I have always thought TFG was an idiot. I still do, but

[captain queeg]

that is looking at him through a lens of normality. He obviously operates in his own world. Looking at the things he prioritized he obviously had no business being president. I look at how he has taken over the R party and everyone lives in fear of him. Like people often point out, much like a gangster. I usually am dismissive of everything he does, but I wonder if a mobster would appreciate how thoroughly he grabbed and retained power. I think the Slobfather is an appropriate name for him.

[mucifer]

1. Agreed. There has to be a lot of shady people working in NY letting him get away with financial

crimes so many years before he became president.

[EYESORE 9001]

2. I consider him an idiot savant

where evildoing is his sole talent.

[malaise]

3. THIS

But he is also a mobster which is why we stole ThucyThucy's Slobfather - it fits him perfectly

[mucifer]

5. Yup, an evil version of Chauncey Gardner (From the movie "Being There")

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. That's what I think, too.

He doesn't know anything about anything and he has no curiosity at all. But he has an uncanny ability to create chaos. He is a savant.

[PatSeg]

18. Yes

Probably because he puts all his energy into chaos and vindictiveness. It has become second nature to him after decades of experience. He probably doesn't even have to think about it anymore, it just comes naturally.

[secondwind]

7. He knows how to do this... he gathers information on every one in his orbit.

Then he dangles the "bad stuff" in front of their faces, TO KEEP THEM IN LINE.

This is his MO... It's as old as the hills.

[scarytomcat]

16. I agree he has the dirt. on a lot of people

Someone needs to get the book and publish it.

[EleanorR]

8. He's more like cult leader Jim Jones

Jones didn't have a conscience and neither does trump.

[Lochloosa]

10. This

[secondwind]

12. Bingo

[shrike3]

13. I agree

[tavernier]

9. Being a sociopath is the key.

He feels no remorse or guilt or any negative emotion when he injures another human. His takes pleasure only in what benefits him and that is his measure of success.

[musclecar6]

15. Agreed

He never stops stops manipulating, that is characteristic of a completely amoral sociopath, who wants in the worst way to be an out of control totalitarian dictator. His first wife Ivana said he used to keep books on Hitler on the bedroom nightstand. Surprise Surprise

[Farmer-Rick]

11. He's a useful puppet

If you want to destroy democracy, TFG is there for you. If you want the poor to pick up the tax burden of the rich, TFG is your man. He will allow anything if it makes him look like he's a leader.... even if he does nothing but talk.

Want 1940 racism again, TFG will push it. Hate woman, TFG will make American women's lives miserable for you.

It's his lack of a conscious, unconcern for others and all encompassing selfishness that allows the filthy rich, Putin, the KKK, Nazis, the religiously insane and abusers to use him to get what they want.

The vast wealth of the filthy rich and the near impoverished conditions the majority of American live in allows these people to have so much control over the electorate and our government.

[Klaralven]

14. Average intelligence, but unusual shrewdness

[musclecar6]

17. Yeah

Classic sociopath.

[mopinko]

19. i think he mostly acted out of muscle memory. his brain is way past processing new information.

hence, continuing to operate as tho he was the head of a small family business, and never getting it through his head what the word 'presidential' could possibly mean.

he was always a sociopath, but by '16, he was a clearly demented old man.
i have no idea how we prevent this from ever happening again. at the very least, we need a national conversation about mental/brain health.
and to see his med records from reed.

[tanyev]

20. I don't think he could do any of it without a team of more competent sycophants.

What I don’t understand is why there are so many willing to carry out nefarious schemes to help him. I suspect many of them recognize what a blithering idiot he is and feign loyalty in the hopes of manipulating him to achieve their own objectives.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

21. For this thread

Link to tweet

[Hekate]

22. Never underestimate him or the people who enable him. Yes, he can be described by pathologies.

But that is far from the whole story. As someone in this thread mentioned, sociopathy is a big part of him.

As for the Mob Boss angle, Jim Comey apparently spotted that behavior on first meeting.

Comey could have been an asset for good in the FBI if he had not so stupidly cut Hillary Clinton off at the knees and enabled Trump’s win.