Donald Trump Is An Unprincipled, Narcissistic Charlatan Who Doesn't Give A Damn About Democracy

A Reply to Andrew Neil of the Daily Mail

Dear Andrew,

I must say, your latest column was an absolute revelation. A groundbreaking exposé. A masterclass in... finally noticing the sun is hot. You, a titan of journalism, a sage of political insight, have just now—in the year of our lord 2025—arrived at the utterly shocking conclusion that Donald J. Trump is an unprincipled, narcissistic charlatan who doesn’t care about democracy.

Honestly, Andrew, I’m speechless. Who could have seen this coming? Certainly not those of us who spent the past decade pointing out that Trump was a con artist with the moral compass of a malfunctioning Roomba. No, no—clearly, only the events of the past week could have unveiled this staggering truth.

And this revelation, this Damascus moment of yours, leads to one simple question:
What on earth took you so long?

Here we have one of Britain’s sharpest political minds, a man who has spent decades dismantling spin, cutting through political nonsense, exposing hypocrisy—and yet, when it came to Donald Trump, you miscalculated—by your own admission—so spectacularly that only now do you acknowledge, in stark terms, what many of us saw from the beginning.

How did this happen? Were you so committed to giving him the benefit of the doubt that you overlooked a decade’s worth of flashing red warning lights? Did you think that, despite everything, a second-term Trump would somehow govern more responsibly, as if political maturity were something that just happens after a few more years in office?

Because let’s be clear—there was no transformation. No sudden descent into villainy. No unexpected heel-turn where Trump, once a respectable statesman, woke up and thought, “You know what? I’d quite like to be a raging autocrat today.”

The man who is currently dismantling NATO is the same man who…

Called Putin “savvy” for invading Ukraine.

Tried to blackmail Ukraine into helping his re-election campaign.

Held a campaign rally while an insurrection unfolded in Washington, DC.

Suggested injecting bleach as a cure for COVID.

Built his real estate empire on fraud, racial discrimination, and unpaid debts.

Lost over 60 court cases in a futile attempt to overturn an election he lost fair and square.

So tell me, Andrew, which part of this surprised you?

Was it the moment he praised dictators more than democratic allies? Because we have receipts of that from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Was it when he tried to overthrow a democratic election? Because, again, January 6th wasn’t a subtle cry for help—it was a violent coup attempt, broadcast live, in HD, with MAGA fanatics smashing into the Capitol and defecating in offices.

Or did you genuinely believe that second-term Trump was going to be a new and improved model, like an iPhone upgrade? That a man whose entire political playbook consists of self-interest, chaos, and transactionalism would suddenly transform into a wise elder statesman?

Let’s do a quick timeline of warning signs—just in case you forgot.

A HISTORY OF CLUES YOU MISSED

Pre-Presidency (1980s–2015): The Prologue to a Disaster

1980s-90s: Fraud, bankruptcies, unpaid workers—Trump’s business empire was investigated for financial misrepresentation and left behind a long list of lawsuits.

2005: Trump University opens—a “university” where the only degree offered was in getting scammed.

By 2015, anyone paying attention knew Trump was a walking Ponzi scheme in a bad suit.

2016–2020: The “Governance” Experiment (Spoiler: It Didn’t Work)

July 2016: Russia interferes in the U.S. election to help Trump win. Trump welcomes it.

July 2018: Trump publicly sides with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies at the Helsinki summit.

2019: Trump tries to extort Ukraine for political dirt on Joe Biden.

2020: He suggests that Americans inject bleach to cure COVID. Bleach, Andrew.

At what point here were you thinking, "Well, maybe if we just give him four more years, he'll mature!"

2021: THE ATTEMPTED COUP (A.K.A. THE MOMENT NO ONE COULD IGNORE—EXCEPT YOU, APPARENTLY)

January 6, 2021: Trump incites a mob to storm the U.S. Capitol because he lost an election.

February 2021: Trump is impeached—for the second time.

Andrew, this alone should have been the end of the conversation. You don’t hope for maturity from a man who literally incites political violence.

2022–2024: PREPARING FOR ROUND TWO

August 2022: FBI raids Mar-a-Lago, finds classified government documents that Trump took.

November 2022: Trump announces his 2024 campaign and openly suggests terminating parts of the U.S. Constitution to reinstate himself as president.

August 2023: Trump faces federal indictment for his attempts to overturn the election.

November 2024: Despite being under four separate criminal investigations, he wins the presidency again.

And now, in March 2025, you're shocked that he's actively sabotaging NATO and helping Putin?

SO WHAT WAS YOUR EXCUSE?

You say you “hoped” he’d change. Based on what?

A gut feeling?

A wish upon a star?

A pinky promise from Steve Bannon?

You thought he’d care about legacy? Trump doesn’t care about history unless it’s written in gold letters on a tacky hotel.

You thought he’d “mature”? The man’s entire political strategy is built on Twitter tantrums, revenge politics, and televised fascism.

What did you think was going to happen, Andrew?

Because even the shrewdest political analysts can have their blind spots—but this wasn’t a blind spot. It was a glaring, neon-lit billboard that said “DEMOCRACY THREAT AHEAD.”

If someone with your expertise could so colossally misjudge the most obvious political grifter in modern history, perhaps—and I say this with the greatest respect—you should stick to British politics.

Maybe write about supertankers of government incompetence closer to home, like Brexit, Boris, or whatever Liz Truss is up to these days. Because if Trump’s presidency still managed to surprise you, then perhaps geopolitical analysis isn’t your strong suit.

Best regards,

SPN

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