Fighter is the label that is thrown about to refer to Trump when he will not concede a point. These situations happen all of the time, there are just too many to count. They range the gamut of topics, from the state of the economy and its cause, to talks with North Korea and their success, to the interference of Russia in our elections, to polling results, etc. The topic is less relevant than the agreement/disagreement with Trump’s point of view.
If you agree with Trump, you are a great person. He’ll throw flattery your way. If you disagree, however, there is an escalating strategy he uses to either have you agree with him, or shut you down.
It is very easy to spot and works like this:
Topic: Foreign Government interference in an election
There is a certain understanding of patriotism that we’re all raised with. The idea that we belong to the United States of America. As long as your actions affect, or are effected by, other people in the US, all is fair game. But as soon there is foreign interference, specially from a hostile government, you side with your fellow citizens. Everyone knows this.
And if you are Trump and you have a differing view (as he often does), you follow these steps, one after another:
- Paint it as an attack on yourself and refuse to admit it ever happened
- Admit that if it happened, others have done it also
- Claim the opposition does it even more
- Claim what you do is perfectly legal and the officials that disagree with you are wrong
- Double-down say you’d do it again
Take a look at this excerpt about this very same topic and see if you can spot the strategy yourself.
In the video, Trump employs all of the steps above. Some people in the media apparatus call him “a fighter” (even Stephanopoulos himself calls him that in another part of the interview), and yet, I cannot but compare him to an obnoxious kid.
A kid who does not listen to reason is obnoxious. When it starts, the kid, is funny, even cute. But as you provide more and more reasons as to the error of his/her ways you expect a certain level of understanding on their part. And I’m yet to see this, or any, level of understanding in Trump. The only part I have seen is the obnoxious (cute for a 5yo) part.
And this is one of the aspects of Trump that really worries me for 2020 or 2024. What will happen if he loses in the next election? Will he leave? Or will his kicks and screams cause an internal conflict?
I realize obnoxious is a strong, some may even say disrespectful, term, but I must call it what it is. To me, Trump is not a fighter. He’s obnoxious.
