Ye apologized. Will Donald Trump?

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The news, in brief …

• “Dangerous and wrong”: Gun rights groups challenge ICE shooting of Alex Pretti

  Pretti was exercising his rights, pro-Second Amendment groups say, pushing back against the Trump admin's claims. Read more.

• “It’s wrong”: Minnesota Republican ends bid for governor over ICE surge “disaster”

  Chris Madel said that he couldn't run for the state's highest office while Minnesotans are "living in fear." Read more.

• ICE accused of overseeing “unfolding humanitarian crisis” at Texas detention center

  A recent death at Fort Bliss in Texas has renewed criticism of the ICE holding facility. Read more.

• “I aspire to earn your forgiveness”: Ye apologizes for antisemitism, blames actions on brain injury

  The rapper formerly known as Kanye West took out an ad expressing his hope to get better. Read more.

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I miss the old USA ….

We can already see future cultural historians licking their lips at the inverse, intertwined trajectories of MAGA and Ye.

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West kicked off a decade of decline shortly after the first election of President Donald Trump. A studio genius who had moved pop production’s Overton Window at least three times before he ever donned a red cap, Ye’s work became increasingly slapdash and shallow as he fell further and further down right-wing rabbit holes. His few remaining collaborators moved to distance themselves last year, after he began selling swastika-emblazoned merchandise and releasing antisemitic singles.

The rapper apologized for his lost decade via a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. He blamed his actions on an undiagnosed injury to his brain’s frontal lobe and his struggles with bipolar disorder.

“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret,” Ye wrote. “In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it … I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change.”

No such reckoning with reality has been forced upon Trump. His election loss in 2020 led him to push conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines. His supporters rioted and were imprisoned (or, in some cases, died) for a fake cause. He suffered no real consequences as the Supreme Court and the opposition party rolled over to allow him a return to the White House. With the historical record showing he’s immune from repercussions, Trump has amped up the lawlessness in his second term. War crimes, blatant corruption and mass infringement of Americans’ constitutional rights have colored Trump’s second (and hopefully last) presidential term.

Reading through one conspiracy theorist provocateur's apology, it’s almost impossible to imagine Trump doing the same. On the same day that Ye publicly hoped to “earn [our] forgiveness,” Trump railed against “fake polls” from the 2020 election. Luckily, Trump doesn’t have to express remorse to face consequences and his commitment to accountability doesn’t have to come from within.

What do you think? Will we ever see Trump regret his actions? Sound off in the comments.

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