What Trump Is Up To

U.S. President Donald Trump

Many people say they can’t figure out President Donald Trump’s motivations. Why is he acting so unlike previous presidents? Is he crazy or what?

Here are some of my own observations about this unprecedented president:

·         Donald Trump ran for president just to see if he could do it. Seeking the presidency is kind of like a hobby or pastime for a businessman of substance who is approaching seventy. (Ross Perot and others have tried the same thing, without success.) Trump didn’t expect to win. Now that he did, he is playing catch-up.

·         He decided to court the base that President Obama and Hillary Clinton neglected: the traditional (largely white) American working class, with an emphasis on blue collar.

·         He began talking about issues important to these voters, and started to gain traction. So he kept up the pitch. He did not expect to beat Hillary Clinton, but she gave up on key “Rust Belt” states and thereby lost her Electoral College advantage.

·         Donald Trump does not really want to “Make America Great Again.” He thinks it is already great. Today’s America made him rich. Trump believes there are too many government regulations, as most business people do. But he is not an isolationist and does not oppose globalization. In fact, globalization made him a success.

·         Trump has skillfully manipulated the mass media and the social media to promote his career. As a reality TV star, he knows the value of entertainment. He also knows the value of public confrontation and of “stirring the pot” of national emotions.

·         Trump’s Twitter account is primarily for the news media and for his political opponents. His political base does not care about Twitter and does not follow his tweets. Trump uses the Twitter feed to keep his opponents jabbering and keep the focus off his big problem: governance. It turns out that running a country is quite different from running a business.

·         Trump ran for president because it was a new challenge and he felt he was up to it. He does not have any grand strategy for America. He is really pretty much apolitical when it comes to Republicans and Democrats. He has not figured out how to gain the cooperation of Congress – including his own party. When his political efforts stall, as in the case of healthcare legislation, he turns to Twitter and stirs the pot again.

·         Because he has focused on his media image – the blunt-speaking street tough – he has failed to court and win the support of Congress and has been unable to negotiate the kinds of deals he thought he could make. The Great Deal Maker has been unable to forge any significant legislative compromises. The political atmosphere, which predated his presidency, is far too toxic.

·         Trump will keep goading the media and angering Democrats, because it has paid off in the past. It will divert attention from America’s serious issues, at least for as long as the media – and the Democrats – continue to play the game.

·         If the media stopped covering Donald Trump, and the Democrats stopped talking about him, Trump’s presidency would shrivel up and he would probably step down. But I’m afraid that ain’t gonna happen.