How does Trump manipulate and control people so effectively?

[madaboutharry]

Congressmen and Senators bowing before him, as Joy Reid says, like he is the Sun King. Getting a never Trumper like Lindsey Graham to turn into a sycophant. And now this morning, a pathetic and groveling apology from Steve Bannon.

Trump is a mentally incompetent and disturbed failure of a president. What hold does he have? Does he threaten people with damaging information? I believe they are afraid of him. I conclude that the Trump family are like a real life Corleaone family. The country is in the grip of a gangster family.

[spanone]

1. blackmail.

the russians probably hacked the rnc too

[highplainsdem]

10. Agree. Blackmail, with help from the Russians.

[thegoose]

25. Yep

Vlads all around.

[meadowlark5]

27. I agree

If Russia is good at anything, it's espionage. They probably can dig up dirt on anyone at any time. As soon as Trump's boyfriend in Russia see the news that a particular congressman or senator is not falling in line, they go to their files and find some compromising if not illegal information and send a postit note over the said congressman or senator.

This must be absolute fun for Russia and Putin. Control they probably thought they never would have.

[CatWoman]

35. they are ALL in it together

[Faux pas]

37. For sure

[Corgigal]

40. I agree

but we can play too. We just haven't tipped our hand yet. So the republicans are fearing the known, but it's the unknown that is driving them nuts.

[PoliticAverse]

2. He became President. They need him to implement their agenda. n/t

[handmade34]

12. I don't think so

the Republicans agenda could be attained with a Pence president as well... there is something else very mysterious going on

[PoliticAverse]

19. Trump is President. The Republicans can't get rid of him without paying a great political price...

(it would cost them greatly with their base in the next elections). There's no magic blackmail conspiracy theory
needed to understand what's going on, it's just politics. You've often see politicians who demonized primary
opponents later sing their praises after the opponents won. Trump has a big ego and likes it being stroked,
it's not surprising to see lots of people stroking it to try to get what they want.

[handmade34]

28. I still disagree...

...yes, politics it is, but Republicans can read the polling as well as we can... the base would absorb Pence or Ryan into the fold if need be and shouldn't cause that much disruption... but we can disagree

[PoliticAverse]

33. The base would like Pence as President but the core Trump supporters would not at all like it...

if the Republicans moved to get rid of Trump. They would make them pay a price for that.
The best outcome for Republicans would be for Trump to quit and get Pence but be able to
have Democrats to blame for it.

[salin]

42. Self Preservation. They fear his base in their next primaries.

The Koch/teaparty FoxNews/Limbaugh propoganda project created a monster-mob - who vote in force in GOP primaries.

[Siwsan]

3. He's the anti-christ, or some other version of 'Satan Spawn'?

Admittedly, that's probably a stretch.

[KPN]

8. It's not difficult to see

666 in all of this.

[bluestarone]

13. gotta agree somewhat there

scary for sure

[EarlG]

4. IMO, he doesn't manipulate or control anybody

The sycophants surrounding him all know he's a dotard -- they think that by sucking up to him they can use him for their own ends.

[madaboutharry]

9. How do they move on from this?

Trump isn't going to be president forever. There will be a time when history books are written. And history is going to be cruel to these people. I think it is more than just getting an agenda through.

[Igel]

18. Most people really don't think about what people'll say about them in 100 years.

We'll be dead. I'm not going to have my feelings hurt.

You do what you must. Worrying about how awesome you'll look as a corpse is pointless vanity. Worrying about how you'll look after your corpse is long gone is less.

[2naSalit]

29. Question is...

How do WE move on from this?

[ProfessorGAC]

24. You Beat Me To It, Earl!

The whole crowd are shameless opportunists. It's all about what's in it for them. They don't care about "it".

[uponit7771]

32. +1

[C_U_L8R]

5. Common interests

Power and money

[gopiscrap]

6. blackmail by him to get what he wants

and those around him manipulating him to get what they want

[shockey80]

7. Threats, money and lawyers.

He has done this his entire life. Trump has proven there is and always has been a lot of weak minded people in the world. They are easily controlled by people like Trump.

[bluestarone]

14. i don't think he could do this all on his own

the power of CONGRESS ( THE ONES RUSSIA OWNS) are behind this 100%

[dalton99a]

15. Answer:

[RKP5637]

17. K&R! n/t

[2naSalit]

30. +!

