Trump is subdued and no one understands? Here is a theory.
I read this article. And I wish I had a link to an earlier one I read. But, while I can understand that it is surprising, I think that there is at least one perfectly logical reason behind it; Trump has been replaced by an alien. Just kidding.
The other article I read a few days back said something along the lines of, when Trump is deciding on a course of action, he puts a lot of focus on how the media will respond to the message.
What if... and I know this is crazy... Trump has not changed at all. At least, not on a fundamental level. Trump is seen to be obsessing over numbers and responses and what people think of him. So, what do you think would happen if someone convinced Trump that the thing which would improve the media response to him, was not making hasty responses and not contradicting himself? And what if he decided to test this advice... and saw it actually worked? Oddly enough... it would allow us to explain Trump's current behavior without trying to attach any assumption that anything at the core of his personality has actually changed. A single personality can be expressed in a number of ways.
I'm not American, and I'm not following the news super closely. But, a few days of not back tracking doesn't mean any of his plans or ambitions have changed. He could still be targeting exactly the same things he was before and under the surface be the exact same person.
Let's face it, by all accounts, it would appear he loves praise and positive press. News outlets which haven't been favorable to Trump all of a sudden NOT overtly attacking him and perhaps even giving him some small amount of praise for his ability to rein himself in may indeed be sufficient motivation to keep him from regularly tripping on himself.
Old habits dies hard of course. I don't expect he will succeed in going cold turkey. But, you might begin to see a bit of a roller coaster ride if I'm right. You'll get periods where he seems more normal to his base and periods where he seems more normal to everyone else. I suspect he was getting ample praise from him base, but just got bored of the same people sucking up and is seeking that validation from another group to prove he can get it. When he gets bored, or is unable to contain his outbursts, it wouldn't be surprising to see him revert back either momentarily or for long outbursts.
I'm reminded of one of the most thought provoking things I ever read. There is a book by Terry Goodkind called "Wizard's First Rule". One of the key things driven home in the book is that the antagonist does what he does not because he believes himself to be evil. But, rather because he believes himself to be right. This allows him to garner followers, power and a commitment to his work which is not so easily undone.
At the end of the day, I would be surprised to find Trump is any different. Our hatred or perception that he is evil stems from a fundamentally different set of opinions and values. It is unlikely that Trump views himself as evil. And, that shouldn't be hard to accept. Trump, after all, has many followers. And those followers neither believe themselves nor Trump to be evil. So, clearly, he speaks to something people can identify with. Why would we assume he doesn't identify with it himself?
Anyway, the point is, seeing Trump as a person who believes his path is true, but also a person who seeks validation. A person who wants others to see his greatness. And if he values this above, say, his tendency to blurt things out at random... then it isn't hard to imagine that he might change those tendencies.
If you're against Trump, this should scare you more than the last incarnation of the man. A Trump who actually knows how smooth things over is a Trump more likely to retain his followers and to convert others. And, the fact that he won in the first place shows a lot about how easily people are won over. Most of Trump's agenda seems destined to ruin America. But people buy into short term promises. Like paying a company like Carrier massive sums of money to keep jobs in America. Only to see them leave anyway, if perhaps at a slightly later date. We all have areas in which we are sensitive, and insecure and perhaps a little greedy. When someone promises to protect those fears, we tend not to want to know the cost and tend to side with that side.
Amazingly enough, more "Wizard's First Rule" knowledge. Paraphrased extremely that titular rule is "people believe what they want to believe or are afraid is true". Trump plays to both of these points rather well. Taking average American's, Trump spoke to the threat of lost jobs. People are afraid they will lose their jobs. Talking about it makes the fear more real. Pointing to areas where jobs are being lost makes it even more real. Promising to protect them on the other hand plays into people believing what they want to believe. That someone can protect them. That the tide of job loss can be stopped.
Anyway, this post went drastically off course. The point is... don't take these brief changes in behavior too seriously. It could, and likely is, just a façade.
The other article I read a few days back said something along the lines of, when Trump is deciding on a course of action, he puts a lot of focus on how the media will respond to the message.
What if... and I know this is crazy... Trump has not changed at all. At least, not on a fundamental level. Trump is seen to be obsessing over numbers and responses and what people think of him. So, what do you think would happen if someone convinced Trump that the thing which would improve the media response to him, was not making hasty responses and not contradicting himself? And what if he decided to test this advice... and saw it actually worked? Oddly enough... it would allow us to explain Trump's current behavior without trying to attach any assumption that anything at the core of his personality has actually changed. A single personality can be expressed in a number of ways.
I'm not American, and I'm not following the news super closely. But, a few days of not back tracking doesn't mean any of his plans or ambitions have changed. He could still be targeting exactly the same things he was before and under the surface be the exact same person.
Let's face it, by all accounts, it would appear he loves praise and positive press. News outlets which haven't been favorable to Trump all of a sudden NOT overtly attacking him and perhaps even giving him some small amount of praise for his ability to rein himself in may indeed be sufficient motivation to keep him from regularly tripping on himself.
Old habits dies hard of course. I don't expect he will succeed in going cold turkey. But, you might begin to see a bit of a roller coaster ride if I'm right. You'll get periods where he seems more normal to his base and periods where he seems more normal to everyone else. I suspect he was getting ample praise from him base, but just got bored of the same people sucking up and is seeking that validation from another group to prove he can get it. When he gets bored, or is unable to contain his outbursts, it wouldn't be surprising to see him revert back either momentarily or for long outbursts.
I'm reminded of one of the most thought provoking things I ever read. There is a book by Terry Goodkind called "Wizard's First Rule". One of the key things driven home in the book is that the antagonist does what he does not because he believes himself to be evil. But, rather because he believes himself to be right. This allows him to garner followers, power and a commitment to his work which is not so easily undone.
At the end of the day, I would be surprised to find Trump is any different. Our hatred or perception that he is evil stems from a fundamentally different set of opinions and values. It is unlikely that Trump views himself as evil. And, that shouldn't be hard to accept. Trump, after all, has many followers. And those followers neither believe themselves nor Trump to be evil. So, clearly, he speaks to something people can identify with. Why would we assume he doesn't identify with it himself?
Anyway, the point is, seeing Trump as a person who believes his path is true, but also a person who seeks validation. A person who wants others to see his greatness. And if he values this above, say, his tendency to blurt things out at random... then it isn't hard to imagine that he might change those tendencies.
If you're against Trump, this should scare you more than the last incarnation of the man. A Trump who actually knows how smooth things over is a Trump more likely to retain his followers and to convert others. And, the fact that he won in the first place shows a lot about how easily people are won over. Most of Trump's agenda seems destined to ruin America. But people buy into short term promises. Like paying a company like Carrier massive sums of money to keep jobs in America. Only to see them leave anyway, if perhaps at a slightly later date. We all have areas in which we are sensitive, and insecure and perhaps a little greedy. When someone promises to protect those fears, we tend not to want to know the cost and tend to side with that side.
Amazingly enough, more "Wizard's First Rule" knowledge. Paraphrased extremely that titular rule is "people believe what they want to believe or are afraid is true". Trump plays to both of these points rather well. Taking average American's, Trump spoke to the threat of lost jobs. People are afraid they will lose their jobs. Talking about it makes the fear more real. Pointing to areas where jobs are being lost makes it even more real. Promising to protect them on the other hand plays into people believing what they want to believe. That someone can protect them. That the tide of job loss can be stopped.
Anyway, this post went drastically off course. The point is... don't take these brief changes in behavior too seriously. It could, and likely is, just a façade.
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