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Trump has demonstrated, beyond any doubt, since 2015, that he will not listen to anyone who disagrees with him and is not interested in knowledge, expertise, or

Trump has demonstrated, beyond any doubt, since 2015, that he will not listen to anyone who disagrees with him and is not interested in knowledge, expertise, or reason. There always is a slim possibility of some tiny influence. This is the reasoning of people who have advised all sorts of monsters, including the many ministers who helped the Nazis and Soviets. It's also a convenient, seductive rationalization to avoid risking yourself and your career in a political war. Far beyond the tiny influence they lend him, they lend him their enormous credibility. People see him talking to people like Musk, Kalanick, etc, and think he has their respect, their advice, and their approval (at least enough to keep working with him). And they deny the opposition that same credibility. Think of it this way: Would they work with a CEO who consistently and publicly (not in private) pushed the same hateful ideas as Trump? Not for long. At some point, one must decide there is a war and pick a side. To stay home, to keep one's head down and play it safe while victims are suffering and dying, and while other people are standing up, taking those same risks and suffering themselves, is cowardice. (A harsh term, but I think it's applicable.) If Trump's behavior over all this time doesn't convince someone there is a war and an enemy, I don't know what will. I can't imagine what could make it more clear. Evil people usually are far more subtle; look at Putin, for example.

yummyfajitas 10y ago
Bannon disagreed with him (see the quotes above) yet he's listening to Bannon. Consider the possibility that your caricatures of Trump being stupid and irrational might not be true - if they were, he probably wouldn't have won the election. If you look at his cabinet picks, and the actions he's taken so far, there is pretty clear Thiel influence. The 2 for 1 rule on regulations is pretty clearly Thiel. So is Balaji Srinavasan and O'Neill for the FDA. In fact, much of the transition team is Thiel, as is much of the advisory council.
- tptacek 10y ago
  This is a facile argument. The "cut N regulations for every K new regulations" has been a Republican trope for decades; Romney used it in 2012. Virtually none of Trump's appointees are within 6 degrees of Thiel.
- hackuser 10y ago
  I didn't say stupid. He's good at generating publicity and to a degree, being a demagogue (though that isn't going well so far). The reality of Trump's actions and words is far more convincing than the parent comment's theoretical analysis.

yummyfajitas 10y ago

Bannon disagreed with him (see the quotes above) yet he's listening to Bannon. Consider the possibility that your caricatures of Trump being stupid and irrational might not be true - if they were, he probably wouldn't have won the election. If you look at his cabinet picks, and the actions he's taken so far, there is pretty clear Thiel influence. The 2 for 1 rule on regulations is pretty clearly Thiel. So is Balaji Srinavasan and O'Neill for the FDA. In fact, much of the transition team is Thiel, as is much of the advisory council.

tptacek 10y ago
This is a facile argument. The "cut N regulations for every K new regulations" has been a Republican trope for decades; Romney used it in 2012. Virtually none of Trump's appointees are within 6 degrees of Thiel.
hackuser 10y ago
I didn't say stupid. He's good at generating publicity and to a degree, being a demagogue (though that isn't going well so far). The reality of Trump's actions and words is far more convincing than the parent comment's theoretical analysis.