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Donald Trump - A Case of Arrested Development [1]

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Date: 2023-06-22

As in 2016, the mainstream media is so caught up in the horse race approach to politics and elections that they continue to present Trump as a normal, viable candidate. He is often depicted as clever and calculating, an expert at manipulating crowds, a populist-rousing genius. I do not agree. He just is what he is, and he cannot help being what he is, to the degree that his actions are often self-defeating.

A few weeks ago, there were two remarkable examples of his self harm. The E. Jean Carroll trial was followed closely by the CNN campaign rally that was misnamed as a ‘town hall’. Turns out his appearance at one event, his non-appearance at another event, and his conduct around both events tell us a lot about Donald as a person. I was struck - again - by the self-defeating nature of so much of his conduct. He continually defamed Carroll, giving her multiple examples of unacceptable speech to reference in her suit. His video deposition was generally recognized as a disaster for his case. In a trial like this the accused usually appears in court, but the strategy of Trump’s legal team was to have the jury see as little of Donald Trump as possible, since Trump’s words and actions tended to show him as someone who could indeed be guilty as accused. The jury verdict was not a surprise.

The spectacle on CNN has been characterized as a defeat for CNN and a win for Trump. If Trump ‘won’, it was a victory with a lot of downside. Just one day after he was convicted of defaming Carroll, he defamed her again, to such a degree that her lawyers have added this latest defamation to Carroll’s other defamation suit. When he wasn’t flinging insults, he was dredging up every grievance and lie he has repeated ad nauseam since 2020. When he wasn’t repeating himself, he was doubling down, saying that he might pardon some of the convicted January 6 rioters, and promising to bring back that charmer Mike Flynn if he is re-elected. Joe Biden’s campaign managers were reportedly delighted by the material Trump provided for TV ads and fundraising appeals.

A few days ago he did it again - during a Fox News* interview he essentially confessed to the actions he is charged with in the documents case. His performance was described as ‘a defense attorney’s nightmare’.

A genuinely clever and calculating person is able to adjust their behavior as situations change. Rather than adjusting and strategizing, Trump reacts in the moment, much as a child does. I have sometimes referred to Trump as a five year old, although that is an insult to most five year olds. Early in his administration, an anonymous White House staffer referred to him as a ‘malevolent toddler’. Is Trump a child in a 76 year old body? Short answer - not exactly.

There are many approaches to describing human development: we start out with a self-centered, limited view of the world and our place in it. As we experience the world and other people, our personality expands to include positive ways of taking social reality into account. This socialization process is often described in terms of ‘stages of development’, from infancy to adulthood. The earlier stages are characterized by emotional responses, seeing situations in black and white, denying responsibility and seeing people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending on whether or not they do what the child wants. Many of Trump’s statements and actions reflect these early stages - he defines ‘good’ people as those who like him. People who criticize or question him are ‘nasty.’ This is a grown man ‘being childish’.

Part of growing up is developing the ability to examine ourselves, to reflect on our own and others’ behavior. Trump never grew this far. His ability to look at himself as an actor in a situation is very limited; he reacts to the immediate circumstances with slight regard for the future consequences. He cannot help himself. He is incapable of learning from experience. He cannot follow rules and norms even when doing so would further his goals. He will never ‘learn his lesson’ because he cannot. He will never ‘rise to the challenge’ because he cannot.

This view of Trump is not, if you will pardon the expression, a news flash. Yet, CNN chose to give him a prime time slot with an admiring audience and an overmatched moderator. Other news outlets have not yet gone this far, but all too many news outlets report on Trump and his actions with little or no comment or context. Yet, it is clear that as a political actor Trump will never do what is best for the country, because he cannot even do what is best for him personally. To repeat: He. Can. Not. Help. Himself. I mean that in two senses of the phrase. He is who he is, he does what he does. He can’t change. And as a result, he also can’t help himself stay out of trouble, or even effectively further his own self-seeking goals. He will always be a destructive, disruptive force who must never be allowed to hold power again. To properly do its job, the mainstream media must not only recognize that fact, but continually put it in front of the American people.

Postscript: Many people, myself included, have puzzled over why Trump would steal government documents. To somehow make money from them? To curry favor with Putin or some other autocrat? I think the answer is simple: because he wanted to and he could. Trump staffers have commented that he was fascinated by classified documents and kept many with him at all times, even when traveling. He likes collections, especially of things he can show off and boast about. He truly felt that the documents were ‘mine’, much as a child will lay claim to something they want, even if it clearly belongs to someone else. This is just another example of Trump’s ‘arrested development’ approach to life.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/22/2176950/-Donald-Trump-A-Case-of-Arrested-Development

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