I think I finally do.
The Trumpster is a person of several different manifestations.
Some say he is NOT a politician, but at times he is not only a politician, but a genius politician. No one since Ronaldus Maximus has had a better feel for what his audience wants to hear, and giving it to them. This is why during the 2016 campaign, the only people who thought Trump had a chance were the people who were going to his rallies and seeing the enthusiasm that his fans showered on him. So from that standpoint, he is definitely a politician.
But when you speak of "Politician" as someone who knows how to hold an executive office in the customary way, he is an Anti-Politician. This is why there has been so much turnover in his Administration (not that it is a huge amount). He did not have enough people he trusted to staff the White House and the executive departments, so he had to rely on Republican politicians to recommend people. The people who were recommended were generally typical government operatives. They went along to get along. But that's not what Trump was looking for. He wanted to run the Executive Branch in a way similar to how a CEO runs a company. Those he cannot convert to his style are leaving. This is not a problem.
The Trump of twitter is a mischievous, calculating, super-annuated adolescent, unable to control his impulses. But like Howard Stern, he knows that his fan base depends on him NOT TO CHANGE that part of his public persona. He could change. He could become more diplomatic, like, say, Mike Pence, but then he wouldn't the Trump and he would lose some of the magic.
Trump as President looks at the U.S. Government as his "company." When he sees something that isn't fair or reasonable, he pushes back. (It's all in The Art of the Deal). What people lose sight of is that since the end of World War II, the U.S. has entered into a cornucopia of bad deals, because both we and everybody else figured we were good enough to deal with it. We spend more than any other NATO country - ON A PERCENTAGE OF GNP BASIS. How is this fair to us? It's not. Trump pushes back. Our trade partners impose import duties and restrictions on American goods and services, while we are expected to keep our markets "open." This isn't fair to us. Trump sees that and says, "Bullshit." And on and on. We always get screwed and we always take it. But not under Trump.
Mexico screws us with their emigration to the U.S. They come here illegally, then send BILLIONS back home to Mexico, which props up their economy. The Mexican government actually promotes going to the U.S. for this purpose, in violation of our laws. How is this fair to the U.S.? It isn't. Trump tells them it is bullshit and threatens to harm them in retaliation, to get them to stop it.
Trump was mocked in the early months for not being a "detail person." It "was reported" that he didn't pay attention to briefings, wasn't aware of anything going on around him, and so on. Now, we see a President who is constantly peppered with questions on a whole raft of issues, and usually he has an answer that indicates he understands the issue and is giving it appropriate consideration. A person of average intelligence could not keep this many balls in the air.
I don't think it bothers him that he is portrayed as stupid and oblivious. All the better to gain his objectives while you are sleeping.
By every measure, he has been a great president so far. If he had any support from the Congress and was treated fairly in the press, they would be adding his face to Mt. Rushmore.
The Trumpster is a person of several different manifestations.
Some say he is NOT a politician, but at times he is not only a politician, but a genius politician. No one since Ronaldus Maximus has had a better feel for what his audience wants to hear, and giving it to them. This is why during the 2016 campaign, the only people who thought Trump had a chance were the people who were going to his rallies and seeing the enthusiasm that his fans showered on him. So from that standpoint, he is definitely a politician.
But when you speak of "Politician" as someone who knows how to hold an executive office in the customary way, he is an Anti-Politician. This is why there has been so much turnover in his Administration (not that it is a huge amount). He did not have enough people he trusted to staff the White House and the executive departments, so he had to rely on Republican politicians to recommend people. The people who were recommended were generally typical government operatives. They went along to get along. But that's not what Trump was looking for. He wanted to run the Executive Branch in a way similar to how a CEO runs a company. Those he cannot convert to his style are leaving. This is not a problem.
The Trump of twitter is a mischievous, calculating, super-annuated adolescent, unable to control his impulses. But like Howard Stern, he knows that his fan base depends on him NOT TO CHANGE that part of his public persona. He could change. He could become more diplomatic, like, say, Mike Pence, but then he wouldn't the Trump and he would lose some of the magic.
Trump as President looks at the U.S. Government as his "company." When he sees something that isn't fair or reasonable, he pushes back. (It's all in The Art of the Deal). What people lose sight of is that since the end of World War II, the U.S. has entered into a cornucopia of bad deals, because both we and everybody else figured we were good enough to deal with it. We spend more than any other NATO country - ON A PERCENTAGE OF GNP BASIS. How is this fair to us? It's not. Trump pushes back. Our trade partners impose import duties and restrictions on American goods and services, while we are expected to keep our markets "open." This isn't fair to us. Trump sees that and says, "Bullshit." And on and on. We always get screwed and we always take it. But not under Trump.
Mexico screws us with their emigration to the U.S. They come here illegally, then send BILLIONS back home to Mexico, which props up their economy. The Mexican government actually promotes going to the U.S. for this purpose, in violation of our laws. How is this fair to the U.S.? It isn't. Trump tells them it is bullshit and threatens to harm them in retaliation, to get them to stop it.
Trump was mocked in the early months for not being a "detail person." It "was reported" that he didn't pay attention to briefings, wasn't aware of anything going on around him, and so on. Now, we see a President who is constantly peppered with questions on a whole raft of issues, and usually he has an answer that indicates he understands the issue and is giving it appropriate consideration. A person of average intelligence could not keep this many balls in the air.
I don't think it bothers him that he is portrayed as stupid and oblivious. All the better to gain his objectives while you are sleeping.
By every measure, he has been a great president so far. If he had any support from the Congress and was treated fairly in the press, they would be adding his face to Mt. Rushmore.
