Thread by @STUinSD

Thread: Understanding President Trump

1. Much has been speculated and written about President Trump’s modus operandi over the past 2+ years. Most points of view are generally dependent on the politics of the given person.

2. EVERYONE has an opinion. From the anti-Trump Left and #NeverTrump crowd, here are a few typical opinions:

a. He has normalized bigotry and xenophobia in this country and has likely paved the way for race relations to deteriorate rather than progressing forward.

2. (cont'd)

b. His views towards women are appalling.

c. He is either a buffoon or a cynical con artist.

d. He spews vitriol and stupidity from his mouth like a firehouse.

e. He is a clueless incompetent beyond his depth.

3. And yet they hang on every his every word and are constantly being trolled by his public statements and especially his daily tweets. It’s really quite amazing to watch, isn’t it?

4. These people all are from the political establishment along with their hangers-on in media, academia and Hollywood. They largely live in Blue states and never come into contact with Trump supporters in Red states; they inhabit a Leftist Cocoon or Hive.

5. Emotions motivate them, and they inherently value style over substance. That’s why they love their tin god Obama who was and is nothing but style and a light-weight (whose “legacy” is being erased with each passing day!).

6. And they particularly value words over actions and deeds. Take their insane comments after the conclusion of the Helsinki summit. They all insist that Trump “blew it” by not publicly chastising Putin during the presser, with some even now calling Trump a “traitor!”

7. Trump exchanged a few words for tough actions behind closed doors. What purpose other than feel-good emotions does confrontational language serve? Trump knows how to negotiate with thugs; he made his fortune doing tough deals.

8. About which the media and political class KNOW NOTHING! Their comments have been disgraceful.

9. So how to explain President Trump? We on the Right have a decidedly different opinion of our president! There have been lots of opinions expressed about him in the Conservative Twittersphere – everything from savvy political strategist to 4D chess master.

10. What follows are my own opinions. First of all, unlike the opinions of those afflicted with TDS, our president is one smart SOB! What do I mean? Allow me to explain with a personal anecdote.

11. I once had a French-speaking boss who was born in Quebec, Canada. A Vietnam vet, he sustained a gunshot wound behind an ear that affected his hearing. A PhD, he cultivated a belief based on his personal circumstances which everyone knew about.

12. He feigned difficulty in understanding English and coupled that will impaired hearing, which he worked to his advantage in meetings. His “condition” was so well-known and cultivated that his reputation for these maladies preceded him.

13. But here’s the deal: he could hear perfectly and could communicate verbally and in writing in English with the best of English speakers. His act resulted in people letting their guard down around him and disclosing things they otherwise wouldn’t.

14. Trump has his own shtick in this regard – not hard of hearing of feigned language difficulty, but rather a brusque and direct nature that greatly differs from the expected demeanor of a US president. In short, “not very presidential” from the point of view of the Left.

15. And the Democrats/media/#NeverTrumpers can’t deal with that! They simply can’t ignore his direct public statements and tweets and react badly each and every time. They just can’t help themselves because they despise him so much. Which makes them blind!

16. The other element of Trump’s political strategy is to apply Sun Tzu’s principles as stated in his seminal work “The Art of War” to the modern political realm. Let’s look at how Trump applies 10 of Sun Tzu’s principles in light of what we’ve learned since 2015.

17. #1 – Planning: Trump views his struggle as a war with the entrenched Swamp and their allies. He spent years studying the enemy camp and learning their weaknesses before developing his plan for the presidency.

18. Elements of his plan? Use other Sun Tzu principles to let his enemies defeat themselves, including use of advantages, alliances, deception, use of spies, exploitation of strengths and weaknesses, energy, communication, and winning whole.

19. #2 – Character: Sun is big on the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness in commanders. Plenty of evidence of those in Trump! I like his benevolent side in particular, as well as his courage in his willingness to take it to the Swamp.

20. A commander uses those virtues to properly command those around him. Trump is excellent in delegating authority to his sub-commanders (cabinet officers and various spokesmen).

21. #3 – Using advantages: Sun says that to become “thoroughly acquainted” with anything, and thus able to use the advantage of that knowledge, takes time, especially to get thoroughly acquainted with oneself.

22. Without question, our president is comfortable in his own skin, as is readily seen in all of his public appearances, especially his campaign rallies around the country. He is a man of the people, and the people love him for it.

