On Trump: A beautiful piece of proper journalism

[up_the_junction]

In The New Your Times: Inside Trump’s Hour-by-Hour for Self-Preservation.

It seems thoroughly researched over time and is pretty insightful into his mind and habits. Examples:

The ammunition for his Twitter war is television. No one touches the remote control except Mr. Trump and the technical support staff — at least that’s the rule. During meetings, the 60-inch screen mounted in the dining room may be muted, but Mr. Trump keeps an eye on scrolling headlines. What he misses he checks out later on what he calls his “Super TiVo,” a state-of-the-art system that records cable news.

Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day.

One figure stands out to Mr. Trump: an unnamed party boss — his friends assume he is referring to the legendary Brooklyn fixer Meade Esposito — whom he remembered keeping a baseball bat under his desk to enforce his power. To the adviser who recounted it, the story revealed what Mr. Trump expected being president would be like — ruling by fiat, exacting tribute and cutting back room deals.

But while he is unlikely to change who he is on a fundamental level, advisers said they saw a novice who was gradually learning that the presidency does not work that way. And he is coming to realize, they said, the need to woo, not whack, leaders of his own party to get things done.

During his early months in office, he barked commands at senators, which did not go over well. “I don’t work for you, Mr. President,” Mr. Corker once snapped back, according to a Republican with knowledge of the exchange

Enjoy!

[Bricker]

If you elect to the Presidency someone who has never held federal elective office of any kind, these gross misunderstandings are foreseeable.

[CurtC]

@Bricker

If you elect to the Presidency someone who has never held federal elective office of any kind, these gross misunderstandings are foreseeable.

Only if that person is an idiot. As far as I know, no regular poster at this site has ever held a federal elective office, and I bet that every one of us would understand that going in.

[cmkeller]

I have to say, that was a pretty well-written piece. Not the kind of liberal hatchet-job I would have expected the NYT to do on Trump. Thanks for bringing the article to my attention.

[up_the_junction]

@cmkeller

I have to say, that was a pretty well-written piece. Not the kind of liberal hatchet-job I would have expected the NYT to do on Trump. Thanks for bringing the article to my attention.

Ha, that’s what I thought - it’s a rare piece in the current political climate. Glad you enjoyed it.

[corkboard]

@CurtC

Only if that person is an idiot. As far as I know, no regular poster at this site has ever held a federal elective office, and I bet that every one of us would understand that going in.

As would anyone who has every passed a junior high school level civics class.

[aceplace57]

Trump created his persona and fame by carefully promoting himself on television and other media for over 40 years. The media created Trump. He’s the direct spawn of our celebrity obsessed culture.

He considers it his lifeline to importance and popularity.

I’m not surprised he watches the news obsessively.

For all Trump’s complaints about Fake News, he knows they are essential to his political survival.