Because he doesn't understand anything

[edhopper]

Last edited Sun Aug 17, 2025, 12:45 PM - Edit history (1)

He doesn't understand Economics, so he thinks if he does stuff, things will happen because he wants them to. He doesn't understand Government, so he has no idea what impacts his actions will have, and doesn't care. And his knowledge of science could fit on a postage stamp.
And he has no understanding of World politics or foreign policy. He sees Obama or Biden having meetings at Camp David and coming out with Accords. But he doesn't read briefings and has no concept of what is really happening and what needs to be done. He thinks a meeting or a call with a foreign leader is all it takes, like calling a bank chief to get a loan. It's all performative, if he does the dance, he gets what he wants.
He doesn't care about Peace, he just wants a Nobel Prize. So if he makes a big show, he gets the marble.

Really the most ignorant, unqualified man to sit in the Office.

[Diamond_Dog]

1. I couldn't have said it any better myself, edhopper.

How he managed to convince anyone in this country that he deserve to be president is another mystery I’ll never understand.

[enough]

2. Also no understanding of climate science, public health, scientific research,

etc etc etc ………….

[Monsieur_Grumpe]

6. Morality, empathy, charity etc.

[ShazzieB]

36. No understanding of anything, really.

Made much worse by his malignant narcissism, which makes it impossible for him to admit there is anything he doesn't know or accept advice from anyone. Instead, we get this:

[Bozvotros]

45. You know what else he knows more about?

He knows more about being a completely worthless asshole than anybody else. He knows more than anyone about being a histrionic clown with misapplied orange makeup. He knows more than anyone about getting ridiculous hair styled and dyed everyday and preening about it. He knows more about being a stupid insufferable prick than anybody else. He knows more about being a lying sack of shit than anybody else. He knows more about being a staggeringly ignorant blow hard than anybody else. He knows more about abusing and grooming children for abuse than anybody else. He knows more than anyone about using and discarding people. And he knows more about a abusing his power and obstructing justice than anyone else. I could go on.

[sop]

3. Thanks to a totally corrupt Republican party and our corporate-owned mass media.

If America had a loyal opposition party that cared about voters, and if the so-called "free press" were not a bunch of corporate lapdogs, Trump would never have gotten close to the White House.

[Delmette2.0]

13. Bottom line it's greed.

[cachukis]

4. And his followers adore him for making them feel

their intuition is right on.
He leads an army of resentment against thinking.
And, they have excoriated us for 2 generations so are unable to see that if it weren't for us, they would be worse off.
They have blame on their side. The voted in blame.
Ugh.

[paleotn]

7. The idiots found their champion.

A fellow idiot who failed upward.

[paleotn]

5. Let's check that against people who worked close to Donnie....

Rex Tillerson....."a fucking moron."

H.R. McMaster....."he's a dope."

Steve Mnuchin, Reince Priebus, John Kelly...."he's an idiot."

Not directly in the circle, but on the team.....Rupert Murdoch....."fucking idiot."

Hmmm. seems to be a pattern amongst those who aren't terribly righteous themselves but are at least accomplished. But Donnie fixed all that the second go around by surrounding himself with people who are just as bat shit stupid as he is.

[NJCher]

29. Nice roundup of observations

And those are the ones that went public.

[Seinan Sensei]

61. Don't forget the professor who reportedly said

"He was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had".

[ShazzieB]

39. The "problem" with those people is not that they're stupid.

It's that HE is stupid and can't stand to be around anyone who reminds him of that. He also REALLY can't stand for anyone to disagree with him. The idea of hashing out a disagreement and hammering out a compromise is completely alien to him, much less actually admitting that he could actually be *GASP* wrong about anything. It's always his way or the highway. Daring to argue back about anything is as good as signing one's own death warrant as far as any further dealings with him are concerned.

Basically, "[name] is an idiot" is Trumpese for "[name] had the unmitigated GALL to disagree with Trump and/or tell him he was wrong about something."

