I’m certainly not qualified to make a definitive medical diagnosis, but there’s sufficient circumstantial evidence to show Donald Trump suffers from verbal incontinence.
Once the US president opens
his mouth, he appears incapable
of exercising any voluntary
control over what comes out
in an uncontrollable gush.
He has displayed the classic symptoms from the day he decided to run for office two years ago and since then, has been spewing out his vitriol about immigrants trying to “invade” his country, those so-called s***hole countries in sub-Saharan Africa, “crooked” Hillary Clinton and her emails, and Iranians who “sponsor terrorism” throughout the world.
Some people laugh off his foul-mouthed barbs, but the danger is that he regularly demonises groups of people, especially those of colour, promotes dangerous stereotypes and offers a dog whistle to many of his hard-core supporters on the right.
Had Trump’s condition been isolated to the White House, South Africans would probably have good reason to feel relatively safe.
But verbal incontinence seems to be dangerously contagious.
Displaying the same symptoms as Trump this week was his South African protégé, the EFF commander in chief Julius Malema whose favourite political tactic is flinging a torrent of mud at his detractors in the hope that some of it will stick.
He did this when hurling insults, abuse and his brand of cheap populism at Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, the media and the state capture commission.
Reserving his most toxic criticism for Gordhan, he called the minister a rotten member of the ruling ANC and a “dog of white monopoly capital”.
The incendiary tone of his attack on Gordhan was rude
and dangerously divisive.
“Let’s attack, fighters. Let’s occupy every street, every house, every space in society. Let us not leave the enemy to chance, we must crush the enemy.”
Turning his attention to the commission, he hurled abuse at the evidence leader, Paul Pretorius, referring to him as a “bastard” and dismissing the inquiry itself as a “Mickey Mouse” commission.
The EFF leader’s unmistakable likeness to Trump came in his vicious attack on members of the media whom he called crooks and hypocrites no different to the apartheid government’s strategists who spread propaganda.
I’m convinced the best way to overcome verbal incontinence is to get things off your chest.
Malema was one of those who stoutly defended the establishment of the Zondo Commission.
If he is genuine about exposing malfeasance, he should avail himself to give evidence.
If he refuses, it will be a case of empty vessels making the loudest noise - in anticipation of next
year’s elections.
Is there perhaps some truth in the suggestion that Malema is doing a deal with Patricia de Lille to form a new party called Dilemma?
The possibilities are endless.
* The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.