Trump’s Celebrity Envy

On Sunday, Nate Bargatze attended the UFC spectacle at Donald Trump’s White House, and almost immediately faced social fierce media blowback. The explanation—with The Daily Beast quoting “a source close to the comedian,” which surely shouldn’t be confused with Bargatze’s publicist—was that the conspicuously apolitical comic only showed up because the UFC is his “favorite sport.”

The moment encapsulated how toxic Trump has become, and widely remains, among the famously progressive celebrity class. While tech moguls, law firms, and media chiefs have bent the knee to Trump since his reelection, most Hollywood figures have continued to shun him, evidenced by all the invited stars who chose not to attend the UFC event, the musicians that withdrew from the Freedom 250 concerts, and performers who canceled dates at the Kennedy Center.

The frequent rejoinder from Trump supporters, of course, is “Who cares what a bunch of pampered celebrities think?” Yet the obvious answer to that is Trump himself, who appears to desperately yearn for actors, athletes, and musicians (see his giddiness over Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and singer Nicki Minaj) to embrace him.