Thread by @LarryGlickman

An underappreciated, though fundamental, element of Trump's presidency is his relentlessly short-term political time horizon, His response to this potential pandemic is yet another example of the dangers of such an approach. /1
washingtonpost.com/investigations…

Everything is about solving short-term problems, most of his own creation, such as the enormous payouts he is making to farmers, which has cost more than double Obama's auto bailout that rescued an industry./2

In this sense, Trump is the most relentlessly "political" president in modern history: he is all tactics and no strategy. /3

I'm generally not a huge fan of psychoanalyzing politicians, but it is hard not to see this as connected to Trump's narcissism, which promotes short-term thinking as he desperately seeks affirmation from his followers./4

Hence the permanent rotation of political rallies and the desperate attempt to find sports venues where he will be cheered rather than booed. /5

Of course, the great irony is that his judicial selections and inaction on gun violence, infrastructure, and climate change has inflicted damage that will long outlast his presidency and may, in fact, doom the planet. /6

It's not just Trump. We can also connect this short-termism to the shrinking GOP coalition, whose base is increasingly older, white, and male. /7
newrepublic.com/article/154646…