• TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Something he values beyond all else – even money, even fame, even attention, even power, since those seem to be all he loves.

    This is exactly why I struggle with the assertion. I literally can-not come up with anything he loves any more than himself. He’s not a loyal person; he has no loyalty in him: its a purely one way street, loyalty is only a thing shown to him, not something he ever shows to someone else. He would sell Ivanka, or anyone in his family, and has, for a mere peppercorn.

    Which is why I come to the conclusion that the explanation is insufficient. There is something being missed here, even if we don’t know what it is. And until we can identify that something, we wont be able to build a strategy that splits Trump off from the real source of his power: Putin.

    • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      Perhaps his admiration of despots like Putin, and his seemingly desperate desire to become like them, to be considered an equal by them, is the thing that drives him. It could be that he just truly, truly wants to be like Putin, so does anything he can to impress or aid him.

      If that’s true, then there’s really nothing anyone can do. (Well, nothing I can mention, that we all know full well, without being on some lists).

      • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        I had a kindergarten teacher who grew up in Romania suggested a similar interpretation to me. I should have her over for wine and pick her brain on the matter.

        I do think it matters to understand the mind, however horrendous, of someone like Trump. There is plenty to do. Lots of work ahead of us.