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A ‘duffer’ called Donald Trump

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Donald Trump

In democracies, people elect leaders they can relate to or easily identify with, that is, who are ‘just like them’; and not people who are drastically different from them in intellect, attitudes, and world-view, etc. Basically, by electing such leaders, they seek and get reconfirmation of their value and belief systems. Since most people anywhere in the world are indeed irrational duffers who vote on mood swings and not on issues they cannot even comprehend, that’s why they elect duffers. Trump owes his election to precisely this ‘identification’ with the voters. Even countries like the USA, goes on to elect duffers. 

Trump’s personality traits

If one has to understand his personality in simple words, they would be bluster, rhetoric, arrogance, casual and dismissive. However, psychologists (including those in a reviewed paper in ‘Exploring Your Mind’) have provided a more nuanced analysis of his personality traits:

  • Narcissist: He suffers from an overinflated sense of his own importance and is known to belittle others, and exaggerate his achievements. His phrases like “I’m the best,” “Nobody does it better than me,” and claims like having the “best words” or being “the greatest president” in history illustrate this trait.
  • Impulsiveness: Notorious for his impulsive decisions and tweets without consulting advisors and with absolute disregard for their ramifications or repercussions. His approach to geopolitics has been widely criticized for being impulsive and uninformed. A notable instance is his sudden decision to pull troops out of Syria in 2019, announced on Twitter, which caught many in his administration off-guard.
  • Authoritarianism, grandiosity and megalomania: He thinks that he is the ultimate authority and decision-maker, in much the same way medieval Europe’s liege lords or India’s badshahs behaved. His claim that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” without losing voters is a striking example. Debates on merit are not his cup of tea.
  • Misogynistic: He is widely known to be sexist and misogynistic. He had suggested that Megyn Kelly, a female Fox News journalist and a moderator at a presidential debate, was tough on him because she was menstruating. Washington Post had published a video and article about his having a lewd and chauvinistic conversation with a television host about women while going to film an episode of ‘Access Hollywood’, a show of NBCUniversal. In the Stormy Daniels affair, he denied the relationship before confirming payments for silence.
  • Loudmouth: His style of communication is inherently brash and loud, often speaking over others during interviews or debates. His public speeches are typically marked by high volume, interruptions, and a confrontational style.
  • Given to shooting his mouth off: His off-the-cuff remarks have often deeply hurt people and generated controversies. His comments on the Charlottesville rally, where he equated white supremacists with counter-protesters. Gold Star families refer to those who lost family members in the Iraq War, and thus are entitled to display a Gold Star. At Pennsylvania Town Hall, he lashed out and disparaged a Gold Star family whose son gave his life for the country.
  • Unsolicited advice and comments on everything under the sun: Besides his stupid views on the COVID-19, he has dismissed climate change as a hoax.
  • Lord of the world: He has made public calls for China to investigate the Biden family, believing that his authority extends beyond US borders.
  • Intolerance to criticism: It is evident from his frequent use of terms like “fake news” or “witch hunt” when facing opposition or negative press. He wants to convey an impression that he is the only go-getter and everybody else or every critic is an obstructionist.
  • Disregard for truth or facts: He has a documented history of making false or misleading statements, often repeating debunked claims. Trump’s promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it was one of his most famous campaign pledges. Mexico did not pay for the wall; instead, American taxpayers did, and only a portion of the wall was constructed or upgraded. He claimed that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton; and that the 2020 election was rigged. This led to legal challenges, none of which held up in court, and culminated in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Blaming DEI for Washington Air Crash

Trump blamed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices for a fatal air crash in Washington, D.C., without any evidence to support this claim. This statement was made despite the investigation into the crash being ongoing and no conclusive cause having been determined at the time of his remarks. He suggested that the previous administrations’ diversity policies led to the hiring of less competent air traffic controllers, which was seen as an attempt to politicize a tragedy for his agenda against DEI initiatives.

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Phenol injections for COVID-19

Throughout the pandemic, he repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus, often contradicting his own health experts. In January 2020, Trump claimed that COVID-19 was ‘totally under control’ and that the US had it ‘very well under control’. He also compared COVID-19 to the flu, stating that the flu kills more people annually. He suggested various outrageous treatments, including bleach or UV light and injecting disinfectants, such as phenol, to cure COVID-19. Even his diehard supporters were embarrassed by it.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported an uptick in cases involving the ingestion or misuse of cleaning products. For instance, calls about exposure to Lysol and other disinfectants increased significantly in the days following Trump’s comments, with some cases involving ingestion. Regarding vaccination also, Trump was also critical of mask mandates and lockdowns, often citing the economic impact of these measures. He claimed that the CDC’s recommendation for wearing masks was “voluntary” and that he wouldn’t be wearing one himself. Trump initially expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of vaccines. He did not publicly receive his vaccine to encourage others. Later, he supported the vaccines developed under his administration, often taking credit for their rapid development. In 2025, Trump signed an Executive Order to reinstate service members discharged for refusing the vaccine, signalling his continued opposition to vaccine mandates. His inconsistent stand contributed significantly to vaccine hesitancy. So much so for his understanding of science and medicine, or communication about them.

