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Ok, first, let me be clear: I do not believe Donald Trump is a genius, evil, or otherwise. His words and actions often suggest uncontrolled narcissism and the outward incoherence typical of a person in the throes of severe cognitive decline.
That said, he’s no dummy either. Whatever one may say about his mediocre track record in business — multiple bankruptcies, far more failures than successes, and all despite the boost of about $400 million in cash and assets from his dad throughout his life — one thing he knows is marketing.
He’s the kind of guy who could have sold Mary Todd Lincoln tickets to Ford’s Theatre the very next night, or successfully hawked extra ballast to the captain of the Titanic, even after it hit the iceberg. Neither are meant as compliments, by the way, either to him, or those to whom he peddles his wares.
I mention his skill as a salesman, as the nation’s most gifted carnival barker since P.T. Barnum, only to suggest that he doesn’t say things — or at least doesn’t repeat them over and again — if he doesn’t think they serve a function. Marketers learn this. To sell your product (or yourself), you cut away the unnecessary filler. You keep it simple.
