Make America Grotesque Again? In Trump's USA, spectacle beats up statecraft

TOI correspondent from Washington: There was a time when a presidential evening at the White House meant chamber music, state dinners, and deep conversations about nuclear disarmament and trade deficits. Now it apparently means a UFC fighter grabbing a microphone to thank President Trump for having “the balls to put some sh1t like this on,” professing his devotion to Jesus Christ, and declaring, to cheers from the crowd, that former first lady Michelle Obama is “a man.“Josh Hokit’s post-fight outburst at UFC Freedom 250 — a White House spectacle blending martial arts, patriotism, and MAGA pageantry — has become another test case for a divided America. Critics saw it as a grotesque display of coarseness and conspiracy-minded profanity that would once have disqualified a person from polite society, let alone presidential proximity. Supporters hailed it as fearless truth-telling and celebrated yet another victory in the never-ending campaign to “own the libs.” For MAGA faithful, the roaring stadium was proof of unfiltered, triumphant nationalism. For everyone else, it was a reminder that in modern American politics, vulgarity is the new vernacular.Then there is the fiasco of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. After a $14.2 million renovation championed by the President as evidence that only he could restore Washington’s grandeur, the iconic pool was found to have developed conspicuous patches of algae within days of reopening. Naturally, the MAGA universe skipped right past engineering failures and landed directly into conspiracy theory. Real America’s Voice host Grant Stinchfield took to X to sound the alarm: “President Trump fixes the Reflecting Pool and a week later it’s green again... Sabotage… Vandalism? I believe it is…The left can’t stand Trump, American greatness, and his quest to make DC beautiful again.”The left, however, was having too much fun on X to be insulted, joking about how Trump not only didn’t drain the swamp, he installed one. “You caught me! I did it. I created photosynthesis just to mess with MAGA,” gibed California Democrat Ted Lieu. Celebrity chef Jose Andres chimed in with culinary neutrality: “Photosynthesis is bipartisan…” Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico noted dryly, “Not believing in science really comes back to bite you, doesn’t it?”Local authorities frantically explained that high pH levels from dormant water lines were to blame, but the damage was done: what was meant to be the ultimate symbol of American reflection had become a literal cesspool.The third episode involved an effort to rename the Kennedy Center as part of a broader campaign to recast Washington’s cultural identity. The proposal was abruptly abandoned after protests and resistance, prompting critics to celebrate a rare MAGA retreat. Washington wits wondered if future ventures might include the Trump Center for Interpretive Dance, the Mar-a-Lago Philharmonic, or a production of Cats retitled Covfefe.Beneath the dark humor though lies a deeper divide. For one America, vulgarity signals authenticity, expertise represents elitism, and setbacks are evidence of sabotage by liberal forces. For another, such episodes point to institutional decay, where performative outrage substitutes for governance and political point-scoring becomes an end in itself.America has weathered strange periods before. But in the eyes of the country’s cognoscenti, this moment feels uniquely surreal: part constitutional republic, part reality television, and part internet comment section. “What a way to celebrate America 250 and the twilight of liberal democracy,” lamented Tim Miller, host of the Bulwark podcast.