Trump Continues His Effort To Be Too Clever By Half

Anyone with a lick of commonsense knew Trump's detractors would be gunning for him during his trip to Europe. Trump has not disappointed these people by continuing his effort to come across as too clever for his own good. This has gone so far that during the “Overtime” segment of HBO’s Real Time, former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D) made fun of Donald Trump even before he arrived at the G7 summit in France. She did this by doing an impression of Trump "pouting." Heitkamp said Trump will pout his way through the weekend because the other world leaders loathe him. While nobody cares about the opinion of this woman, sadly, many people tend to agree that Trump is held in low esteem.

To make matters worse Trump gave these people more ammunition when he said he has doubts about his actions. During breakfast with the UK's Boris Johnson at the G-7 meeting in Biarritz, France Trump acknowledged having second thoughts about the escalating the trade war with China. A top spokeswoman later tried to clarify his statement to mean he regretted not raising tariffs even more. Adding to the confusion was Trump's response to questions from reporters on whether he had any second thoughts about his escalation in the "tariff war" by saying, “Yeah, sure. Why not?”  When the question was repeated Trump replied: “Might as well. Might as well.” Another reporter then followed up seeking clarification, Trump responded, “I have second thoughts about everything.”

Trump Often Comes Across As Too Clever By Half

These are not the kind of words most voters want to hear flowing from the Presidents mouth on such important issues tied directly to the global economy. Remember this is a guy that fits the mold of a person that is, "too clever by half." This is an old British saying, it refers to someone who is too confident of their intelligence in a way that annoys other people.

Often the reason a person gets labeled this way is because they come across as arrogant. The word braggadocios has been used to describe Donald Trump, synonyms for this word according to thesaurus.com are blowhard, boaster, bragger, show-off, and windbag. None of these are very flattering and over time such behavior has a way of wearing on people which often results in a backlash accommodated with negative consequences. This may be why the polls continue to show Trump lacks broad support and his favorability ratings can't seem to get out of the cellar. 

Ironically, in the past when he took strong military action such as in bombing a Syrian airbase in reaction to a chemical attack that killed children, he did receive kudos, however, it was from "never Trump" people. The pop in his polls came from neocons and liberals who believe in intervention. In fact, many of the supporters that constitute his base were a bit down in the mouth. Another way to gauge how President Trump's base is reacting to his moods is how they react to the tweets he sends out at any time of the day or night. When he twitters the President is able to bypass the mainstream media but it often gets their attention and a fair amount of negative coverage. Still more important is the reactions to the messages he twitters can vary greatly among those who voted him into office.  

One thing many people find troubling is that during his time in office Trump has on more than one occasion brought America to the brink of war, and I don't mean with just one country or foe. You can flip a coin as to whether it is the Korean peninsula that will light up with a nuclear glow, Europe erupting into conflict with Russia, or we will awaken to find thousands of American troops being dispatched to the Middle East. Years ago an attorney cautioned me that when negotiating a deal I sometimes came across as a little coy, I have always questioned his terminology, however, admit that when young and leaning far into the wind I might have gone a little too far. My point is when you play fast and loose the potential that you may lose control of events increases dramatically.

A Growing Concern For Trump Supporters

Over time a number of articles have surfaced on the subject of Trumps "flip flops." Needless to say, this does not bode well for those seeking stability. Let me be clear, we are not talking about minor issues but some of the key issues of the day such as whether China is and should be pursued as a currency manipulator or whether he will try to get rid of Powell as head of the Federal Reserve. Even his stand on NATO which has a direct bearing on national security. He even threw his support behind the Export-Import Bank  after opposing it during the campaign. This leaves many of us a bit puzzled.

The mainstream media is quick to point out Trump's shortcomings and make a big deal over every falling out he has with his staff. Still, he remains brash and bold and supremely confident. While he claims he's running a well-oiled machine others give the impression that a revolving door needs to be installed to accommodate those rapidly becoming disenchanted with the way things are being run. Inside the White House, a bubbling cauldron of different ideas are competing for power and the President's ear. With this in mind, everyone should remember it was a populist message of "draining the swamp" that resulted in his election and while often discounted as "common folk" these voters are not necessarily as simple-minded as the pundits might lead you to believe. 

For many Americans supporting Trump was not easy or did not come naturally, however, they saw Hillary Clinton as even less acceptable. A series of recent flip-flops on positions are beginning to irritate and concern his base. If this continues they will begin to doubt what he is really about. If voters who supported Trump become convinced he is playing them for fools it is likely they will loudly voice their discontent. One argument to explain Trumps is that we are looking at a choice of style. Trump has repeatedly said he likes to play cards that are unexpected to keep the opposition off balance, however, when you unsettle those who support you it has a way of coming back to haunt you.

This article has been brewing for a while, like many voters, I viewed Trumps failure to move healthcare reform forward coupled with Republicans pathetic excuse for an answer to improve healthcare as far short of inspiring. This has raised a great deal of doubt about his ability to deliver on other issues and while Trump predicted that Democrats will own ObamaCare if it falls apart reality may not support his view. A recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows a majority of voters, 61 percent said they now blame Trump and Republicans for “future problems” with the healthcare law. It seems the GOP had their chance to fix it and are now responsible for any problems with it moving forward.”

While some of this can be explained away as a strategy change or that he is evolving it has and should raise concern. Part of the problem is we were promised better than this, and not only better but quickly, we were promised we would win so much we would get tired of winning. To hear Trump talk at times you get the idea he thinks it is all about him. For example, Trump has both praised and blamed himself for the strong dollar. “I think our dollar is getting too strong, and partially that’s my fault because people have confidence in me,” said Trump. This means whether he realizes it or not, by taking credit for things not directly flowing from his position he also opens and creates the situation where he may also be blamed and have criticism heaped upon him for things out of his control.

We must not underestimate just how polarized America is and because of that any event playing out poorly or a few bad news cycles can put Trump in a precarious position. A little humility on the part of Trump would go a long way towards defusing the anger that is beginning to smolder as his supporters witness a flip flop here and a flip there. With Trump detractors eagerly awaiting the day when he fails and receives his comeuppance Trump best remember who his friends are and that in Washington he has very few of them. There will be bad days, there always are, and before they erupt Trump would be wise to remember the message he put before the people that put him in office, if not the populist most likely unleash their wrath upon him.