We know Trump can be bought. So should we buy him to make him go away? Follow my train of thought for a second and tell me what you think might tempt him away from the presidency.
Years ago I was in Washington D.C. at an event hosted by ONE Campaign. One of the guests was talking to me about her country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said her country should be rich and thriving; they have more than enough resources.
She explained the reason they aren't rich is because the leader at the top is completely corrupt.
We kept talking, thinking about what could or should be done. At one point I said:
We kept talking, thinking about what could or should be done. At one point I said:
This leader we're discussing is a person. What is it that this particular person *really* wants? Is it something the world could give him in exchange for transparency? Does he want other world leaders to bow down? Does he want money? To be a movie star? Maybe his own island?
What if we figured out what he wants and we gave it to him? What if we gave him the starring role in a big Hollywood movie, in exchange for transparency?
What if we all gathered together and cheered for him — even if we hate him and he doesn't deserve any praise and should definitely be in prison — in order to help an entire country get out from beneath his corruption?
Now think about that conversation in regards to Trump. Clearly he detests the actual job of being President — he rejects the meetings and briefings; he won't read anything or listen to experts. He has made it very obvious he just wants to golf and be worshipped.
Okay. So that's what he wants.
Instead of trying to force/encourage him to want something else, what if we accept that his wants are shallow and selfish and go from there? If what he wants is to golf and be worshipped, can we give it to him?
Instead of trying to force/encourage him to want something else, what if we accept that his wants are shallow and selfish and go from there? If what he wants is to golf and be worshipped, can we give it to him?
In exchange for him giving up any power or decision-making ability, can Time Magazine name him Best President Ever and put him on the cover of the magazine? Can A-list celebrities make a video where they all congratulate him on being Best President Ever?
Can we announce that the Best President Ever prize is an all-expenses-paid-year-of-golfing-in-Florida, and maybe... his own TV show? Can the NYT have a column, just for Trump, that always publishes false rating numbers giving Trump's TV show 200% more viewers than any other show?
And no one really needs to watch the show (or they can! it doesn't matter!), and we'll all know the viewer numbers are fake, but we won't care because that's the cost for making him go away?
Is there something we could deliver for Trump that would actually make him go away?
Is there something we could deliver for Trump that would actually make him go away?
People are dying because Trump is at the helm. This is not an exaggeration or a wild claim. It's a plain truth. People are dying because we're letting Trump play at being President. What could we give him, so that we can save lives?
I don't know the answer. I don't know if there really is something that would tempt him away. But I do know that expecting Trump to behave normally and decently, and being surprised and indignant when he *can't* behave normally and decently is a waste of time and resources.
We need a different approach. We need to stop trying to deal with Trump as he *should* be, and deal with Trump as he actually is.
We know he can be bought. Should we buy him?
We know he can be bought. Should we buy him?