As I said in another thread (about his attacks on higher education) last night, I think he hates smart people because they (deliberately or not) remind him of how stupid he is, and that is intolerable to him.

Also, stupid people are easier to manipulate and push around. Smart people have this irritating (to Trump) tendency to have opinions of their own and to resist carrying out orders that they think will have bad results. He only wants people around him who will do his bidding without ever arguing back.

Some of the people who are really running his administration right now have evidently figured this out. People like Stephen Miller are where they are because they know how to manipulate him and are willing to pretend to kowow to him in order to get what they want (in Miller's case, the freedom to abuse black and brown people all he wants without repercussions).

To get along with Trump, one has to be both stupid and willing to follow his orders without question OR be smart enough to manipulate him without stepping on his toes or setting off any alarm bells. It must be like walking a tightrope. Luckily for him (but not us!), there are people who thrive on that kind of challenge.

[Walleye]

8. He doesn't understand that the United States of America is an idea, not a piece of real estate

I am so sick of hearing about his “deals”. The government doesn’t exist to make money. Real world leaders make international agreements and treaties, not deals

[NJCher]

31. Plus

He thinks he’s entitled to a cut from anyone who wants to do business with the US.

He didn’t invent the business status of this nation, yet he’s set himself up as the gateway.

The worst part is all these ignorant assholes are paying it. Their plan is to just raise prices to cover it.

There are no Profiles in Courage this time around.

[Walleye]

46. Trump thinks all the money in the US treasury belongs to him. He thinks that.

[MiHale]

9. He hardly qualified to do most any job...

He has no understanding of how life works for regular everyday people. And has no desire to find out.

[Walleye]

47. I'd be willing to bet he's never gone in a grocery store and bought a dozen eggs in his life

[Farmer-Rick]

10. Well, he does have dementia

masked by severe antisocial personality disorder. And he's always been pretty stupid. He couldn't make money off of a casino? He hired people to take tests for him.

So anyone who thought he would do more than destroy thing has got to be just as stupid as he is.

[rubbersole]

38. But, but he took his cognitive test by himself...

...and aced it!!

[Walleye]

48. Just listening to him try to read aloud. I always think, wow is he dumb.

[70sEraVet]

11. Sorry, but I need to point out a typo.

I believe you meant ".....to SHIT in the Office."

[IronLionZion]

12. He doesn't understand or like labor statistics, so he fires the people who do it correctly

and installs unqualified loyalists who will cook the numbers in his favor.

[Blue Owl]

14. He just wants to be handed gold medals and trophies without earning them

Like the spoiled, entitled, sociopathic narcissist he’s always been

[Six117]

15. He does not care.

I don't think we're really grappling with what that means.

[radical noodle]

16. He's malevolent

Ignorance can be overcome if the person means well and has good advisors. trump is sadistic. He enjoys the pain of others.

[Blues Heron]

22. Exactly. He is a sadist

[ReRe]

63. (*a misogynist)

[ShazzieB]

41. And he does not have good advisors, because he doesn't want them.

Taking advice from anyone is anathema to him. He doesn't even want to hear any advice, especially advice that is in opposition to what HE thinks.

He doesn't just need to be right about everything at all time; he desperately requires constant praise and reassurance about how right and how brilliant he is about everything, at all times.

I don't know how anyone can stand to work for him. It sounds absolutely exhausting!

[TNNurse]

17. Excellent summary

May I share and if so, do you want credit???

[KPN]

20. It is that good, isn't it. Had the dame thought immediately

on reading it.

[edhopper]

57. Share all you want

Just say it isn't originally from you.

[KPN]

18. Perfect description edhopper. nt

[Swede]

19. Every thing is a "deal" where you win and the other guy loses.

Nichols: He doesn't understand anything that basically isn’t a real estate deal. And so the idea that Putin is obsessed with Ukraine for other reasons, Trump just doesn't understand any of that stuff and doesn't understand why he can't make a deal.

— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-08-16T04:28:05.931Z

[mercuryblues]

21. He is intellectually lazy

His followers are intellectually lazy.

