loathed

It’s McConnell’s just deserts to take a demotion as Trump returns to the summit: For all of McConnell’s past services to the once and future president, since Jan. 6 the two men have loathed each other more than I loathe marshmallows on sweet potatoes.

Gaetz was probably the most ludicrous Cabinet pick ever made: a troll loathed by nearly everyone he’s worked with, someone whose past couple of professional years have been organized around trying to kill an ethics investigation and report into his misdeeds.

The nomination was also a test of how ironclad Trump’s control over congressional Republicans is: By picking an individual reported to be loathed by many of his colleagues, and who was the subject of an ethics investigation due to accusations of sex trafficking and accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor, Trump dared his party to accept an odious nominee.

Their bond goes deeper: Gaetz, who represents the Florida panhandle, won his first race for the House in 2016 as a Trump-style firebrand who loathed the establishment.

But here we are again, staring down the final hours of a race that pits a would-be authoritarian who is mocked and loathed the world over against a competent, highly qualified woman who seems to have learned some lessons from the Clinton campaign.