Political scientists say that there is a method in his madness of global diplomacy
By T N Ashok
WASHINGTON DC: The US President Donald Trump has flummoxed political leaders all over the world including his buddies as also leaders of Russia, India, China and Israel by constantly shifting his political stance day to day.
The unpredictable nature of a man who keeps shifting his stance according to his whims , hour to hour puts political opponents on the nerves edge on what’s coming next, a sense of fear, sometimes awe, and sometimes sheer nonsense. Political scientists say this is called the “Mad Man Theory”.
It’s a carefully crafted political strategy where you make the opponents think you are a Mad Man and unpredictable, while being sane, and fooling others into disbelief with your erratic behaviour that they don’t know where they stand or don’t know what counter strategies they need to adopt. No clue absolutely about a man on what he will do next – he says one thing on Monday, says another thing exactly opposite on Tuesday.
Trump has shown since his campaign speeches and rhetoric that he did exactly the opposite of what he intended to do, though there is some consistency in his militant gestures and how he executes it to achieve his ends. At least on deportations he has been consistent but not on bringing down prices and making the economy strong and stable, no way, not with deficits of $3.4 trillion and debts of $5 trillion over a 10-year period with his Big Beautiful Bill through the reconciliation process.
Day one: He said he would end the Gaza war and the Ukraine conflict. Both are still raging. He imposed tariffs like the “Mad Man theory” of 240% tariffs on China and shortly thereafter he announced he had successful talks with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and closed the tariff issue at 55% for Chinese goods entering the USA and 10% for US goods entering China.
Trump’s rhetoric often frames complex issues in binary terms, using absolutes such as “always” and “never” to express uncompromising stances. This strategy creates a polarized worldview, encouraging audiences to see political opponents and external threats as existential dangers to the nation.
His rhetorical style is further characterized by a high volume of falsehoods, sometimes leveraging what analysts describe as the “firehose of falsehood” propaganda technique. This approach to information dissemination—marked by sheer volume and speed—can overwhelm fact-checking mechanisms and further entrench his narratives among his supporters. Some political scientists call this typical of the Nazi Goebbelsian propaganda unleashed during world war 11.
Throughout his political career, Trump has been noted for using inflammatory language, including violent terms and metaphors, particularly when discussing immigration, crime, and political adversaries. His rhetoric has been linked by some scholars to an increase in political hostility and even violence, as it often features direct or implied threats against perceived enemies.
Additionally, his speeches frequently draw on populist themes, casting blame on specific groups or individuals for societal problems, which scholars argue has contributed to an atmosphere of distrust and division within the U.S. The US media calls this gaslighting — that is a strategy where you are wrong and you know it and yet you make others believe they are wrong and you are right.
Critics argue that Trump’s communication style borrows from authoritarian playbooks, citing his use of scapegoating, appeals to nationalism, and rhetorical attacks on the media. While supporters view his rhetoric as a refreshing departure from political correctness and establishment politics, detractors contend it erodes democratic norms and fuels divisiveness. This rhetoric remains a defining element of Trump’s influence on American politics, with his third consecutive campaign in 2024 being ultimately successful.
He ridiculed Ukraine’s Zelensky by saying “ You don’t have all the cards”, he admonished South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa saying he was behind Black Racism hunting down whites for their lands, he invited Pakistan army’s field marshal Asim Munir to the white house for lunch sidelining all the political leaders in that country which trains terrorists on their land and sends them to India’s western borders to create chaos, mayhem and confusion and tremendous loss of lives , that too of innocents , nee Pahalgam massacre of 26 civilians in Kashmir in India..
He influences Munir to nominate him for the Nobel peace prize and gets Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to endorse – a man who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for mass genocide in Gaza where over 55,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in collateral damage. He pulls up Netanyahu one day and next day continues arms supplies to Israel to finish the job as some political observers say.
He calls Russian President Vladimir Putin his friend and does not succeed in influencing him to end the war, he says Ukraine war is ugly, and it’s horrible, people have lost lives, beautiful people, beautiful buildings razed to the ground, yet he pulls up Zelensky at the oval office.
US President Trump is adopting this strategy of “Mad Man theory” of political scientists to confuse people. He praises Indian premier Narendra Modi from his howdy Modi at Houston days to stating he has reached a zero tariff deal while it is totally denied by the Indian side that they are under negotiations.
He announces he has brokered a ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan and continues to state it every day even as the Indian foreign office says the ceasefire was agreed to on Pakistan’s insistence to end the conflict arising out of Operation Sindoor – a retribution for the Pahalgam massacre of innocents by trained terrorists from Pakistan’s border.
The latest examples are his stance on Ukraine where he says it’s their war, a complete U turn from his campaign rhetoric that in typically in brash tones, the US leader announced the move while decrying the ‘bullsh-t thrown at us by Putin’.
On tariffs he has gone ballistic on some Asian nations imposing high tariffs – especially on South Korea where it was zero tariffs and now its 25%, in Japan who are their premier trading partners at number three and four and disrupting well established demand supply chains. He has done the same with Vietnam and Philippines big exporters of goods to the USA.
Trump says he is considering Russia sanctions, not happy with Putin, after calling him a friend and he would end the war talking to him on day one and involves the holy see of the Vatican to provide a platform to initiate peace talks between Zelensky and Putin. Putin would never come to the Vatican, he is too proud for that.
Monday’s resumption of arms supplies to Ukraine followed Russia’s intensified attacks. In recent weeks, Ukrainians have endured hours-long overnight drone and missile assaults on key cities that have killed and wounded civilians – and kept millions awake.
“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to [so that Ukrainians] have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump told a news conference in Washington, DC. And he criticised the European Union and his predecessor Joe Biden for arms supplies to Ukraine. He publicly announced the figures wrong — $350 billion to Ukraine , when actually $160 billion of arms supplies were effected under Biden.
On Tuesday, Trump went further. He hinted that the Russian leader had flattered him for months but kept coming up with lists of impossible demands and ignoring calls for a ceasefire. “We get a lot of bullsh-t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told a news conference on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Moscow wants the West to lift multi-layered sanctions that are beginning to hobble Russia’s economy, and the return of assets frozen in Western banks. On Tuesday, Trump said he is considering additional sanctions on Russia. . . Trump has created his own global diplomacy defying all established rules. The world is watching with awe and wonder how long this madness will last. (IPA Service)
