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Posted with permission.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/giving-trump-more-information-wont-solve-the-problem
Giving Trump more information wont solve the problem
01/05/17 10:51 AMUpdated 01/05/17 11:01 AM
By Steve Benen
By the time the Republican National Convention got underway in July, Donald Trump was already auditioning for the role of Americas biggest Vladimir Putin fan. CNBCs John Harwood asked Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) at the time whether Trumps affections for the Russian autocrat serve Americas interests.
Cotton was confident that Trump was simply ignorant, which is a problem that could be solved. Putin was a KGB spy and he never got over that, the Arkansas senator said, adding that after the presidential hopeful received classified briefings, Trump might have a different perspective on Vladimir Putin and what Russia is doing to Americas interests.
That didnt work out well. Trump started receiving classified intelligence briefings soon after Cotton made the comments, but the Republican quickly decided he didnt agree with the information presented to him. Instead of gaining a new perspective, Trump willfully ignored the intelligence communitys findings and started publicly taunting the agencies themselves.
Among some leading elected officials, however, hope springs eternal. Politico reported yesterday:
I think he has not received his Russia briefing yet. I believe thats scheduled for Friday, the Wisconsin Republican told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday morning. So hopefully, hell get up to speed on what, you know, has been happening and what Russia has or has not done. And hell be better informed on that.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), meanwhile, added this morning that Trump may think differently about Russias suspected espionage operation targeting the American election if only the president-elect attended more intelligence briefings.
Heres the problem: information only matters to those who are interested in learning. Donald Trump is not. The president-elect has a lengthy record of believing deeply strange conspiracy theories, showing little interest in reality-based facts. Providing him with intelligence briefings doesnt work, in part because he doesnt trust those providing him with the information, and in part because he has his own unique approach to critical thinking which filters out facts he doesnt like.
Consider, for example, Trumps affection for the birther conspiracy theory. The reality-show personality said he believed President Obama wasnt born in the United States, and he championed the racially charged assertion for years, effectively positioning himself as one of the theorys principal spokespersons.
One might have been tempted to think Trump would change his mind if he were given more information, at which point hed be, to use Paul Ryans phrasing, up to speed on the truth. But facts were irrelevant to Trump. In 2011, President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, which Trump labeled a fraud, before repeating the conspiracy theory in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Trump already has access to information, but he struggles to accept it, unable to separate whats true from what he wants to believe. Those waiting for him to be better informed are going to be routinely disappointed over the next four years.
Postscript: Speaking of Russia-related intelligence, Trump told reporters on New Years Eve he had special information that others havent seen. Asked what that might be, the president-elect declared, Youll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Todays Thursday.