Donald Trump's presidential campaign is one long quest for revenge


Even the famously hotheaded Donald Trump knows that revenge is a dish best served cold. And ah, how sweet it is — by one hater and loser's estimate, Trump's entire presidential campaign can be seen as an act of revenge against the dozens of people who have laughed at him during every step of his journey to the top.
BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins wonders if he, along with all the other vocal Trump doubters, had a hand in fueling the presumptive Republican nominee's determination to make it all the way to the White House. As Spy magazine's co-founding editor and noted Trump lambaster Kurt Andersen observed, "I think on Judgment Day, depending on what happens, we will bear some responsibility at heaven's gate for what we've done."
Coppins, though, has even been called out specifically by Trump during a presidential debate, when the mogul boasted that an article Coppins wrote for BuzzFeed, claiming Trump wouldn't run, was incorrect:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Re-reading the article later, I would try to determine which detail or anecdote had embarrassed Trump the most. Was it musing about the "journalistic indignity" visited upon political reporters assigned to cover him seriously? Invoking origami to describe his hair? My most generous guess was that he resented how I'd quoted him blowing off his wedding anniversary to fly to Palm Beach — a decision that prompted chuckles from Trump's coterie of yes-men — and then described him leaning in to notify me, "There are a lot of good-looking women here."In fact, [former Trump aide Sam] Nunberg later told me, my cardinal sin had been offhandedly comparing Mar-a-Lago to a "nice, if slightly dated, hotel." As it turned out, Trump's taste in decor was a sore spot here. [BuzzFeed]
But despite proposing the absurd thought that Trump is possibly running for president in part because a BuzzFeed writer criticized his taste in decor, Coppins actually makes you feel pretty sorry for one of New York's biggest bullies. After all, as Coppins writes, Trump has spent his entire life quietly wondering, "Why don't they respect me?" Read it all at BuzzFeed.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
5 darkly funny cartoons about Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Cartoons Artists take on forcing famine, avoiding aid, and more
-
The easy elegance of Cap Ferret
The Week Recommends 'Elemental and otherworldly' destination is loved for its natural beauty
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: flirting with authoritarianism?
Talking Point Ukraine's president is facing first major domestic unrest since the Russian invasion, over plans to water down the country's anti-corruption agencies
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein