Donald Trump will be remembered for many things. But, most of all, he will be remembered for his monumental stupidity. Ruth Marcus writes:
If the allegations in the latest indictment of Donald Trump hold up, the former president is a common criminal — and an uncommonly stupid one.
Everyone knows, as the Watergate scandal drove home: The coverup is always worse than the crime. Everyone, that is, but Trump.
According to the superseding indictment handed up late Thursday, even after Trump knew the FBI was onto his improper retention of classified information, and even after he knew they were seeking security camera footage from the Mar-a-Lago storage areas where the material was kept — in other words, when any reasonably adept criminal would have known to stop digging holes — Trump made matters infinitely worse.
The alleged conduct — yes, even after all these years of watching Trump flagrantly flout norms — is nothing short of jaw-dropping: Trump allegedly conspired with others to destroy evidence.
This is all just more of the same:
Even before this new evidence, the allegations of obstruction lodged against Trump were already damning. “Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?” Trump allegedly asked his lawyer — after the documents were subpoenaed. He tried to get the lawyer to deep-six any problematic documents. As the lawyer recalled, “He made a funny motion as though — well okay why don’t you take them with you to your hotel room and if there’s anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out.”
Life teaches Trump nothing. That's because he believes he has nothing to learn. In the early days of his administration, his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, emerged from a meeting with Trump on international affairs and declared, "He's a fucking moron!"
The succeeding years have done nothing to moderate Tillerson's evaluation of the man.
Image: Vanity Fair
13 comments:
Dumb, moron etc ... maybe when it comes to the societal norms that most of us live by. But tRump possesses a foxlike cunning and this video game we're all trapped in together, ain't over yet.
I do not think that Bush Jr. aka Dubya, would beat tRump on the IQ test.
But then, Dubya was really just a well behaved actor in a role whereas tRump seems to really believe in his own agency, and his life experience (including and especially his 2016 Presidential 'win') has taught him he will always get away with it.
Being elected as President in 2024 would allow him to again prevail.
It ain't over yet.
It ain't over yet, PoV. The nightmare continues.
What does it say about voters that this "uncommonly stupid" criminal became president and appears to be a shoo-in for Republican nominee for 2024 despite being impeached twice and losing in 2020? As George Carlin said, "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."
Another perspective that challenges the 'tRump is stupid' meme:
Severe Narcissistic Personality Disorder
via AlterNet:
"“If you fuck around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before.”
And a few days ago, when asked what could happen if he were held in jail after his upcoming indictment or after his conviction:
“I think it’s a very dangerous thing to even talk about, because we do have a tremendously passionate group of voters, much more passion than they had in 2020 and much more passion than they had in 2016. … I think it would be very dangerous.”
This is the language of narcissistic collapse and the violence that’s often associated with it. He’s flailing about, grasping for a reed of power and stability in a sea of self-inflicted crisis. He’s willing to kill — to kill American democracy, even, and provoke a second civil war — to save his own hide.
Trump is a classic extroverted, grandiose narcissist of such severity that numerous professionals in the psychology field have pointed out how he could easily be diagnosed as suffering severe Narcissistic Personality Disorder."
Trump would never be where he is, Cap, without the support of tens of millions of uncommonly stupid people.
He is -- to put it simply -- an evil man, PoV.
I recall reading Trump was sent to military school because he was too disruptive at home. Might have been the first clue. Trump had a father who bailed him out of all sorts of things. There were no consequences for Trump when he did something illegal, immoral, etc. He eventually thought he could get away with anything including sexual assault
As Trummp became older he simply thought nothing could touch him but as many in his circumstances, he went too far and he didn't make a lot of friends along the way. Hanger ons, people who helped him skirt the law, etc. Its always been about Trump and that is all he cared about. When his "empire" started to collapse, I remember he failed to pay all sorts of trades people. He might not have thought it was a lot of money, but to a tradesperson, $8K or $15K is a lot of money, yet he stiffed them.
Trump was good at whipping up mass hysteria. sort of reminds me of Hitler's rallies. there is still a lot of film available. People just never thought about was Trump doing anything to improve the country. We knew what he was doing for corporations, but just what was he doing for the average voter.
Disruptive is the right word, e.a.f.
Being stupid if you are rich and well connected is not going to hinder your future!
GW Bush was another of the 'stupid' presidents and what happened to him after all his misdeeds? sfa.
Just consider that behind every stupid person of influence there are very clever people pulling the strings.
Consider GW Bushes career..
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/oct/23/mainsection.tomphillips
Followed up by..
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/15/drought-leaves-millions-in-uruguay-without-tap-water-fit-for-drinking
The Bush land is sitting on one of the biggest aquifers in Uruguay!
Makes you wonder?
TB
There's lots of profit to be made from stupid people, TB.
"The world's wealthiest are circling the wagons," Toby. Like Mr. Trump, they think they'll be able to buy their way out of catastrophe.
Ranches need staff.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
That's the usual argument for cutting red tape and for improving efficiency, jrk -- and it's one of the core concepts behind trickle-down economics.
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