When I read that Trump stared into the sun six times refusing to put on his glasses to look at the eclipse, I was reminded of the interaction between Oedipus and the blind prophet Tiresias. In this story by Sophocles, Oedipus learns of the truth of his existence. 

Oedipus learns from the blind prophet Tiresias that he killed his father and married his mother. In anger and denial he accuses the blind prophet of lying.

Tiresias was the prophet of the god Apollo who never told a lie. Therefore, Tiresias could never lie. Oedipus asks how could Tiresias speak the truth; he was blind and that Tiresias could not see the truth if it were in front of him. 

In anger, Tiresias answers that he could see the truth more clearly than Oedipus because he spoke for Apollo the God of truth. He warned Oedipus that although Oedipus could physically see, he was blind to the danger he was in. “You do not see your danger,” he warned. 

He warned that Oedipus was spiritually and morally blind to the condition he was living in and that Oedipus was in great danger.

As we all know, Oedipus upon accepting the truth of his condition, blinded himself and went into exile.

Apparently Trump feels he is above the law even the laws of science. Trump says he can grope women because he is a celebrity. He doesn’t have to pay his contractors because he is all powerful. Truth means nothing to Trump. He lies constantly.

He is morally blind and spiritually bereft. Even if Trump does not suffer damage to his vision because of his arrogance, his continued hubris will in the long term come back to haunt him.

Trump in a fit of arrogance took off his glasses designed to protect him from the sun. He refuses in so many ways to ignore the warnings and danger he is in. How like Oedipus. How sad.