[RKP5637]

16. Money for TPTB, Idiocracy for his little people supporters, he feeds them propaganda, they love

authoritarians and fall for his lies.

[unblock]

20. He doesnt. What has he really gotten anyone to do?

Foxnews and hate radio are well-organized and established to effectively keep republicans in line behind whoever is the designated leader.

All Donnie did was become that person. With a lot of help.

He didn’t get anyone to vote for a tax cut, republicans were always going to vote for that.

Obamacare repeal was a huge fail.

All he has done is get people to kiss his butt, big deal, that’s what people in an authoritarian organization do.

If foxnews decided he needed to go, he’d be gone in s heartbeat and no one would have a kind word to say about him ever aside from a few lunatic nobodies.

[Phoenix61]

26. This! nt

[vrguy]

21. Kompromat!

[Freethinker65]

22. Because so far what they are doing is working splendidly. Better than expected

Incompetents are hired and in place to destroy social agencies. Competent corporatists are in charge of cabinets where public resources can be privatized and regulations decimated, before leaving the Departments shells of their former selves. Individuals in the GOP are raking in the $$$ with investments and big $$$ donors.

[oberliner]

23. One theory is that the Republicans are manipulating Trump rather than the other way around

They realize they can get what they want as long as they flatter him and stay in his good graces.

[Lint Head]

31. Money is a magnet. If Trump goes down a lot of people will lose their jobs.

And their status.

[kentuck]

34. Trump is like the "Big Lie"...

And a "big lie" cannot be resisted.

You see, he's a "genius". He is very, very smart.

The bigger the lie, the more inclined a supporter is likely to believe it. Because they are inclined to support their Party and their President from the beginning.

The people will have to decide: Is Donald Trump "fit" to be President?

[Kimchijeon]

36. The true oligarchy support him, so don't attribute much of it these days to him personally

His malignant and petty narcissism back in the day served him fairly well, but I think he just inherited enough money to use for his bullying at the time. The family does act like a boorish bunch of nasty, criminal brutes and continue to do so.

At this point he's just been used by those truly profiting from the dismantling and profit-grab in the government, so his continued antics are helpful as a distraction. Corporations and the super-rich love it. Even the manipulation and treasonous shit with Russia is more distraction than anything. (Think about it, if the corporations wanted to crush and oust this admin, the media propaganda storm would be merciless and impossible to ignore- he'd never have been allowed to be elected in the first place.)

Not to say he can't or doesn't make nasty revenge threats to those who hurt his narcissist fee-fees- of course he does. He is a useful means to an end, so he shall remain entrenched.

[Jake Stern]

38. Two words: His base.

His rabble rousing "shoot from the hip and pull no punches" persona sets their hearts aflutter in a way that straight laced and quiet Mike Pence never could.

Russia could sit this out and the effect would be exactly the same.

Party poohbahs also know these are the people who will make damn sure they get out and VOTE. That hardcore base is what helped make Doug Jones' victory a razor thin one so keeping them happy is paramount.

[dawg day]

39. Money creates absolute arrogance.

The modern human has few resources against absolute arrogance. That's why we have all sorts of laws and rules against Trump's sort of constant narcissistic power-grabbing.

We're all trying to be polite, thinking before we speak, saying "excuse me" when we accidentally bump into someone, staying in our own lane- being civilized.

Someone like Trump coming in like Tyrannosaurus Rex, we really don't know how to deal with that. And he was born rich and has had people protecting him all his life, allowing him to be a huge jerk. if he weren't rich, he would never have managed to grow up and stay out of jail and stay this way. But no matter how many laws he broke, no matter how many people he broke, he got away with it because he has so much money.

We don't need to become monsters like him. We just need to use the protections of civilization-- the laws-- against him as we would with some mafia thug, instead of granting him continued privilege because he has money.

[Adrahil]

41. Ultimately, many people want to be lied to.

They want to be told what they want to hear. And once they committed to believing a con man, they are willing to ignore any stack of facts to justify their decisions and avoid re-thinking their world view. See: just about any evangelical christian.

[rock]

43. His targets: the greedy, the dumb

It's easy. It has to be if Trump does it!

[sunonmars]

44. Trump has been blackmailing people his whole life, this is no different.