# So I've changed my mind: Donald Trump is pursuing a rational, intelligent strategy **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 25, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119 "2017-01-25T05:28:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/101 "2017-01-29T21:25:44Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > So why then go on about how he is a con man, and has conned people in the past? > > You are making the statement that he is a con man in a thread specifically about his strategy and then asked for details you claim it’s irrelevant:confused: I responded to the claim that he had some master intelligence. I pointed out that he does not need intelligence, _per se_, to pull off his strategy. He needs the ability to be a con man–something he has repeatedly demonstrated in the past–that requires a certain type of personality and a certain talent for rhetoric without requiring any particularly high level of intelligence. I also noted that I reject the claim that his adherents are inherently stupid people. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/102 "2017-01-29T22:18:54Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > Ok, I can see where that is clearly a campaign promise that has changed. > > I still think the OP’s idea holds water though. If he made 10 campaign promises and kept 9 and then then 10th one he changed part of is that really solid evidence he’s swindled his supporters? It seems a forest and trees situation. This dual approach–“Build the Wall, Make Mexico Pay”–is probably the single biggest promise of his campaign. The swindle comes from his continued claim that Mexico is going to pay for it, even as he directs Congress to make sure you and I pay for it. If this were a minor part of his campaign, or if he admitted that he were changing it, it’d be inaccurate to call it a swindle. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/103 "2017-01-30T02:50:41Z")
There is no doubt in my mind that Trump is a genius at self-promotion, which is due in part to his uncurbed self-delusion. He blurts out so many audacious “alternative truths” that he appears to view facts as a distraction. I am sure he lies so easily because he’s constantly lying to himself. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/104 "2017-01-30T03:52:25Z")
For decades, people have been pointing out that North Korea has been pursuing a “Madman” game strategy. Where you have to be careful, because you can’t _assume_ that they are going to act rational. Standard analysis is that this is a powerful strategy. It’s also related to a basic negotiating tactic: never let them see what you really want. So, is it going to work for America? > [@Velocity](#): > > This reminds me of a Mark Twain story, “Luck.” The main character, Scoresby, makes a series of foolish decisions, but somehow through improbable luck, all of his foolish errors have spectacularly successful results, and because of that, people hail him as a genius, when in fact it was nothing but luck. In battle, Scoresby mistakes his right hand for his left, and so orders a suicidally ill-advised attack on the enemy, but because the enemy just so happens to be caught off guard, it actually is a successful military move. Or “Arms and the Man” by George Bernard Shaw. Not central to the plot, but the superior force is routed by a cavalry attack straight into the face of the machine guns! (Which had no ammunition, but it shouldn’t have mattered, because nobody would be dumb enough to do that). ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/105 "2017-01-30T13:04:12Z")
I think the sheer incompetence with the enactment and implementation of the Muslim ban is great evidene that Trump is not some kind of secret smart guy and that his “strategy” is little more than knee jerk reactions to the whims of a narcisstic idiot. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/106 "2017-01-30T13:08:40Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > For decades, people have been pointing out that North Korea has been pursuing a “Madman” game strategy. Where you have to be careful, because you can’t _assume_ that they are going to act rational. Standard analysis is that this is a powerful strategy. > > It’s also related to a basic negotiating tactic: never let them see what you really want. > > So, is it going to work for America? If America wants to be as isolated as possible, sure. But if they can’t assume that even lopsided trade agreements created through bullying will remain in place or be honored, businesses will shy away from trading with the US whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/107 "2017-01-30T13:13:17Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This dual approach–“Build the Wall, Make Mexico Pay”–is probably the single biggest promise of his campaign. The swindle comes from his continued claim that Mexico is going to pay for it, even as he directs Congress to make sure you and I pay for it. > > If this were a minor part of his campaign, or if he admitted that he were changing it, it’d be inaccurate to call it a swindle. The “swindle” is when, after 4 years of Trump, the people in the Rust Belt states and other places where Trump promised to “bring jobs back” find that not only did the jobs not come back, the country is actually worse off because of his economic and foreign policies. Of course, like any demagogue, he will find someone else to blame for his failures and his supporters will eat it up, rather than admit they were taken in by a con man. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119/108 "2017-01-31T21:19:05Z")
How did we miss this article? Proof that yes, Trump was following an intelligent, savy strategy. Damn it, this article explains everything. > **[The Data That Turned the World Upside Down](https://www.vice.com/en/article/mg9vvn/how-our-likes-helped-trump-win)** > > How Cambridge Analytica used your Facebook data to help the Donald Trump campaign in the 2016 election. But the strategy can be turned against him. By spending, not on TV ads, but on very targeted Facebook posts in the timeline of Trump voters. By that, media can bypass Trump’s tweets, bypass Fox News. It’s brilliant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-changed-my-mind-donald-trump-is-pursuing-a-rational-intelligent-strategy/778119.md?page=5)