Sunday, December 31, 2017

The Emperor's "No" Clothes

“I know more about the big bills. … Than any president that’s ever been in office. Whether it’s health care and taxes. Especially taxes. And if I didn’t, I couldn’t have persuaded a hundred. … You ask Mark Meadows [inaudible]. … I couldn’t have persuaded a hundred congressmen to go along with the bill. The first bill, you know, that was ultimately, shockingly rejected ... I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A. I know the details of health care better than most, better than most. And if I didn’t, I couldn’t have talked all these people into doing ultimately only to be rejected.”

This long and winding road to nowhere is directly quoted from Trump’s recent unplanned NYT interview which embarrassed most White House personnel, probably including the maintenance staff. Trump rambles along in monstrous self-aggrandizement, sounding like what he is – that being the Emperor who is yet unaware of the fact that he’s naked.


In psychology, there’s an idea known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It refers to research by David Dunning and Justin Kruger that found the least competent people often believe they are the most competent because they “lack the very expertise needed to recognize how badly they’re doing.” This dynamic helps explain comments like the one Trump makes here. 

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