Don’t assume Trump is dumb. He knows exactly what he’s doing

By Dan Drollette Jr, December 12, 2016

The actions of our president-elect are being too readily written off as "gaffes," when actually they are all very calculated, argues Richard Wolffe in The Guardian. The headline sums it up nicely: "Don't assume Trump is dumb. He knows exactly what he is doing."

A key passage runs:

"In any case, these phone calls and policy shifts are beginning to follow a pattern … First there is a stunned reaction from foreign policy experts and the media at the brazen disregard for protocol and national interest. Then there is an attempt to explain away the dramatic shift as an inexperienced gaffe. Finally there is a realization that we have all been gamed by a manipulative and secret coterie that is in fact Trump’s inner circle."

As the coronavirus crisis shows, we need science now more than ever.

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