A key tactic of President Donald Trump’s “dating back to early in his real estate career” was proven last week to no longer be effective, The New Republic’s Ross Rosenfeld argued on Tuesday, and largely due to “no one of consequence” being “intimidated by him” anymore.
Trump became the first sitting president in history to attend oral arguments during a Supreme Court hearing last week, with justices weighing in on the legality of Trump’s efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship. Ahead of his appearance, Trump had repeatedly lashed out at justices – even those he appointed – as “dumb” and an “embarrassment to their families.”
“Yet none of the Supreme Court justices appeared to even notice, much less care, as they entered the room and sat, never so much as acknowledging Trump’s presence,” Rosenfeld wrote in an analysis published in The New Republic on Tuesday.
“And there sat Trump. His glare had evidently failed to do the trick. As the justices questioned the ACLU’s Cecilia Wang, the attorney representing the opposition to Trump’s gambit to gut birthright citizenship, he walked out. It was the latest example of what has become a clear trend in his second term as president: No one of consequence is intimidated by him.”
Trump’s “intimidation shtick,” Rosenfeld noted, had seen some success during his real estate career, as well as during his first term. Trump pressed NATO allies to increase their defense spending, which they ultimately agreed to do, vowing to raise military spending by 5% by 2035.
“More often than not, though, Trump’s intimidation act falls flat,” Rosenfeld wrote. “This is largely because, despite the fact that so many alpha males see him as the top alpha – an image he continually promotes through nonsensical memes refashioning his flabby, overweight body as some sort of iron-fisted muscleman – in the end he’s all bark, no bite. Or, as some put it, Trump Always Chickens Out.”
And, while Trump’s "intimidation shtick” may be less effective than it once was, Rosenfeld argued, the president could potentially become even more “dangerous” as a result.
“No one’s buying Trump’s routine any longer, but this is not to say that he isn’t still dangerous,” he wrote. “He is, very much so – not because he’s an iron-willed titan but because he’s a foolhardy buffoon. He’s never been tough enough to admit defeat, like a real man would, so he’ll go to great lengths to deny his losses and cover up for his failures.”