If you read nothing else about trump, during his presidency, read this Guardian article by Arjun Appadurai
It’s not behind a paywall, here’s the link
The title of the article is The Key to Understanding Trump? It’s Not What You Think, and if you wonder who Arjun Appadurai is (as I did) his boni fides are spotless. (Wikipedia) “Appadurai is a world renowned expert on the cultural dynamics of globalization, having authored numerous books and scholarly articles. The nature and significance of his contributions throughout his academic career have earned him the reputation as a leading figure in his field.”
Here are a few choice tidbits to encourage the read.
To begin with: “Donald Trump embodies dealmaking as the essence of a particular form of entrepreneurship. Every deal begins with his needs and every deal feeds his wants. He thus appears to be like other super-rich people: seemingly bottomlessly greedy, chasing the next buck as if it is the last buck, even when they have met every criterion of satiation.
But Trump is different, because his brand of greed harks back to an idea of leadership that is primarily about adversarial dealmaking, rather than about innovation or improved managerial techniques.”
And then there’s, Among Trump’s own tactics, the one he loves to use most is tariffs. Trump’s obstinate insistence on tariffs as the key to restoring American manufacturing, swelling the US treasury and reducing American consumer prices has flummoxed most mainstream economists. Tariffs are for Trump the ideal way to combine dealmaking, status-grabbing and his penchant for money as its own bottomless value.
Not to forget, Trump has figured out to an exceptional degree that dealmaking does not need to be successful in order to massively increase his wealth. Whether or not true, his claims to successful deals are the key to his brand and profitmaking worldwide, either directly or through the business endeavors of his sons. These range from his latest Trump perfume and Trump mobile telephone services, his Maga accessories, Trump golf courses around the world, his real estate and resorts, and of course his highly profitable cryptocurrency holdings.
The article is probably the best condensation of the Trump ethos, without prejudice or political point of view, and I recommend your attention at a time when so much fire and fury is concentrated on our sitting president…
You’re welcome…