Since the inauguration it’s been difficult to avoid thinking about Donald Trump. Even if you avoid social media or the news, if you care about the world at all you are forced to consider what he and the people in his administration are up to.
With the flurry of actions his team has taken, many people I follow have been trying to make sense of it all. I’m no exception. So I wrote out this list of what I think are the things that motivate him or are in his comfort zone:
- making money
- being the center of attention / good publicity
- power / being the boss
- rewarding those who treat him well
- punishing those that treat him poorly
- not having to work hard
- not thinking (i.e. doing whatever someone recommends)
- real estate
- the 80s
- Mar-a-Lago
That list hasn’t changed much since Trump 1.0 and his first term in office. What is different is the intensity.
Unlike other presidents, he is not motivated to work hard, to give back to others, to be virtuous in any way, or to stay current with the culture. He may appear to concede some of these (e.g., letting Elon be the center of attention) if he thinks it will help him with something else (making money, not having to work hard).
The next time you see him doing something, you can look to this list and at least one if not more of these items for an explanation. Getting into crypto? #1. Taking over the Kennedy Center? #2. Running for president? #3. Appointing people like Kristi Noem for anything? #4. You get the idea.
I’m sure there will be things you might add to that list. But if you see Trump doing something and ask yourself “what possessed him to do that”, it’s likely one of the items on this list.
Smart People I Know 
He’s certainly impulsive but I wonder how much of what he says is truly intentional and how much of it is just old man rhetoric. Would be shameful to see Canada and USA at odds because of a crazy old man.
It would be a shame, but it’s already happening. Let’s hope the damage can be repaired soon.