Bill Maher and Donald Trump
Bill Maher and Donald Trump
Bill Maher gave an unexpected report of his dinner with Donald Trump. The president, according to the comedian, was gracious, warm, undogmatic, and quite different from the person we see all the time on television. Bill seemed to think the real Donald was the one he had dinner with not the one we see on the screen—that person is a kind of act, a part Trump plays, not the real man. An alternative theory, suggested by one of Bill’s guests, is that the fake Trump is the one Maher had dinner with, a part he played in order to get on the comedian’s good side. These are both possible theories: Erving Goffman would point out that people present different selves all the time. But both are rather puzzling to the expert psychologist, because neither is easy to believe. Could it be true that the crude, self-aggrandizing, vengeful, vicious self we see on the TV is just an act—a calculated performance at variance with the real man? He is really a kindly, intelligent, generous, altruistic, modest man. The question would then be why he chooses to project the repellent self he appears to be—does he really believe his nasty fake self is more likely to win votes? Also, wouldn’t this make him a superlative actor, rivaling Brando or De Niro? So genuine, so convincing! On the other hand, if he was acting at the dinner, it is surprising he got away with it, because Bill Maher is no fool: how did he manage to suppress his true self so effectively? True, he only had to do it for a couple of hours, unlike the self he projects publicly, but still pretty impressive. What is the truth of the matter?
I think that neither hypothesis is correct, or both are. Trump is a Goffman man, a Goff-man. He adopts whatever persona he thinks his audience desires, the better to suit his purposes. Both personas are available to him and he slides easily from one to the other. He is, as they say, a chameleon of the self. There is no real self just a series of passing selves. This is why he is so addicted to audiences, their size and composition. That is as real as it gets for him. Tough guy, nice guy, harsh voice, soft voice. The immaculate suit and curated hair—his socially presented self. Everything is presentation, image, appearance. The closest we ever get to the real Donald Trump is in his tweets—this is his true self in action. It is rife with self-deception and grievance, bluster and threat. It is not entirely sane. Trump is an actor to the core. His buildings with TRUMP written on them are his attempt to create a solid self. He has no deep beliefs, no fixed values, no passions. Maher saw one of his selves; his family sees others; the world sees yet others. He sees the void within.
I’m at least a bit curious what his emotional life is like? Like a shark or a piranha? Like a cigarette butt put out in a beautiful woman’s eyelids? Just like it was impossible to peer behind the so-called iron curtain except for literary geniuses (like Billy Joel?) his emotional life is impossible to discern, maybe, like some shitty black hole.
His emotions have something of the grotesque about them.
One of the best psychological profiles of Trump I have seen!
On a side note, a couple of my left leaning liberal friends said that after this clip they will stop watching Maher’s show forever. Unfortunately this lack of ability to tolerate other opinions or engage with dissent “from the party line” in general is a typical behaviour of a wide range of Dem supporters — especially those from the highly educated ranks.
I quite agree: I have been a victim of it myself. What is alarming is that such “educated” people are only able to think in cliches and stereotypes.
I think Bill was quite wrong to lose it with the guy who suggested Trump might be playing him. That is one possible theory and more plausible than his own.
I stopped watching Maher around a decade ago. For various political reasons of disagreement. Free Logic, at what point, if any, does one cease being obligated to watch someone they disagree with, as I haven’t the time, nor capability, to watch everyone I disagree with.
And honestly, Maher’s kissing the ring seems like as good a time as any to change the channel.
I don’t find Bill very funny, but he is not as unfunny as John Oliver. Jimmy Kimmel is funny.