"It is very difficult to write about anything in American life at this particular moment without writing about Donald Trump. The president has become so ubiquitous in American life at this point - interjecting himself into the Olympics, the Grammys and whatever else might be scrolling down his feed - that to find a place where he is absent becomes instantly noteworthy. It's like finding that one subway car in the summer where the air conditioning still works."
"to the 2020 CFP title game rust before Covid (in which he and Melania took a good 10 minutes to walk onto the field) to a Braves-Astros World Series game where he did the Tomahawk Chop and cheered a guy wearing a "Let's Go Brandon!" shirt. There is a certain toxic electricity when he's in the building, like a horror movie villain who could pop up on the Jumbotron at any time. You feel it every play."
"It was the 60th Super Bowl, a big round number, featuring the New England Patriots and their longtime Trump loyalist owner Robert Kraft, who just sat with the President at the premiere of Melania last week. It was also the unofficial start of the semiquincentennial, with banners featuring two America 250 logos nearly as large as the flag itself during the National Anthem. And the Super Bowl is, after all, the most American of sporting"
Donald Trump is exceptionally present in American life, interjecting himself into cultural events and making his absence conspicuous. His choice not to attend the Super Bowl in Santa Clara created a palpable absence. Past appearances at sporting events produced heavy security, delayed entries, theatrical field walks, partisan gestures, and volatile crowd energy. When Trump attends, venues experience a tense, 'toxic electricity' likened to a horror-movie villain with logistical impacts like traffic nightmares. The specific Super Bowl featured the 60th anniversary, the New England Patriots with owner Robert Kraft, and prominent America 250 branding during the National Anthem.
Read at Intelligencer
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