One of the greatest scenes in cinema comes from the 1942 classic Casablanca. Captain Louis Renault, portrayed with exquisite irony by Claude Rains, storms into Rick’s Café and declares:
“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”
Almost before the echo has died away, a croupier approaches.
“Your winnings, sir.”
“Thank you very much.”
Renault pockets the money and walks away, his moral outrage carefully folded into his wallet.
Eight decades later, the scene has found an unexpected sequel. This time the setting is Washington, D.C., the cast wears red ties instead of French uniforms, and the audience is treated to a chorus of Republicans clutching their pearls over Donald Trump.
They are shocked.
Absolutely shocked.
Who could possibly have imagined that Donald Trump would tell lies?
Who could have foreseen that a man who licensed his surname as a global brand might regard the presidency as another franchise opportunity?
Who could have guessed that a politician who demands unwavering personal loyalty would place himself above the institutions he swore to defend?
Apparently, everyone except the people now pretending to have discovered America.
Donald Trump did not emerge from a monastery with a vow of silence and humility. He arrived in politics exactly as he had spent decades in business and celebrity culture: loud, combative, relentlessly self-promotional and equipped with a relationship with the truth that could best be described as… negotiable.
His autobiography was not hidden in the Vatican archives. It was televised.
His methods were not whispered in secret. They were printed on front pages for decades.
His critics did not invent his reputation. They merely read it aloud.
Yet millions embraced him because they believed the ends justified the means. Tax cuts were worth it. Conservative judges were worth it. Immigration crackdowns were worth it. Owning the liberals was worth it.
Character became an optional extra, like heated seats in a luxury car.
The Republican Party assured America that adults were in the room. The Constitution would restrain him. Congress would provide oversight. The courts would enforce the law.
Instead, many of those adults quietly left the room, while others discovered that oversight was remarkably inconvenient when it applied to one’s own side.
The party that once preached constitutional conservatism increasingly revolved around one individual. Fidelity to principle slowly gave way to fidelity to personality.
It was political gravity in reverse. Instead of the leader orbiting the party, the party began orbiting the leader.
Now, every new controversy produces another outbreak of theatrical astonishment.
“We had no idea!”
Really?
This is rather like employing a fox to supervise the henhouse and expressing disbelief when feathers begin decorating the garden.
Or appointing an arsonist as Fire Safety Officer and wondering why the smoke alarms have become so busy.
The surprise is not that Donald Trump behaves like Donald Trump.
The surprise is that intelligent people continue acting surprised.
Politics is often described as the art of the possible. Increasingly, it has become the theatre of the implausible.
The lesson extends beyond America.
Whenever citizens excuse conduct because “our side is winning”, they mortgage tomorrow’s standards for today’s victories. Every constitutional shortcut eventually becomes available to the next occupant of office. Every precedent is a loaded weapon left on the table for one’s political opponents.
Power has never been an effective finishing school for character.
It simply enlarges whatever character already exists.
Donald Trump did not invent personality politics. Nor did he invent political dishonesty. Democracies have survived both before.
What is different is the willingness of so many experienced politicians to suspend disbelief while it was politically profitable, only to rediscover their consciences when the bill arrived.
Captain Renault would understand perfectly.
He would probably smile, collect his winnings, and declare once again that he is “shocked”.
The rest of us have seen this film before.
The only mystery is why some critics insist on pretending they have just entered the cinema.
