Trump, Hyperbole, Confidence, & Dwight Howard versus Kobe Bryant

I’ll bring this all together, I promise. I’m the BEST EVER at connecting odd dots.

This is what a lack of confidence looks like:

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“So here’s the story, folks. Number one, I am the least anti- Semitic person that YOU’VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!

Number two, racism, THE LEAST RACIST PERSON!”
President Donald Trump, February 16, 2017 ===========================

Really?? In every person in the room’s ENTIRE LIFE.. all of them? Nobody they’ve ever met — and certainly none of them are less anti- Semitic or racist than you???

IMPORTANT WARNING: I’m not even touching on whether anyone believes he is is or is not racist or anti- Semitic. I’m focusing on the utterance itself. If I get comments pointing that he is or isn’t racist, I’ll delete them.. because you are missing the point of what’s being addressed here. This goes for any comments unrelated to the topic!

Trump’s use of self-propping hyperbole is shallow at best. That it surfaces daily with Trump is revealing of a deep-seated need to convince himself of something that the he clearly does not truly believe.

Side note: Mind you… that Bannon is anywhere near the White House — let alone on the NSC is the most frightening and dangerous thing that has happened to our country since it’s inception. (no hyperbole, I believe this) We’ll get to that at a later time.

The MOST INTERESTING press conference ever!

There were many ludicrous utterances at Trump’s press conference. Outright lies — plenty of them. Fox called them “untruths” — which was pretty magnanimous on their part. His constant calls of mistreatment and endless self-aggrandizing is more indication a strange and chronic emotional frailty.

Dwight Howard vs. Kobe Bryant

Back when Dwight Howard was on the Lakers, he kept saying in interviews that he was a co-team-leader, with Kobe. This was a oft-repeated claim. I pointed out at the time that Kobe never said he was the leader.. it was understood by his… catch this… leadership.

Trump suffers from whatever it is that Dwight Howard suffered from.. Rather than be a leader, he needs to be told and recognized that he is a leader. He has to tell everyone that he is the leader. This demonstrates a glaring lack of… you guessed it, leadership.

His treatment of an African American reporter and stereotypical racism (every African American knows and should setup meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus) cannot be over-stated. His overly combative response to a non-combative and legitimate question belies his persecution complex. She could not finish a sentence without him cutting her off.. repeatedly. This isn’t rude. Rude doesn’t begin to cover it. It demonstrates that he was not only unprepared but that he was threatened by the question. Perhaps due to his ignorance of the organization or the topic or both.

FYI: I’m going to asking my African American friends if they can introduce me to Denzel Washington. Hook me up, yo!

Validate me!

He carries this, “everyone is out to get me” persona.

“I’m really not a bad person, by the way. No, but the tone is such — I do get good ratings, you have to admit that” He reminds people of this often. It is, at best, curious..????

But let’s turn our attention back to the first quote I cited. Trump uses this type of hyperbole ALL THE TIME (see what I did there)… okay, often.. very often. Let’s recall a couple.

On military strategy

“I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me…”

….really?? Do you? Does anyone believe this?

On foreign policy

“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.”

I’ll be honest, I don’t even know how to comment on this one.. “said a lot of things.” — uh.. okay?

Regarding the American people understanding the news

“They don’t know if it’s true or false because they’re not involved. I’m involved. I’ve been involved with this stuff all my life.”

Wait.. the “They” and “They’re” he speaks of is US!! The American people. Did he just say that we are all ignorant but he’s the enlightened one here to guide us? In case you didn’t catch it, yes.. that is what he said. Oh geez.

Trump on Trump aka: just ask me about me

This is amazing to watch! Couple it with how he cuts people off mid-sentence and then takes the partial question and turns it into a wandering self-absorbed discussion on how highly Trump thinks of Trump and you have a theater of the absurd that truly defies imagination. But nothing in his pompous behavior and over-the-top shouting down of all who dare defy him says, “confidence.” None of it says, “I’m the leader of this team!”

He’s pulling a Dwight Howard — and only Dwight Howard fans believe Dwight Howard. He’s not Kobe and he’s certainly not Michael.

I saw a shirt recently that said, “I love you the way Kanye loves Kanye!” I like that shirt… it’s funny and says a lot.

I’m tempted to make a shirt that says, “I want to convince you the way Trump tries to convince Trump.”

The hardcore supporter, they won’t see it.. or will refuse to acknowledge it… They cannot.. it is classic confirmation bias. Because they MUST see him as confident, they will use phrases like, “He just tells it like it is” — and explain away (or avoid entirely) the “loose facts” — again, most of us call those lies. Cutting off that reporter.. that’s him showing strength and assertiveness.

Those with blind political ambition (Pence, Ryan), they know it’s wrong — and dangerous — for a world leader to be this self-absorbed but they’ve sold their integrity for the grimy basement room in the White House, as they try to store political bones they hope will sustain them in the future.

One part of me feels for Trump. It was a little sad watching Dwight Howard try to convince people he was a leader. But I don’t feel enough empathy for Trump to remain silent. I will point out the missteps and dangerous decisions.

• I will do so because I’m a patriot!
• I will do so because I love my country!
• I will do so because I love my children and their friends… and your children too!
• I will do so because I love and support our military!
• I will do so because I love humanity!

You see, it was odd and somewhat pathetic to watch Dwight Howard do this as a basketball player. But, whether the Lakers win or lose is an entertainment only affair.

Trump is the President of the United States. Missed free-throws here costs lives. Emotional frailty in that role puts our country and the world at great risk.

Given the age we live in with our capability to destroy ourselves, I believe Trump’s reactionary nature and lack of confidence makes him the MOST DANGEROUS PRESIDENT EVER!

And I wish I was using hyperbole there.