The Philosophy Discussion Forum

phyllo wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:47 pm The day he was playing 4 dimensional chess.

I'm sure we'll be told something like that by the people still following him. He's lost the support of a lot of conservative commentators. People who backed him before.

FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:24 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:09 pm

FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2026 3:50 pm

One day Trump is a moron.
Another day, Trump is a master manipulator.

No. He's a moron every day. Nothing I described there requires a genius to set up, nor does it require one to spot the obvious pattern.

You have very low standards if you think that's masterful manipulation. You must fall for every scam going.... what have you bought from Trump? I bet you have that shitty Chinese phone he sells.

I've never called him either a moron or masterful manipulator.
But you must admit, such opinions are floating about in like-minded thinkers.

Such judgments are oft' reserved for those who use non-contextual facts to support preconceptions.

However, objectively speaking, any individual with the power to manipulate world markets, which apparently is an expressed perception due to the timing of ancillary financial events relating to the Iran conflict (the word "war" in place of conflict implies an actual military contest rather than a technologically facilitated duck shoot), such deliberate timing would require a boldness of manipulation akin to Nancy Pelosi's improbable financial portfolio that could be called a masterful manipulation of insider trading, for those viewing through a conspiratorial, ulterior-motive prism, and boldness is often mis-likened to masterful, especially in the short term.

Perhaps you should make the definitions of masterful and moron dependent upon results rather than theory.

Iwannaplato wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:30 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:09 pm

FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2026 3:50 pm

One day Trump is a moron.
Another day, Trump is a master manipulator.

Which kind of days was it when he said over and over with disgust and passion that he would not get involved in regime change wars.

He's involved in regime destruction, and he's attempting to stay out of what regime that changes into.
That should not be difficult since the region is so dependent on Iranian oil and the deprivation of that, will make it once again accessible.

He has made his primary intent very clear, many times. Iran shall have not have the bomb. Red line. Then, the oil becomes accessible to the region and the Straits are not so Dire.

Trump says lots of things to facilitate that, and to keep those who would destroy him, and the United States, off balance and jabbering about his hair.

phyllo wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:47 pm The day he was playing 4 dimensional chess.

Indeed.

Is he a tool of inevitability, or an actual creator of events?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RKEjfIDEys

Now what? Does the US have any cards in our deck? Has Trump toppled the US empire by picking the wrong fight?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2026 2:58 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RKEjfIDEys

Now what? Does the US have any cards in our deck? Has Trump toppled the US empire by picking the wrong fight?

Never assume that a leader is an idiot, when the idiocy leads to things the people in power want to have happen.

Iwannaplato wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2026 6:32 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2026 2:58 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RKEjfIDEys

Now what? Does the US have any cards in our deck? Has Trump toppled the US empire by picking the wrong fight?

Never assume that a leader is an idiot, when the idiocy leads to things the people in power want to have happen.

So do you think Trump knew that his effort would lead to disaster for us?