by Night seems especially redundant so soon after HBO's Boardwalk Empire, which covers a lot of the same ground: the Florida\/Cuba liquor pipeline, the Irish\/Italian mob conflict, the pivot to legal gambling, etc. The explanation being pretty simple: original\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Live by Night","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/live-by-night.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/live-by-night.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/live-by-night.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/live-by-night.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/live-by-night.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":665,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/you-kill-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":1},"title":"T\u00e9a Leoni clings to the menacing Ben Kingsley in You Kill Me","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The first thing to say about You Kill Me is to give props to Ben Kingsley, if for no other reason than my fear that he will break my kneecaps if I don't. Even after his terrifying turn in Sexy Beast, it's still a surprise to see how perfectly natural\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"You Kill Me","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/you-kill-me-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/you-kill-me-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/you-kill-me-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/you-kill-me-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/you-kill-me-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5399,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/martin-scorsese-the-irishman-movie-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":2},"title":"De Diro and Pacino dunk their scrapple in Guinness in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Why am I reluctant to publicly pan one of the year's most acclaimed films? What am I afraid of -- being labelled a cinema rat, and getting whacked by a couple of film geeks? It took me years and years of being a film buff, through film school and beyond,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/irishman.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/irishman.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/irishman.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/irishman.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/irishman.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3539,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/mann-public-enemies\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":3},"title":"Relentless Withholding: Michael Mann’s Public Enemies","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Khoi Vinh rightly observes in Minimalism, Michael Mann and Miami Vice that \"Mann has produced a taut, stylistic and often brutally impersonal filmography that seems most interested in the concept of work\" (via Daring Fireball). I wholly understand and laud the aim of a minimalist, \"relentlessly withholding\" narrative, but I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Public Enemies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/public-enemies.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/public-enemies.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/public-enemies.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/public-enemies.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/public-enemies.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":627,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-10-most-disappointing-movies-i-saw-in-2007\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":4},"title":"The 10 Most Disappointing Movies I Saw in 2007","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"As I was compiling the best and worst movies I saw in 2007, I found I still had enough for a special category: movies that absolutely don't deserve to be called bad, even when it's just me here talking to myself on my stupid blog. But for one reason or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Movies"","block_context":{"text":"Movies","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/movies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stardust","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/stardust-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3404,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/scorsese-knocking\/","url_meta":{"origin":8976,"position":5},"title":"Harvey Keitel Calls First, in Martin Scorsese’s Who’s That Knocking at My Door?","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Martin Scorsese's first feature film Who's That Knocking at My Door? was shot over the course of several years, and was originally released in 1967 as I Call First. Its piecemeal origins are betrayed by two discrete sequences: one recounting the misadventures of a group of slacker friends in downtown\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/whos-that-knocking-at-my-door.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/whos-that-knocking-at-my-door.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/whos-that-knocking-at-my-door.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/whos-that-knocking-at-my-door.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/whos-that-knocking-at-my-door.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8978,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8976\/revisions\/8978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}