Trump's obfuscating Axios interview — demonstrated why he is an effective conman

© 2020 Peter Free

 

06 August 2020

 

 

Was Trump's Axios interview with Jonathan Swan "deranged", as some claim?

 

I don't think so.

 

Instead, the President's continual fact-denying — and his unhelpfully talking over Swan's questions and corrections — illustrated why he is such an effective conman:

 

 

HBO, Axios on HBO: President Trump Exclusive Interview (Full Episode), YouTube (03 August 2020)

 

 

Let's reason this through.

 

 

Admittedly . . .

 

Anyone both intelligent and knowledgeable would predictably have wanted to punch the President in his unremitting spiel-idiot mouth.

 

 

But . . .

 

President Trump's unique combination of stupidity, appalling ignorance and enormous conceit floats easily atop his world-class ability to deny Reality in appealingly simple-minded ways.

 

The President's unnuanced Simpleton's Mind appeals to other simplicity-seeking people. And he speaks in childishly short-cutting ways that are easily understood, if only at emotional levels.

 

Overlooking Trump's genuine genius for distorting and manipulating facts and events — into taking the directions that he wants them to go — is politically problematic for his (usually equally mentally obtuse) political opponents.

 

In an alleged democracy, political outcomes cannot be smarter and more virtuous than the common denominator, much less the mean.

 

 

Yes

 

Every time I see Trump talk, I see an attention-seeking quasi-moron operating in politically persuasive fashion. It takes an innate form of legitimate Manipulation Genius to be Trump.

 

People who continually cut him down — as if their character criticisms alone are going to sink the man — are overlooking his talent for being superior (to them) in spotting which human levers to push, so as to get his way.

 

Trump is a master at detecting and prodding our Dark Sides, to his gain.

 

 

Another key to Trump's success . . .

 

. . . is that he is often enough correct.

 

This trait rolls back criticisms of some of the people, who begin to doubt him.

 

For instance, the allied Deep State-Democratic Party's (now four years long) lie about the President being Putin's puppet fell by the wayside in many folk's estimation, when no real evidence in its favor emerged.

 

Similarly, Trump's continuing blather about withdrawing from Afghanistan is strategically legitimate. That he has not 'manfully' acted on the idea is another matter. Follow-through is not one of the President's talents.

 

In the same vein, Trump's initial stance that Russia is not a mandatory American enemy was also correct.

 

The Military Industrial Complex thrives on creating claimed existential enemies, where there actually are none. He recognizes this. In part, I imagine, because he sees the MIC continually using the same Big Lie technique that he does.

 

Trump has also been right about hydroxychloroquine — when used very early in the SARS-CoV-2 infection process (see here). That, against the overwhelming tide of Party Line authorities, who dismiss the cheap pharmaceutical in their attempt to profit by substituting much more expensive drugs (or vaccines) in its place.

 

In short, we have a Narcistic Liar telling the truth about something medically important that everyone else in the Establishment has been lying about for profit.

 

Who's the villain in that scenario?

 

 

Those of us who not rabidly partisan notice these things

 

Despite Trump's annoying (sometimes infuriating) levels of idiocy, ignorance and self-promoting bombast — he is, surprisingly — sometimes less blazingly mendacious than his political opponents.

 

 

The moral? — When the Big Lie characterizes both American political parties . . .

 

. . . as well as the entire American Establishment, the ground is perfectly prepared for a person of Trump's conman gifts to hold wide sway.

 

We have culturally shafted ourselves by becoming habitual truth-deniers. Imperialism, altar-placed avarice and an undeserved national sense of superiority have done us in.

 

This is why I become irritated with Trump-haters, when they continual pick away at his character — as if there are no equally glaring Big Lie, Group Think defects among their own.

 

Political leadership in the United States is best characterized as having become a Battle between Rapacious Scumbags.

 

Given our prevailing (probably hopeless) national circumstances — when watching President Trump — I have the dubious pleasure of seeing someone, whose genius has elevated American plutocratic scumbaggery into a repellantly appealing art form.

 

And because our American Ship has been sinking by its Reality-denying bow — for many presidential durations now — we may as well credit its most revolting helmsman with his undeniable genius for revealing the True Core of the United States' pillaging culture.

 

Point to Trump. Allegedly deranged, though he may be.