A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America

by Philip Rucker

Rather than hewing to an ideological agenda, the entire operation was guided by Trump’s instincts and whims.

anybody, and now it looks

discursive and lacking precision.

feared his proposals were rash, barely considered, and a danger to America’s superpower standing.

with the president—stemmed from his lack of familiarity with U.S. history, and even with the map of the world.

“He’s a fucking moron,” the secretary of state said of the president.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone. I know more than they do. I know better than anybody else.”

“He was at times dangerously uninformed,”

“He’s totally ignorant of everything. But he doesn’t care. He’s not interested.”

The president envisioned the historic disarmament summit as the ultimate Donald J. Trump production. He thought meeting with Kim might even earn him the Nobel Peace Prize.

patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of it.

“Let nothing which is transpiring, change, hinder, or delay your military movements, or plans.”

Trump did none of those things. His standard tool kit for getting out of trouble—bluster, manipulation, and deceit—fell far short in handling the pandemic. He couldn’t even keep himself safe. Trump’s false air of invincibility was vanquished when, thirty-two days before the election, the seventy-four-year-old with comorbidities, including obesity and high cholesterol, tested positive for the coronavirus. The president developed a fever and other symptoms, was put on supplemental oxygen, and was airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment. Suddenly, not just his reelection but his very survival was in doubt.