Trump - a puzzling enigma

[Lacewing]

He or his team selects the graphs and “facts” he presents. He does not appear to understand all of what he says, as evidenced by the frequent need to walk back or to explain/defend his statements.

Now he will probably blame his staff for giving him indefensible graphs that don't support his delusion.

Well, I suppose it could be that Trump is an intelligent person who has surrounded himself with idiots for advice.

Does he also have idiots speaking from his mouth?

[Gary Childress]

Now he will probably blame his staff for giving him indefensible graphs that don't support his delusion.

Well, I suppose it could be that Trump is an intelligent person who has surrounded himself with idiots for advice.

Does he also have idiots speaking from his mouth?

Even an intelligent person sounds like an idiot trying to defend idiotic theories. Trump's sympathies seem to be with people who are generally excluded from professional positions of expertise because they don't have any expertise. Instead, he seems to have an "anyone can do it" mentality about a lot of political positions. For example, he's tried to appoint judges who had never tried a case and an EPA person who didn't know the first thing about science, an education secretary who's never been a teacher, IIRC.

[Gary Childress]

I mean, I don't think anyone gets up in the morning and says, "I'm going to do baseless evil and mischief today". They usually have some sort of rationale behind it. For example, a poor person who turns to burglary, telling himself that rich people deserve to be stolen from.

For Trump, I'm sure he tells himself that he's "draining the swamp" in DC by hiring outsiders. Unfortunately, he's going to turn the country into a swamp at this rate.

[Lacewing]

Even an intelligent person sounds like an idiot trying to defend idiotic theories.

Why would an intelligent person do that?

[Gary Childress]

Even an intelligent person sounds like an idiot trying to defend idiotic theories.

Why would an intelligent person do that?

Well, I guess you have a good point, there. Although Kepler had what turned out to be an idiotic theory he tried to defend. I don't think we would call Kepler unintelligent.

[Gary Childress]

And I doubt becoming a billionaire rested on stupidity. I'm sure he's a sharp guy when it comes to business.

[Lacewing]

Even an intelligent person sounds like an idiot trying to defend idiotic theories.

Why would an intelligent person do that?

Well, I guess you have a good point, there. Although Kepler had what turned out to be an idiotic theory he tried to defend. I don't think we would call Kepler unintelligent.

Did Kepler make countless other types of idiotic and dishonest claims such as Trump has made, all of which are publicly witnessed and recorded? Are we going to try to rationalize/excuse each occurrence, or be more efficient and acknowledge the inescapable reality of a pattern of idiocy?

[Lacewing]

And I doubt becoming a billionaire rested on stupidity. I'm sure he's a sharp guy when it comes to business.

What about his bankruptcies?

[Gary Childress]

And I doubt becoming a billionaire rested on stupidity. I'm sure he's a sharp guy when it comes to business.

What about his bankruptcies?

He apparently bounced back from them. I'm not saying he's a genius but I doubt he's a complete idiot. He probably has to know some things in order to have as much success as he's had.

[Lacewing]

And I doubt becoming a billionaire rested on stupidity. I'm sure he's a sharp guy when it comes to business.

What about his bankruptcies?

He apparently bounced back from them. I'm not saying he's a genius but I doubt he's a complete idiot. He probably has to know some things in order to have as much success as he's had.

Why would he have 6 of them? Wouldn't many people experience success if they were bankrolled the way he was, and born into the name and lifestyle he was? If he's so intelligent, why has he said and done so many ignorant things (publicly recorded), and why have so many reputable government officials, even of his own administration, talked about what an idiot he is?

What is the incentive for you in defending and rationalizing for such a person?

[Gary Childress]

What about his bankruptcies?

He apparently bounced back from them. I'm not saying he's a genius but I doubt he's a complete idiot. He probably has to know some things in order to have as much success as he's had.

Why would he have 6 of them? Wouldn't many people experience success if they were bankrolled the way he was, and born into the name and lifestyle he was? If he's so intelligent, why has he said and done so many ignorant things (publicly recorded), and why have so many reputable government officials, even of his own administration, talked about what an idiot he is?

What is the payoff/incentive for you in defending such a person?

You may be right, maybe he is an idiot. However, I wasn't "defending" him. I was simply making what I thought could be a more accurate and fleshed out assessment of him. (I'd be curious to know what his score on an IQ test would be as that would probably settle the question.) But, either way, I'm not voting for him.

I'm just fascinated by what motivates people to otherwise do things that would seem stupid or even evil. That's all. Looking at the video, from his calm demeanor, I'd say Trump is strangely at peace in his disagreement with the reporter. To me, it looks like he's pleading with the reporter to accept his stats. I think he knows he's spouting what amounts to propaganda. If he were truly an idiot, I would think he'd be showing more anger because an idiot usually doesn't see he's wrong and that's when anger hits. When you know you're saying something that isn't true, as Trump appears to, you typically don't get angry at someone for disagreeing. I think an idiot would generally get angry when they are cocksure they're right about something.

[Lacewing]

I'm just fascinated by what motivates people to otherwise do things that would seem stupid or even evil. That's all.

I see what you're saying. I agree, it is interesting to try to understand why people do all kinds of things.

Looking at the video, from his calm demeanor, I'd say Trump is strangely at peace in his disagreement with the reporter. To me, it looks like he's pleading with the reporter to accept his stats. I think he knows he's spouting what amounts to propaganda. If he were truly an idiot, I would think he'd be showing more anger because an idiot usually doesn't see he's wrong and that's when anger hits. When you know you're saying something that isn't true, as Trump appears to, you typically don't get angry at someone for disagreeing. I think an idiot would generally get angry when they are cocksure they're right about something.

Well, that's an interesting assessment. But it might be inaccurate to characterize what idiocy might do: there could be so many degrees and strains and behaviors of it. It could be just as true that someone who is faking their way through with bullshit because they really don't understand might act calm to appear to be confident and in control, when really they don't have a clue.

[Gary Childress]

Well, that's an interesting assessment. But it might be inaccurate to characterize what idiocy might do: there could be so many degrees and strains and behaviors of it. It could be just as true that someone who is faking their way through with bullshit because they really don't understand might act calm to appear to be confident and in control, when really they don't have a clue.

Well, that's a good point, also. I suppose the "easier" explanation (using Occam's razor) would be that Trump talks like an idiot and therefore is an idiot. I suppose I'm going a little out of the way trying to hypothesize how he might still be somewhat intelligent. But that's what we idiots do sometimes.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

Well, that's an interesting assessment. But it might be inaccurate to characterize what idiocy might do: there could be so many degrees and strains and behaviors of it. It could be just as true that someone who is faking their way through with bullshit because they really don't understand might act calm to appear to be confident and in control, when really they don't have a clue.

Well, that's a good point, also. I suppose the "easier" explanation (using Occam's razor) would be that Trump talks like an idiot and therefore is an idiot. I suppose I'm going a little out of the way trying to hypothesize how he might still be somewhat intelligent. But that's what we idiots do sometimes.

He just doesn't talk like a politician. He doesn't have the gift of the gab. The gift of the gab is by no means a measure of intelligence--in fact it's often quite the opposite.

[Dubious]

The enigma is not Trump. He's just another low-life coward, a piece of shit without any redeeming qualities. The real enigma are the massive amounts of truly brain dead dolts who will vote for him no matter what he says and does. With the way it's turning out there probably isn't a single country with such a huge amount of loathsome low-life's as currently inhabit the US of A. One wonders what makes these cretins tick. It can't be anything remotely related to integrity or honesty even if they think they have it which can only be if lame-brained enough not to know the meaning of either.