Post by Old Badger on Dec 22, 2018 16:13:34 GMT -5
This NYT portrait, drawn from 30 interviews with close associates of Donald Trump, shows a man already in a downward spiral on the eve of facing a divided Congress, the Mueller report, and his own impulsive actions on Syria and Afghanistan It is far from reassuring:
"At the midpoint of his term, Mr. Trump has grown more sure of his own judgment and more cut off from anyone else’s than at any point since taking office. He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely. As he sheds advisers at a head-spinning rate, he reaches out to old associates, complaining that few of the people around him were there at the beginning. Mr. Trump is said by advisers to be consumed by the multiplying investigations that have taken down his personal lawyer, campaign chairman, national security adviser and family foundation. He rails against enemies, who often were once friends, nursing a deep sense of betrayal and grievance as they turn on him...
"Always impulsive, the president increasingly believes he does not need advisers, according to people close to him...In a recent public talk, Mr. Tillerson said out loud what others say in private, that Mr. Trump often pushes for actions that exceed his authority and does not like it when told he cannot do something. He bristles at constraints and expresses envy of autocrats like President Xi Jinping of China who do not have to deal with independent power centers like the Federal Reserve or the courts. In recent days, Mr. Trump has asked aides whether he can fire Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chairman he appointed...
"More recently, the president has told associates he feels 'totally and completely abandoned,' as one put it, complaining that no one is on his side and that many around him have ulterior motives. That extends even to his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was credited for helping push through the criminal justice bill, praise that Mr. Trump took note of. Longtime associates said Mr. Trump’s relationship with his children has grown more removed and that he feels he does not have a friend in the White House. He disagrees with Mr. Kushner and Ivanka Trump much of the time, but cannot bring himself to tell them no, leaving that instead to Mr. Kelly, according to former aides. That made Mr. Kelly the heavy, they said, and therefore the target of their ire until he was finally forced out.
"Mr. Trump has spent far less time lately with older friends...By all accounts, Mr. Trump’s consumption of cable television has actually increased in recent months as his first scheduled meetings of the day have slid back from the 9 or 9:30 a.m. set by Reince Priebus, his first chief of staff, to roughly 11 many mornings. During 'executive time,' Mr. Trump watches television in the residence for hours, reacting to what he sees on Fox News. While in the West Wing, he leaves it on during most meetings in the dining room off the Oval Office, one ear attuned to what is being said...More recently, Mr. Trump has taken to spending time reminiscing about the happier days of his candidacy and his 2016 victory...But those highs have been hard to recapture. The days are filled with conflict, much of it of his own making. More advisers are heading for the door. The divisions are widening, not closing. If it is a “war every day,” there are no signs of peace." link
This is an old man, one never fully in control of himself, receding into s self-protective shell as he becomes overwhelmed by a job for which he was never prepared, intellectually, emotionally, or socially. As the pressure on him has mounted, he's gone back to the events that left him feeling good about himself. But when even "Fox & Friends" is piling on it clearly is hard for him to do more than crawl into his cocoon. His feelings of abandonment and resulting paranoia about the motives of almost everyone around him are classic symptoms of dementia. If he were just some ailing tycoon--say, Howard Hughes--one feel sympathy and perhaps remind oneself that money isn't everything. But he holds the office of President of the United States, so his erratic, impulsive behavior has serious, even life-and-death, implications for our nation and the rest of the world.
If there were competent people in his Cabinet we could hope that they'd turn to the 25th Amendment at some point; but most of them a weak sycophants, so there's little chance of that. Until the past few days, with the collapse of any semblance of sense on national security, I was fine with just letting Trump to work out his term, with Pelosi and House Democrats providing at least some check on him. Now it's becoming obvious that at some point the House will have to consider seriously impeachment, and put the onus on Senate Republicans to protect the Republic from this failing, flailing man. It's going to be a very dangerous two years.
"At the midpoint of his term, Mr. Trump has grown more sure of his own judgment and more cut off from anyone else’s than at any point since taking office. He spends ever more time in front of a television, often retreating to his residence out of concern that he is being watched too closely. As he sheds advisers at a head-spinning rate, he reaches out to old associates, complaining that few of the people around him were there at the beginning. Mr. Trump is said by advisers to be consumed by the multiplying investigations that have taken down his personal lawyer, campaign chairman, national security adviser and family foundation. He rails against enemies, who often were once friends, nursing a deep sense of betrayal and grievance as they turn on him...
"Always impulsive, the president increasingly believes he does not need advisers, according to people close to him...In a recent public talk, Mr. Tillerson said out loud what others say in private, that Mr. Trump often pushes for actions that exceed his authority and does not like it when told he cannot do something. He bristles at constraints and expresses envy of autocrats like President Xi Jinping of China who do not have to deal with independent power centers like the Federal Reserve or the courts. In recent days, Mr. Trump has asked aides whether he can fire Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chairman he appointed...
"More recently, the president has told associates he feels 'totally and completely abandoned,' as one put it, complaining that no one is on his side and that many around him have ulterior motives. That extends even to his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was credited for helping push through the criminal justice bill, praise that Mr. Trump took note of. Longtime associates said Mr. Trump’s relationship with his children has grown more removed and that he feels he does not have a friend in the White House. He disagrees with Mr. Kushner and Ivanka Trump much of the time, but cannot bring himself to tell them no, leaving that instead to Mr. Kelly, according to former aides. That made Mr. Kelly the heavy, they said, and therefore the target of their ire until he was finally forced out.
"Mr. Trump has spent far less time lately with older friends...By all accounts, Mr. Trump’s consumption of cable television has actually increased in recent months as his first scheduled meetings of the day have slid back from the 9 or 9:30 a.m. set by Reince Priebus, his first chief of staff, to roughly 11 many mornings. During 'executive time,' Mr. Trump watches television in the residence for hours, reacting to what he sees on Fox News. While in the West Wing, he leaves it on during most meetings in the dining room off the Oval Office, one ear attuned to what is being said...More recently, Mr. Trump has taken to spending time reminiscing about the happier days of his candidacy and his 2016 victory...But those highs have been hard to recapture. The days are filled with conflict, much of it of his own making. More advisers are heading for the door. The divisions are widening, not closing. If it is a “war every day,” there are no signs of peace." link
This is an old man, one never fully in control of himself, receding into s self-protective shell as he becomes overwhelmed by a job for which he was never prepared, intellectually, emotionally, or socially. As the pressure on him has mounted, he's gone back to the events that left him feeling good about himself. But when even "Fox & Friends" is piling on it clearly is hard for him to do more than crawl into his cocoon. His feelings of abandonment and resulting paranoia about the motives of almost everyone around him are classic symptoms of dementia. If he were just some ailing tycoon--say, Howard Hughes--one feel sympathy and perhaps remind oneself that money isn't everything. But he holds the office of President of the United States, so his erratic, impulsive behavior has serious, even life-and-death, implications for our nation and the rest of the world.
If there were competent people in his Cabinet we could hope that they'd turn to the 25th Amendment at some point; but most of them a weak sycophants, so there's little chance of that. Until the past few days, with the collapse of any semblance of sense on national security, I was fine with just letting Trump to work out his term, with Pelosi and House Democrats providing at least some check on him. Now it's becoming obvious that at some point the House will have to consider seriously impeachment, and put the onus on Senate Republicans to protect the Republic from this failing, flailing man. It's going to be a very dangerous two years.