The smart ones? They are tired of disseminating the news. Which is where fox, et al, come in. They tell you the news and then they tell you what to think about it.

[Glaisne]

23. You mean he has the mentality of a badly raised, petulant 12-year old?

Yeah, that tracks. Same for most of his followers.

[Hornedfrog2000]

24. Why do people think he is so ignorant?

He knows exactly what he is doing, he is lying or saying whatever to detract from this all enriching him, and him trying to solidfy power.

The super rich did that same thing in the 20s. People need to quit acting like the guy just ignoranted his way into power. He is a complete mob boss, villain, and yeah he isnt exactly book smart, but he knows this doesnt help the USA. It helps him, and his family

[NJCher]

32. How's it going to help him if

The economy goes down and his real estate values plunge?

Don’t ever attribute any “smart” to this guy. He may behave the way you describe but it’s because he lacks entire dimensions of the normal human personality.

[ShazzieB]

42. Hard disagree.

We think he's stupid because he IS stupid. He may have once been smart about some things, but those days are over. Dementia is rapidly eroding whatever edge he may have once had. These days, I think he's operating on pure instinct, continuing to do things that used to work for him and continually baffled when they no longer work.

I don't think he knows what he's doing at all. When it comes to the complex things involved in running a country, like international relations, trade policy, even interacting with other world leaders without embarrassing himself, he's so out of his depth that he might as well be at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

[edhopper]

58. Listen to him talk

He doesn't understand Economics or Science or Geo Politics or History. His statements are always wrong on facts.

[Coolgoober]

25. He's Truely A Moron

That's what I think every time he opens his fat mouth. He doesn't know anything

[Richard58]

26. The fact that Trump became president twice amazes me.

Everybody with the brain knows that Donald Trump is an idiot. I've never seen someone so mentally bankrupt and unfit for office in all my life. If it weren't for the fact that he comes from a rich family, Donnie would be either a fry cook at McDonald's, and probably failing at that, or a used car salesman. Without his daddy's millions I can't imagine Trump ever succeeding in life.

[mwmisses4289]

27. He is the figure head.

He doesn't really need to anything except the occasional appearance, while the real presidents (miller, heritage foundation, project 2025) work to destroy what was once america and replace it with their fantasy of what they think america should be.

[Johonny]

28. And millions think he is doing great

And think democrats did a lousy job as president. It's fucking sad how stupid Americans are.

[NJCher]

33. Don't forget

“Indifferent.”

[SCantiGOP]

30. Because the corruption is so pervasive

We tend to overlook how truly stupid he is. He does not understand how his wealth - and now his power - masks his incompetence.

[gfarber]

34. A Nobel

There once was a man with a plan,
But no grasp of world forces or span.
He'd smile and he'd wave,
For a prize he does crave,
Yet knew less than your average Stan.

Trump blustered with ignorant flair,
No knowledge, but plenty to spare.
Called peace with a grin,
Thought a handshake would win,
A Nobel for just being there.

[iluvtennis]

35. During 2016 election HRC said that TSF was "temperamentally unfit" and "totally unqualified". Nothing has changed.

[bmichaelh]

37. Cannot trust a word he says

Trump has no moral center.

Trump has no set of beliefs or code that he holds to.

Trump is only concerned with Donald Trump.

For example, he said mRNA vaccines were a medical miracle in December 2020.
But he appoints one of the biggest anti-vaxxer as head of HHS and RFK Jr wants to kill mRNA vaccine research.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/trump-previously-called-mrna-vaccines-medical-miracle-now/story?id=124477049

[pandr32]

40. You pretty much nailed it.

He has never been interested in anything enough to learn in depth. Instead, he has found he doesn't have to. He just plows through--causing everyone to scramble and act as fixers. He is the perfect example of how privilege can be a dirty, evil, manipulative tool.

[Justice matters.]

43. The 34-times convicted pedophile understands one thing:

How to profit personally off the presidency of the United States.

