If You Haven’t Spotted the Suckers…

I suppose this unexpected bout of honesty from former Trump “strategist” Stephanie Cegielski is worth its own thread. It’s an odd document. For example:

After the first debate, I was more anxious than ever to support Trump. The exchange with Megyn Kelly was like manna from heaven for a communications director. She appeared like yet another reporter trying to kick out the guest who wasn’t invited to the party. At the time, I felt excited for the change to the debate he could bring. I began realizing the man really resonates with the masses and would bring people to the process who had never participated before.

That was inspiring to me.

While it’s true enough that Fox News was gunning for Trump, was she really “inspired” by his grossly sexist attacks on Megyn Kelly? Did she really never contemplate how this kind of thing would play in a general election? With Hillary Clinton as the most likely opponent? Bad faith is the charitable explanation here.

I don’t think even Trump thought he would get this far. And I don’t even know that he wanted to, which is perhaps the scariest prospect of all.

He certainly was never prepared or equipped to go all the way to the White House, but his ego has now taken over the driver’s seat, and nothing else matters. The Donald does not fail. The Donald does not have any weakness. The Donald is his own biggest enemy.

[…]

He doesn’t want the White House. He just wants to be able to say that he could have run the White House. He’s achieved that already and then some. If there is any question, take it from someone who was recruited to help the candidate succeed, and initially very much wanted him to do so.

Not a new insight, but this is almost certainly true. It’s not so much that most observers were wrong to see Trump choosing to run as being a publicity stunt as that they pulled off the difficult task of overestimating the Republican primary electorate, and once he became the frontrunner it took on a momentum of its own.

And finally:

Ignoring the fact that at the time Trump tweeted this (time-stamped 4:37 p.m.) the latest news reports had already placed the number differently at 70 dead, 300 injured, take a moment to appreciate the ridiculous, cartoonish, almost childish arrogance of saying that he alone can solve. Does Trump think that he is making a cameo on Wrestlemania (yes, one of his actual credits)?

This is not how foreign policy works. For anyone. Ever.

Superhero powers where “I alone can solve” problems are not real. They do not exist for Batman, for Superman, for Wrestlemania and definitely not for Donald Trump.

This is 1)true and 2)equally applicable to any major Republican candidate (sorry, Rand.) Is Trump’s bluster about how HE ALONE can stop ISIS any less serious than Ted Cruz going on about how he can stop ISIS by being POLITICALLY INCORRECT? Which really should be a major clue explaining why Springtime for Mussolini might have its run extended through November.