Donald Trump

[Citizen of Legoland]

He can barely read, full stop, which is also why he never refers to notes and naturally speaks at a grade 3/4 level (the worst of any president since Truman). It has been discusses many times that his speech mimics that of previous cult leaders and white nationalists like Jim Jones and George Wallace, which is true, but not necessarily intentional. It just so happens that his juvenile vocabulary and speech patterns play perfectly to his base because of their composition, not the other way round.

Trump Genius? He Ranks Lowest Among Last 15 Presidents

President Trump says he's "like, really smart," but he communicates at the lowest grade level of the last 15 presidents.

www.newsweek.com

That’s a bit unfair on Truman seeing as he outperformed Trump, I think it should say Trump is the worst we can find. Period.

 

[roman totale]

I actually think Trump’s appeal to his base, as is the case for many other reasons, is partly a direct response to Obama’s relative eloquence.

I don’t think presidents need to (or should) communicate at higher than a grade 9/10 level, even if they could speak at a much higher level.

That is because they need to speak in a way that is comprehensive enough to capture the tone and meaning of the message but not overly complicated to avoid it being easily misunderstood (or intentionally misconstrued).

This aligns with the average reading comprehension level of Americans being around grade 7/8, the target level of most public facing writing and documentation.

The problem with speaking at the low level Trump is capable of, is that the population that most closely responds and engages with the rhetoric are largely the least educated and reside in the lower socioeconomic strata. They tend to be the most susceptible to “silver bullet” and conspiratorial thinking and, the most offended/enraged by feeling they are being spoken down to (even if the person speaking isn’t actually intending to do that and is speaking earnestly and truthfully). They also tend to be people that are highly aggrieved and looking for others to blame for their perceived lot in life.

This is the perfect audience for an authoritarian populist.

Not that it really needs restating, but this is also why so much right-wing propaganda is aimed at churning out even more of these low-education, permanently down-trodden, zero social-mobility people. If you look at things like Turning Point, that are squarely aimed at a youth audience, their main message, subliminally delivered in a way that would make Goebbels proud, is; leave school, start a family early, have scores of kids and don’t bother with college and higher education, it’s a complete waste of time.

 

[SebastianBlue]

That’s a bit unfair on Truman seeing as he outperformed Trump, I think it should say Trump is the worst we can find. Period.

To be fair, if you study Truman as a person, you’ll find he wasn’t someone that should necessarily be admired, either.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Not that it really needs restating, but this is also why so much right-wing propaganda is aimed at churning out even more of these low-education, permanently down-trodden, zero social-mobility people. If you look at things like Turning Point, that are squarely aimed at a youth audience, their main message, subliminally delivered in a way that would make Goebbels proud, is; leave school, start a family early, have scores of kids and don’t bother with college and higher education, it’s a complete waste of time.

It is also why republicans have been working to eviscerate the public education system in the US for decades (both at the municipal, state, and federal level), and Project 2025 outlines a plan to fully dissolve the Department of Education and replace it with a system of school vouchers and federally-funded charter schools, with an emphasis on Christian white nationalist and revisionist history (the southern states and white people were oppressed!) curriculum.

They want an uneducated, indoctrinated citizenry that is gullible and compliant, as all fascist movements do.

 

[cityontheup]

To be fair, if you study Truman as a person, you’ll find he wasn’t someone that should necessarily be admired, either.

I liked his show though

 

[SebastianBlue]

I liked his show though

The irony of what the Truman Show represents in the context of the current state of American politics (specifically Trump and the MAGA movement) should not be missed!

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

He’s uncontrollable, so his team either tell him he’s amazing or they get fired.

I saw a clip of some actor saying he couldn’t read off autocues, which is probably why he just says the first thing that comes into his head.

I'm hearing that there are some changes in the Trump campaign staff structure after yesterday.

Someone maybe forgot to say how great he was.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

 

[SebastianBlue]

You can even be six things at once, just like Donald Trump is a rapist, racist, fascist, misogynist, grifter, felon.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

You can even be seven things at once, just like Donald Trump is a rapist, racist, fascist, misogynist, grifter, felon, ****.