He used the seal of the president illegally for at least 4 years at his golf resorts (and Merrick Garland let him do it without any accountability measures whatsoever, not even a cease and desist letter...).

[CarolinaNC]

44. He's put us all in his loop of doom!

[Karasu]

49. Correct. Neither does anyone still in that fascist party. Not knowing anything about anything is a

prerequisite for them at this point.

[Beartracks]

50. That jives with how a five-year-old would understand adult things. n/t

[True Dough]

51. The one thing he understands all too well

is how to grift. How to line his own pockets.

[J_William_Ryan]

52. Hate to say it, but...

It’s not Trump – it’s the voters; the people are alone responsible for the bad government they get.

The fear, ignorance, and stupidity of the voters; the racism, bigotry, and hate of the voters.

[edhopper]

54. They are responsible

For electing the kids st ignorant man who ever was in the White House

[Pacifist Patriot]

53. He is a six year old child.

Before people chime in saying I'm insulting six year old children, take a beat.

Give some thought to what it would be like to have a six year old as POTUS.

Children around six years old are going through a difficult stage where they are no longer toddler/preschoolers. They are just starting to get a sense of a larger world beyond the family. They push boundaries to test the limits of their power. They retreat when redirected back into the bounds of their knowledge and capabilities. They are struggling with academic readiness and more responsibilities.

It's a rough age. Honestly, I think it can be harder to be a six year old than a teenager at times. Not a baby. Still a child. You're trying to make sense of a world that makes no sense. At least teenagers already have that largely figured out.

He's the most immature stupidest six year old you can imagine.

[Paladin]

55. Truer words were never stated. He doesn't know jack shit, about anything.

Abundant evidence of this sorry fact, every minute of every hour of every day. What a profound, humiliating embarrassment he is. Everybody, keep working hard to end his reign of error. For all our faults, we are worthy of so much better.

[ThoughtCriminal]

56. Cargo Cult Politics

Which is really just an extension of the Cargo Cult Economics of "Supply Side Economics".

[zorbasd]

59. Oh, he understands, but he thinks he can brow beat,

and/or extort & and threaten others to kneel before him, he perceives he can accomplish things by this thugery, he is a mobster.

[edhopper]

60. Listen to him talk about

Economics or Science or Geopolitics, he is as stupid as they come. Little knowledge of anything. Most of what he says is false.

[Xolodno]

62. He got his degree in Economics, no small feat, with that being said....

...I'm going to guess he paid people to take his exams for him. Back then, you could get away with it. Not now.

One professor I had when I was going through Econ stated those of us going through a public university were getting a better education than those in private (he taught at both). He had to "baby" people at the private as the university relies heavily on donations. Where as us in the public had to accomplish everything on our own.

[edhopper]

67. And yet

Every time he talks about Economics, it is clear he has no understanding of the subject. He is factually wrong about tarrifs, interest rates, the dollar....

[DeeDeeNY]

64. Perfectly stated!

[hkp11]

65. kompromat wants what others got that he never got

Agree...he has no knowledge of many things, but he knows how to order things get done of his WH staff, cabinet, DOJ, etc.

Also loves authoritarians as Putin, Orban, etc. - so he bows down to Putin since he wants the same for himself - authoritarian president of US.

world leaders know how to play him to get what they want..."you are so great", etc, also join his mardo lardo to get what they want,

Kompromat wants a Nobel Peace Prize, Kennedy honors, $$$$ for him & his family, his cases go away, push Project 2025 (heard already 46% complete), confirm right-wing judges that can help with future cases, revenge for anyone who goes against him - like a mobster! He wants stay in the WH even past his 2nd term, why would he say that people won't even need to vote again - help from muskrat, putin, kompromat's allies, etc. Testing his executive orders - by first using the national guard to go into democratic urban areas by saying "to clean up crime ridden cities", have them defend him from any protests when he puts in use executive orders that erode voting rights, close down protests, etc. - authoritarian playbook in progress...

[raccoon]

66. Great post.