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A Suggestion on How to Negotiate With Trump [1]

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Date: 2025-03-08

Trump is an unsuccessful negotiator as this illuminating post argues very well:

Negotiations Expert Explains Why Trump Fails To Get Deals Done

This post and the recent dust up with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House causes one to wonder about the converse question: ‘how can anyone negotiate successfully with Trump?’

In my opinion, the answer is ‘flattery, flattery, praises, inducements, more flattery’

The following is an elaboration of my reasoning on this which I posted elsewhere. The Washington Post today wrote:

One week after Volodymyr Zelensky gambled on a confrontational strategy with President Donald Trump and wound up at the center of an explosive Oval Office meeting, the Ukrainian president is scrambling to restore ties with Washington as the White House ramps up pressure for a quick end to the war with Russia.

I don’t agree that Zelensky had a confrontational strategy. Zelensky probably thought, as any reasonable person would, that standing up for Ukraine’s minimum acceptable conditions (security guarantees) and explaining them was the right thing to do. It was a reasonable negotiating strategy for a sustainable end to the war.

However, with a narcissist and a zero sum negotiator like Trump ( see excellent post above), that was exactly the wrong strategy to use.

Firstly, for Trump, the absence of continuous obsequiousness and praise from the other person translates to the other person being confrontational.



Secondly, in my opinion, Trump and Vance wanted to beat down Zelensky and ‘soften him up’ as their negotiating tactic.

If Zelensky had said nothing at all, Trump and Vance would have pounded him on his dress, his lack of gratitude, his face, his cat, or anything. They wanted him to signal submission to Trump, paving the way for agreement on whatever Trump would demand. Representing a country fighting for its very existence, Zelensky did not signal any such thing. Trump took it as a personal affront since everything is about himself.



Now, Putin, on the other hand, knows how to flatter Trump so Trump thinks he is easier to deal with.



So, how to negotiate with Trump so that Ukraine gets an acceptable and sustainable agreement to end the war?

The world has to craft an end to the Ukraine war inside Trump’s imaginary world where all are bowing to him, he is all and everything while Zelensky and his country suffering under brutal war count for nothing.

The best inducement that Zelensky and Europe can offer to Trump is for them to relentlessly butter Trump up.

Realize that Trump is essentially a moron who knows nothing about anything. Anyone flattering him can fill his mind with arguments in their favor till the next flatterer comes along with different arguments and he forgets the earlier ones.



Putin knows this and knows how to get through to Trump. Trump keeps repeating Putin’s point of view on everything though he often forgets what he repeated. Trump on calling Zelensky a Dictator: Did I say that?

So, Zelensky should imitate Putin. He should be obsequious, he should phone in and praise Trump daily so he can immediately undo the effects on Trump of any communications with Putin. Buttering up Trump is necessary statecraft.

Meanwhile, though Trump is probably sold out to Putin for reasons beyond Putin’s flattery and expert psychological handling, Europe can still try to buy Trump back. Give Trump a Nobel Prize. Throw him a big military parade in Paris. Give him a hotel permit in Berlin. Treat him like a European potentate. Trump has shown himself to be highly appreciative and responsive to praise and rewards. So give him praise and rewards. Let Europe rival Putin in its inducements and hence, his affections.



This is an admittedly nasty and vomit-inducing approach but it might save thousands of lives in Ukraine and stall the military estrangement between Europe and the United States.

PS: I suspect the reason Musk remains physically close to Trump as much as possible is to keep talking to Trump to keep himself (Musk) in Trump’s good books. In case any Musk detractor talks to Trump, Musk is right there to be the last person talking and to undo the damage. Zelensky obviously can’t live in the White House, but he must communicate frequently.

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