Abraham Yeung - Blog Q2 Post #8 - Is There Really Something Underneath?
Given how eccentric Trump is, I’m sure just about everyone has entertained the idea that he is a massive idiot. However, in my personal headcanon, I imagine the possibility that all of this is merely a facade that Trump shows.
Over the many decades he’s been alive, Trump has proven to possess an incredible mind. The ways he’s approached his goals and how he accomplished his objectives prove that he is no ordinary person.
Donald Trump hates failure. The man has made it his signature to always “win.” The man has been involved in more than four thousand court cases, and many of them were because he sued someone. Someone badmouths him? Lawsuit. Forbes says that he’s worth two hundred million instead of eight hundred million? Lawsuit. This level of dedication to sue just about every piece of media that badmouths him borders on insanity, and just goes to show that the man is certainly dedicated to his goals. What makes him more insane is the fact that most of these lawsuits are forgotten—and probably not with hush money, too, since some of his opponents are billion-dollar companies. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing something intentional, and he’s doing it right.
Donald Trump also is selfish. And not just a “I want it so I’ll have it” selfishness. The man is literally doing things no one else would even think of to make money. Throughout his career, aside from being known as “the rich guy,” he’s also equally well-known as the “guy whose businesses keep failing.” Somehow, the man still has money. This is because Trump decided to change his entire business model, from personally managing a few companies to basically licensing out his name for others to use. Trump never claims full responsibility for these companies. All he does is cash out on a massive payment for his name, and if the business fails, he has the audacity to go to court cases and say that he was never directly involved.
Obviously, if you can’t tell, Donald Trump’s character is massively flawed. But those flaws have made him do ridiculous things that, in hindsight, are incredibly intelligent (at least when it comes to benefiting him). Whenever I see a news article about him doing another stupid thing, I feel like there’s a hidden purpose behind Trump’s actions, whatever it is.
Or I could be wrong. Maybe age is catching up to Trump, and grandpa really just needs to go to a retirement home and stop trying to run a country.
Hi Abraham! I was drawn to your blog this week because of the photo you included with it. I actually say the same thing often about myself to help improve my weakening self-esteem, but now I have mixed feelings about what I thought was my phrase. I regularly consider whether or not Trump is stupid or not. I think it’s primarily because I have hope that all those people who have voted for him must be able to see something that I clearly am not. Like, surely the nation couldn’t have deteriorated so much that our citizens have made the foolish decision to re-elect him, right?
ReplyDeleteI always considered the question more on a moral ground, but I appreciate the route you took. Given his background and obvious success I think your question has a ton of validity. At the same time, I am not sure if all the money he has or decisions he’s made can be credited to him. He has thousands of people working for him, who are likely very smart (not to be confused with kindness or empathy but I digress) and handle all those issues for him. Nonetheless, when looking at the administration’s agenda and the drastic changes they’ve made already in under a year, it certainly makes your question more apparent and concerning. Or perhaps, like you said, we’re thinking too far into this situation and maybe he is just an old man with insane free will.
Hi Abraham! I really enjoyed your blog this week. In my opinion, I felt like it was like you were trying to dissect Trump’s character like he was a character in a TV show. I appreciate you including the sheer number of lawsuits that this man has filed. People truly do not realize how hard it is to file lawsuits against people and bring them to court. The mention of Forbes miscalculating Trump’s net worth and his seeking legal action really showcases how fractured his ego is.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Trump plays the role of the useful idiot. He manages to trip over himself time after time, but when it comes to helping out his billionaire friends, he is all of a sudden the most competent president ever. The whole DOGE debacle earlier this year really showcases this because he essentially let Elon Musk run the country for a while.
Of course, his ego got in the way, and now Musk doesn’t even have a government role. Trump and Musk’s fallout really showcases the battle of the two egos. Great blog!
I personally understand nothing about the motivations behind Trump’s actions, but I appreciate that you initiated this conversation because it’s important to question the motivations of people in power. Trump is definitely not stupid, as you said, and claiming otherwise absolves him of responsibility. People don’t just become a billionaire or a president out of sheer luck. They know how to manipulate the public opinion and weasel their way into high positions.
ReplyDeleteBesides that, we should also recognize that Trump did not build his empire alone. A solid chunk of it comes from the generational wealth his father and grandfather built before him, not necessarily just from a new business model. Like, would the organizations you speak of even want to make deals over the “Trump” name if the name had not already amassed significant monetary value?
Donald Trump has committed countless offenses, ranging from the underpayment of workers to the January 6th Capitol Attack, seemingly without impunity. Being able to avoid punishment after everything he’s done, I have to agree that maybe he is more intelligent than we give him credit for.
However, Trump’s behavior should not be praised, for it is evidence of a deeply flawed political, economic, and social system which the uber rich are exploiting in America. Regardless of whether he’s too old to run the country anymore, Trump needs to be held accountable!