How to Capture the Mad King's Attention - emptywheel

"Because he's insane. Because he's venal. Because he's a malignant narcissist. Because he's a sociopath. Because he has a fragile ego. Because those around him exacerbate and play to those traits to advance their own interests. Because CEOs and investors do likewise to fill their coffers. Because to some people, whether he is insane or malevolent or repugnant or not matters less than whether his actions will feather their nests, increase their power."

"Sickeningly, I still find that those who should know better, who should see all this for what it is-journalists and high-powered members of the policy and political communities, big thinkers, maybe some of the people you follow on Substack or listen to in podcasts or on television-continue to describe this in the language of normal activity in Washington or government."

"A number of reports put its price tag - to American taxpayers - at close to a billion dollars a day, with Trump promising to ratchet up missile production and, probably, a ground invasion, which will send the cost much higher. Trump is already floating a $50 billion appropriation to pay for it all."

Trump's behavior stems from psychological pathology—narcissism, sociopathy, and fragile ego—exacerbated by enablers seeking personal gain. Billionaires and corporate interests prioritize profit over consequences, treating governance as a game with minimal impact on themselves. Journalists, policymakers, and intellectuals catastrophically normalize this dysfunction by discussing it as routine political disagreement rather than dangerous instability. This normalization creates critical problems, particularly regarding military escalation. The Ukraine war costs American taxpayers nearly one billion dollars daily, with Trump proposing further increases through missile production and ground invasion. These expenditures represent only part of the broader economic damage affecting Americans and global populations.

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