Never before have we had a president who so consumes the national conversation. Because of his style, most attribute Trump’s constant dominance of our public colloquy to an extraordinary, emotionally impulsive, and self-indulgent ego. That perspective may be right — but it is an assumption that made it hard to see how Trump could win even a primary, never mind a general election, and makes it hard now to fathom what he says or why he says it.
Let’s stipulate that he has a large ego — after all, who gets to be president without one? — and consider another hypothesis: that Trump’s outbursts and pugnaciousness are not random, thoughtless, and emotionally driven, but are calculated and intentional, reinforced by their useful by-products — for example, chilling potential criticism, intimidating opposition, or successfully negotiating better deals — and learned from years of success in business, media, and now politics.
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