23. And he’s spent decades studying “the enemy” and their weaknesses (e.g., hubris, false omniscience, narcissism, greed, envy, and personal foibles/sins). It’s a key advantage he has over the Swamp who underestimate him at every turn.

24. #4 – Alliances: Sun says that no one has ever achieved anything of note without having alliances, and that knowing how to win is the first step while building alliances to get it done is the second step. With whom does Trump have strong alliances?

25. I would argue that Trump has allied himself with a number of flag and general officers in the military who are intent on purging the corruption that is rampant in the Deep State. ADM Rogers, GEN Mattis, GEN Kelly, and various retired senior officers.

26. Also: his cabinet members (strongest and most successful cabinet ever!), the Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives, and others. All working to #MAGA !

27. #5 – Deception: Sun says that “all warfare is based on deception.” A corollary is the use of misdirection to deceive and confuse the enemy. And we all know that Trump is a master at using misdirection to keep Democrats and the legacy media off-balance!

28. His opposition hasn’t stopped him from setting a record for appointments to the federal judiciary, or the passage of tax cuts, or the freeing up of the oil and gas industry, or the ending of the Obamacare individual mandate, or getting NATO allies to pay more, etc.

29. Because the opposition is fixated on Trump’s misdirecting public statements and tweets – on his style versus his substance (policies and directives).

30. I would argue that the real key to understanding Trump’s ongoing political strategy and modus operandi is his use of this most important Sun principle – Deception!

31. #6 – Use of spies: Sun says that “to fight and win all battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellent consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” Employing spycraft to understand the enemy’s plans and motivations is key to winning.

32. A couple of names come to mind: ADM Rogers (the head of NSA, the world’s elite communications monitoring org). Two others: Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel (reorganizing and repurposing the CIA).

33. And how about the team of leak hunters who nailed senior senate staffer James Wolfe (one of 27+ leak hunts underway). With more indictments to follow. That’s spycraft!

34. #7 – Strengths and weaknesses: Sun said that good fighters “first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat” and then wait for an opportunity to defeat the enemy – by waiting for that opportunity as provided by the enemy himself.

35. Trump plays rope-a-dope with the best of them. He gives off an air of weakness by not actively using the strength of his office to, for example, overtly direct Swamp firings, prosecutions, etc., of the cabal. He is patient in letting his enemies hang themselves.

36. Which is exactly what the likes of Clapper, Comey, Brennan, McCabe, Strozk, Yates, and others are doing almost daily with their public railings about Trump’s “treason,” etc. Meanwhile, the indisputable evidence of their own perfidy continues to be exposed.

37. He’s letting them defeat themselves in the court of public opinion in preparation for the prosecutions to come – with a majority of Americans supporting that! Think about their statements in the context of the recently released Page FISA warrant application.

38. #8 – Energy: Sun says that if you don’t know what to defend or what to attack, you will squander your energy. Our president has boundless energy and is constantly working on his #MAGA agenda on but 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Amazing!

39. He is putting his energy into advancing his agenda and using surrogates to hold his political opposition and the media at bay. Watch for more campaign rallies to energize his base going in to November.

40. #9 – Communications: Sun says that appropriate communication is the golden key to winning. Who could possibly argue that Trump is the greatest communicator in the Oval Office since Reagan (and I would argue even better!)? His twitter campaign is brilliant!

41. And the Democrats and legacy media still haven’t figured it out yet (and I pray they never will!). I don't think they'll figure it out because their TDS blinds them completely.

42. #10 – Winning whole: Sun says that “the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, ….

43. …and few calculations to defeat.” Now we can’t possibly know all of the calculations that Trump has made along the way, but we can judge the results by his many successes since 20 January 2017. How many substantive losses has he sustained?

44. Obamacare repeal failed, but that was on the Senate (McCain in particular), not Trump. And I don’t believe he’s given up on that because he’s working hard to build Republican majorities in Congress in November, so call that one a rain check.

45. Same with the wall – which is obstructed by the Uniparty, too. Change the numbers in November, and watch what happens! And the economy is going gang-busters. Looks to me like Trump owns that last Sun Tzu principle in spades: winning whole!

46. Conclusion: the aforementioned is my interpretation of President Trump’s modus operandi, with heavy reliance on adherence to Sun Tzu’s principles. Nothing truly new, I suppose, but certainly elucidated by observing his successes. What do you think? ///The end.

Thanks, Harold! 🇺🇸