DOGE or Cutting down the Government

Pic: Kitco News

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), despite the name, is not a federal executive department, the creation of which would require the approval of the US Congress. Trump’s ostensible aim is to reduce wasteful spending and eliminate unnecessary regulations. This has been widely regarded as a cheap populist political stunt similar to stunts of leaders elsewhere in the world. The idea is to fool the voters into believing that a self-serving bureaucracy has only been creating hindrances for the public and reining them would do wonders.

Fact is there’s simply no concrete evidence or empirical research to support the claim that the federal government is overstaffed or that reducing staff would automatically lead to increased efficiency. Many experts point out that a large nation like the USA does require a robust bureaucratic system to ensure accountability, transparency, and adherence to established procedures and regulations. This system helps prevent abuses of power and promotes stability. The involvement of a businessman and buddy Elon Musk, with his penchant for provocative off-the-cuff remarks without any research-based evidence, has only added to the scepticism surrounding DOGE. Given the fact that the popular status of Musk can indeed sway a gullible public’s opinion, and  add a layer of public influence that is not based on nuanced policy analysis.

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Noted economists like Syracuse professor Douglas James Holtz-Eakin (former director of the Congressional Budget Office), Mark Zandi of Moody’s and Maya MacGuineas of the public policy organization Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget have expressed serious doubts about the feasibility and potential impact of DOGE’s proposed cuts. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the potential conflicts of interest arising from Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s business ties to the federal government.

Ordering Putin and Russia

Trump’s statements on Putin and Russia have been showcasing a horrible lack of understanding of geopolitics, not to speak of diplomatic nuances or long-established diplomatic protocols. His tone has been dismissive and disrespectful, treating Russia like a minor player that could be easily swatted aside. Poor fellow does not even seem to know that as of 2024, according to their own Federation of American Scientists and Congressional Research Service Russia has more nuclear weapons (5,580 with 1,710 actually deployed on strategic delivery vehicles), against 5,428 of USA (5,428 with 1,419 deployed).

He has spoken of negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict “in one day” and threatened Russia with sanctions so casually as if Russia were a vassal state. Putin has shown no indication of ever backing down in the face of Trump’s demands. Even a dimwit like Zelenskyy of Ukraine admits that it’s unlikely that Russia will ever be intimidated by Trump’s rhetoric and juvenile bluster. In the context of the threatened sanctions, he has no idea of Russia’s economic resilience, its diversified trade relations, especially with China, and the global consequences of such measures.

During his presidency, he oscillated between attempts at rapprochement with Putin (as in the Helsinki summit where he sided with Putin over US intelligence) and moments of confrontation or criticism. This inconsistency is a direct result of a lack of coherent foreign policy.

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Time-bound demand for an Iron Dome System

Trump issued an executive order directing the military to begin construction of an Iron Dome-like missile defence system in the US within 60 days. This is ridiculous. How can scientists be ordered to complete a project in a given and short time period? Obviously, the fool has no idea of research, development, and deployment. Moreover, the US already has systems like Patriot and THAAD that serve similar purposes, making the rapid development of a new system both unnecessary and unrealistic.

Advising Egypt and Jordan Regarding Palestinians from Gaza

Trump has suggested that Egypt and Jordan should take Palestinians from Gaza, treating these sovereign nations as if they could be directed by the desires of the US. This demand overlooks the political, economic, and humanitarian complexities involved, ignoring the sovereignty of these nations and the regional dynamics of the Middle East.

Demanding Return of Military Equipment from the Taliban

He asked the Taliban to return American military equipment left in Afghanistan, as if the Taliban, which forced the USA out of Afghanistan after a 20-year disastrous war, are his servants.

Appointments of Anti-Vaxxers to Health Department

Appointing individuals with known anti-vaccine stances to health-related positions contradicts established scientific consensus and public health strategies, potentially undermining efforts to manage health crises like pandemics.

Other Outrageous Statements Galore

  • Trump proposed that Japan and South Korea develop nuclear weapons to counter North Korea’s threats.
  • That NATO is obsolete.
  • Calling for a complete ban on Muslim immigration.
  • Claim that vaccines cause autism, despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
  • He suggested that exercise and a good diet can cure cancer, despite the fact that cancer is a complex and multifaceted disease.
  • His claim that the US was being “ripped off” by its trade partners and that trade wars are “easy to win”. Though economic theory is against such claims, his bluster will be put to acid test soon.
  • He wrongly credited the US with splitting the atom, whereas it was by Nobel Prize-winning New Zealand and British scientists.

Birth-right Citizenship

Trump ordered ending birth right citizenship via executive order, ignoring constitutional interpretations and had to eat humble pie when a district court stayed it.

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Dr N C Asthana IPS (Retd)
Dr N C Asthana IPS (Retd)
Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) is a former DGP of Kerala and ADG BSF/CRPF. Of the 56 books that he has authored, 20 are on terrorism, counter-terrorism, defense, strategic studies, military science, and internal security, etc. They have been reviewed at very high levels in the world and are regularly cited for authority in the research works at some of the most prestigious professional institutions of the world such as the US Army Command & General Staff College and Frunze Military Academy, Russia. The views expressed are his own.

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