One of the myths associated with the "businessman president" idea was that they would be great dealmakers for America, cutting through the hesitations of bureaucrats. But transactionalism, the focus on the deal above all else, brings with it false bottom line metrics.
Trump looks for a numbers justification for every deal, a dollar total, a hyped up jobs claim...and not to any of the underlying values metrics that are harder to quantify: international standing, advancement of ideals, or even quality of life questions for the people effected.
It leads to the kinds of false calculus we are now seeing in the Kashoggi case. Dollars associated with arms deals (or hotel deals in the shadows) are seen as more important than the rule of law, America's standing or even something basic like what is right or what is wrong.
It produces the paradox that those who "sell" America hardest may end up being the ones who most clearly and most damagingly sell us out.
