"So, the ends justify the means?"

[intrepidity]

That needs to be asked every time Trump points to the White House or his presidency as an answer for how he conducts himself (lying, bullying, etc).

[onecaliberal]

1. It's more IOKIYAR. I'm OVER that bullshit.

Dems need to get ruthless.

[Thekaspervote]

2. It would be lost on him..he wouldn't understand..yes I believe he is that dumb

[intrepidity]

4. Yes, but at least it is a response, rather than silence,

which just allows him to repeat and emphasize it.

Interviewers need better tactics.

[JanMichael]

3. Mixed view on that. Depends what the "ends" are as well as what are the "means".

In Trumps life they are always wrong. Always and forever.

For Borat (SBC) I give a pass.

[Shermann]

5. Yes Trump has always been Machiavellian that way

...although he probably doesn't know who that is.

He has never had to deal with a high degree of oversight before his first term. He basically called the shots after he got out from under his daddy's wings and maybe had to deal with the IRS (and we see how that went).

So in this country, the end does not justify the means when it comes to the three branches of government. We want a high level of oversight (including by the media), and we want things done cleanly. He's still the proverbial bull in the china shop and oversight isn't anything he's compatible with.