It’s hard to understand Trump’s unwavering support for Russia. Mid December 2016, Obama even stated that Russia “doesn’t produce anything that anybody wants to buy except oil and gas and arms.” Trump’s alleged acknowledgement on RussiaGate didn’t change anything.
I will use my concept of the 7 Belief systems (ie, Love, Money, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science and the Truth) to find a possible answer to the question: What’s in it for Trump??
Let’s start what both men appear to have in common: 1) self-love or narcissism, 2) kleptocracy, 3) white supremacy, 4) (authoritarian) nationalism, 5) pragmatism in religious beliefs, 6) n/a, 7) denial, frequent use of reverse psychology and projection. #6 Science, including Technology, appears to be a key difference considering Trump’s aversion of technology (eg, Politico).
A recent NYT op-ed about “Nixon’s Vietnam Treachery” made me realise that the President-elect also shares some interesting similarities with Richard Nixon: the hacking of Democratic party (eg, 1972 Watergate scandal, 2016 RussiaGate), Tricky Dick‘s record of public lies (eg, NYT), the unexpected 1972 detente with China, and finally Trump’s admiration for Richard Nixon.
The similarities between the President-elect and President Richard Nixon also relate to narcissism. Richard Nixon ranks #6 in the list of “The 10 Most Narcissistic U.S. Presidents” according to Psychological Science, “the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science“.
Interestingly, #7 on the the list of “The 10 Most Narcissistic U.S. Presidents” is Bill Clinton who was nearly impeached over his affair with Monica Lewinsky and his lying about it. Allan Lichtman has predicted that Trump will become the 2nd President after Richard Nixon who will get impeached. The ingredients are there: DNC hack, bragging about abusing women, and compulsive lying.
The 2 January 2017 Republican move to strip the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics and – more interestingly – Trump’s next day Twitter reply suggest that something is already cooking. The immediate Republican backtracking suggests a “too much, too early”.
The diagram to the left can be used to illustrate various U.S. Presidents: narcissism (eg, Clinton, Nixon, Trump), empathy (eg, Clinton), sympathy (eg, Obama), altruism (eg, Carter).
Trump’s narcissism is probably his main driver in his imminent detente with Russia. He doesn’t want to be a footnote in American history. His many opponents will make sure Trump becomes a failed President – like Nixon.
I expect that Trump’s first 100 days will be “amazing” or “bigly” as he would claim himself.
Blackmail (1976) by The Runaways – artists, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: 11 January 2017 Russia/Trump blackmail allegations in CNN, NYT, Vox, WP, WSJ
0 Comments