Sunday, January 07, 2018

The milieu described by Wolff more closely resembles the court of a crazed medieval monarch than a traditional West Wing.
...
At times, Trump roars in the manner of the world’s stupidest King Lear, as Ivanka stumbles behind him, a clueless Cordelia. Bannon makes a fine Iago, alongside a rep company of useless aides rotating as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
...
The trouble is that the metaphor is not really a metaphor. Essentially, Trump has annexed the presidency to the world of show business, the starring role of a performance career that has stretched from the WWE ring via numerous film cameos to the Oval Office. He perceives the public as an audience consuming entertainment rather than a civically engaged electorate.

Not surprisingly, the book has turbo-charged the allegation that the president is experiencing psychiatric problems, or is suffering from a neurological disorder.

Matthew d'Anconda:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/07/fire-fury-donald-trump-michael-wolff-book