this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2024
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[–] distantsounds@lemmy.world 174 points 1 month ago (3 children)

It’s difficult to tell with Trump, because he’s so dumb to begin with.

[–] 5C5C5C@programming.dev 58 points 1 month ago (3 children)

People keep saying he's getting worse, but to me he just seems like the same old narcissistic racist asshole that he's always been 🤷‍♂️

Maybe his "charisma", if you can call it that, is faltering a bit, but he may just be off balance from the sudden storm of twists over the past month.

[–] CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Odd timing to say this as his last 4-5 appearances at a microphone have mostly been a disaster. He was definitely prone to rambling in 2016 and 2020 but now he rambles all the time and in ways that don’t make a lick of sense. I really think that this is less cognitive issues and more just age of the brain slowing him down and confusing him.

We still have a long ways to go until November. So many more court appearances, rallies, engagements. I’m wondering if he even has the stamina because I think he’s weighing that and new poll data and having a meltdown about it currently.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

I really want someone to sit him down and ask him who he thinks Hannibal Lector is.

[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

Nah he's absolutely lost a marble or two since 2016 .... just like Biden did.

[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Maybe his “charisma”

You spelled bullshit wrong.

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

My grandfather had dementia, for a long time it was pretty hard to tell what was dementia and what was just him not giving a fuck. He was always someone who just did whatever he wanted and wasn't afraid to go against the grain and didn't really care what anyone thought of him, and he was kind of always that way. It would be really hard to pick apart which of his quirks were dementia related and what was just him. Standing naked in the doorway of his room at the nursing home waggling his dick at the lady across the hall sure sounds a lot like a dementia patient, but it also sounds like something an immature, womanizing troublemaker would do if they knew they were pretty much immune from getting in any actual trouble.

He didn't have the most severe case of dementia, it didn't progress super fast, I'm sure if I went months or years without seeing him I could have picked out some changes, but since we saw him regularly it was really difficult to see the changes over time.

And if he had an army of lackeys getting paid to cover up his mistakes and trying to keep him in line, he probably could have passed as relatively mentally competent almost up until the very end.

I won't pretend that my grandfather's moral compass always pointed north, but he definitely had one. He could also be pretty charming and personable when he wanted to. If he threw his morals out the window and had any political ambitions, he probably could have become an even more dangerous trump if someone had given him a small loan of a million dollars. Luckily all he ever really wanted to do was drive a bus.

Funnily enough, most of his siblings ended up fairly rich thanks to a successful business venture my grandfather wasn't interested in. Those branches of the family turned out a lot of real conservative assholes, and once the money started drying up, also a lot of criminals a generation or two down the line.

[–] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Trump received closer to 400M. His father was steady moving money to him to avoid it being taxed for literally his entire life.

[–] StereoTrespasser@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (10 children)

Except he's not dumb. He will go down in history as one of the world's most infamous conmen. He knows how to manipulate, cheat, steal, and fire up rioting crowds. He is a piece of shit, but he's not dumb.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

If he was smart he wouldn't be flailing so badly now. All he's ever done is act according to his basic impulses, but he happened to find himself in a position (inheriting a lot of money and living in a culture that prizes loud ignorance) where those impulses worked to his advantage. If he was actually smart he'd be able to adapt to changing circumstances, and he's repeatedly shown himself to be incapable of that.

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago

I don't think I've read an interview from anyone who has worked with Trump that doesn't say he's one of the dumbest people they've ever interacted with. He's absolutely a con man but he's also stupid.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago

Yeah, all true, but... He's also really dumb. It's impressive to see how far he got but remember that he got an enormous head start, financially, from his father

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago

Being a good salesmen doesn’t automatically mean someone is smart.

He is dumb, he is just good at convincing other dumb people.

[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Except he's not dumb.

This is the same guy that was staring directly at an eclipse without protective eyewear, correct?

[–] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

But he sure showed those scientists!

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 5 points 1 month ago

Meh, I dunno… he started off with the total life wages of a thousand regular folks, and by all accounts he has managed to lose some net worth in our crazy capitalist system

[–] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

To be smart is to have universal reasoning skills. Having particular skills doesn't make you smart. Plenty of people have worked to acquire narrow skills without having much general intelligence.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago

He may have a form of cunning, but that is not the same thing as intelligence.

He's fucking stupid.

[–] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Con men are often the biggest marks of all. Source; in the pro wrestling business