Donald Trump Is on the Ropes

[DemocratSinceBirth]

The Trump administration is less than one month old and roiled by wave after wave of scandal, so that virtually every day brings news that would paralyze a normal government. On Monday night, national security advisor Mike Flynn resigned amid reports that he had lied to other members of the administration about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador. On Tuesday night, The New York Times published a blockbuster report that “phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.” This story has resurrected the unfinished business of Russian interference in the 2016 election, bolstering Democrats’ calls for further investigation into Russia’s actions and possible collusion by Trump’s campaign.

Trump reacted to the Flynn news by blaming the messengers, tweeting, “The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington?” So we already knew how he would respond on Wednesday morning to the Times report:


...


In rhetorical battles, Trump is most effective when he can name and define his enemy, be it “Low Energy” Jeb, “Little Marco,” or “Crooked Hillary.” Anonymous leakers can’t be given insulting nicknames—not ones that stick, anyway—and they certainly can’t be intimidated on TV or Twitter. There can also be no clear victory against so amorphous an enemy. So although Trump’s anti-leak crusade might please his base for now, it’s also making him look weak—like a commander who’s lost control of his troops, or an aging boxer who can no longer land a punch.

https://newrepublic.com/article/140644/donald-trump-ropes-russia-leaks-weaker-every-day

[Maeve]

1. Be careful

Cornered rats can be really vicious!

[Egnever]

2. This part hit the mark for me

But Trump’s obsession with the leakers, and those who are eager to publish these leaks, is consistent with his longtime political strategy of demonizing the press and professional bureaucrats. The leaking issue allows him to pair these two alleged foes as a united enemy—a characterization his base will no doubt devour—and also allows him to have his cake and eat it, too: He can bemoan the “illegally given” information on the one hand, and then claim it’s all “fake news” anyway. Further, this obsession is also consistent with his propensity for conspiracy theories. The very anonymity of leakers makes it easy to portray them as shadowy conspirators plotting against him.

On the one hand he claims the leakers are divulging sensitive national secrets while at the same time claiming the information is not true.


Machiavellian is a good description I think.

[George II]

5. Why is it these days that everytime trump is discussed the word "leak" pops up?

[stonecutter357]

3. K&R!

[Fred Sanders]

4. The failing NYT and CNN still have some teeth, am I right Donald? Who is failing now?

So shooting the messenger is your response? Just sad!

[gordianot]

6. Donald was bound to eventually happen.

I do think major media is waking up.

[sarcasmo]

7. Playing rope a dope right now, time for America to throw the knock out punch.

[2naSalit]

8. He knows he's a loooozer and he will attack

anyone and anything that proves it to be true. Truth is his worst enemy.

[Plucketeer]

9. That photo makes me think

while that young fella holding the flag probably feels honored to do so, what if he comes home from the Syrian conflict with only a folded flag for a burial detail to present to his mom or wife? With the talk of sending ground troops into Syria to quash Isis, this flag bearer could wind up giving his all to Trump's attempt to deflect the unflattering focus on his idiocy.