Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that people on HN downvote literally anything that is neutral on Trump. "Orange man bad" is an epidemic that affects even the smart people.
It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Makes it nearly impossible to have any sort of honest conversation about politics, and definitely has a chilling effect. I debated even making the comment because I knew it would draw down votes.
I think the entire point of viciously attacking anyone who shows any sign of being part of the "opponents" ideology is to chill that persons speech.
They just don't realize that type of tactic not only fails to silence people but also (quietly) pushes tons of people who normally don't have a horse in the game to the other side. There are plenty of politically ambivalent people who don't want a world ruled by an ideology opposed to open debate/free thought and which actively seeks to destroy context/intention in language in the name of "progress".
There is a comedy skit about what it's like trying to mention the grounded practicalities behind current events in the presence of those who find it outrageous to dig deeper than the headlines:
I think ignorance plays a part, but my money is on he just doesn't care.
Infantilizing him might make it more relatable for the average person, but it's just click bait BS. We should call it like it is; He is a sociopath, and anything less is underestimating him. He has a brand and knows how to project it, and will do anything to get "ahead" and feed his ego. Collateral damage be damned.
I think Trump might defy the mainstream definition of intelligence and in a twisted and narrow sense he might have something approaching cunning and a primitive feedback loop modulating his speech like the YouTube algorithm, optimizing for one goal sacrificing everything else
