"Does Donald Trump actually believe the nonsense he spews or does he say things just for effect?"

[pampango]

What Does Donald Trump Want?

I continue to waste precious moments of life wondering whether Donald Trump actually believes the nonsense he spews, or whether he says things just for effect. And which is worse?

The questions are obvious: Is Mr. Trump a charlatan who treats reality like a reality show? (Surely, all those silly faces he makes were practiced in a mirror for his TV show.) Or is he actually the mob-rousing thug who draws comparisons to Mussolini and Hitler? Is he seeking presidential power so he can carry out his disturbing threats, like forcibly moving some 11 million undocumented people out of the country? Or does he just talk about that to get his crowds to adore him, which may actually be his primary aim in life? Can he really be unaware that forced migration has been used for many centuries as a method of genocide?

This week, Mr. Trump is saying that he won’t, after all, commit himself to supporting the Republican presidential nominee if it’s not him. The chattering classes are aghast, because Mr. Trump signed a pledge to do that last year. Of course, that pledge is just as meaningless as the other empty promises that Republican candidates make about never raising taxes or cutting the ethanol subsidy. Did anyone actually believe that Mr. Trump would abide by his promise?

On Tuesday night, a Trump supporter pepper-sprayed a teenage protester in the face. Who brings pepper spray to a campaign rally? Does Mr. Trump care? Seems unlikely — if it bothers him that his insincere campaign slogans actually inspire violence, racism, sexism and xenophobia, he’s shown no sign of it so far.

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/what-does-donald-trump-want/

Which is worse? If Trump "actually believes the nonsense he spews" or if "he says things just for effect" and does not care that "his insincere campaign slogans actually inspire violence, racism, sexism and xenophobia"?

I would say that the former is worse but only marginally so. The latter is a pretty horrible prospect as well.

[LiberalArkie]

1. He may not have when he started, but after repeating and repeating the crap

day after day, he surely does now.

[imanamerican63]

2. He has no clue of what he says!

He just puts a bunch of words into a sentence. Whatever comes out there are those who eat it up. The bigotry and hate is his only way to the nominee.

[lapislzi]

3. What difference does it make?

The effect is identical either way.

That being said, I don't think he's an ideologue in the mold of Ted Cruz. Cold comfort, because even if he blows with the wind, his supporters are entrenched and becoming more so by the day.

He gives a shit about nothing and nobody. Power exists to serve itself.

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. He doesn't believe what he is saying.....

He is a marketing guy telling his customers what they want to hear. Trump only believes in two things. Trump and Profit. If you don't fit into either of those categories you do not exist at all.

[cheapdate]

5. Trump arrives at belief with little or no thought.

Words come out his mouth-hole -- based on anything, a tweet, a comment, a passing thought -- and they become belief.