I obviously struggle with my reactions to the things Mr. Trump says on Twitter. In an effort to explain my reaction to myself, I have spent some time thinking about just what it is that annoys me. Here is what I have decided.
Have you found yourself involved in a conversation with someone who makes simplistic pronouncements you find ridiculous? I am imagining a situation in which I end up sitting next to someone at a bar who wants to make conversation. This person says things I know are erroneous, simplistic, and poorly informed. These are the types of statements made by someone with just enough information to be dangerous. Not wanting to argue or appear elitist I seldom engage to respond.
This is the type of reaction I have to Mr. Trump’s pronouncements about hacking, computers, or climate change. I both think I know more about these topics and I think the true experts on these matters agree with me. Unlike the random guy at the bar, I make the effort to respond in this case because Mr. Trump has an audience that accepts whatever he says. I don’t want such comments to go unchallenged. Twitter makes all of this far worse. The required brevity of a Twitter statement limits what can be said and provides little depth allowing the insights of the author to be evaluated.
Here is what bothers me even more. I doubt Mr. Trump is as uninformed as he seems. Surely, he has handlers who offer him more sophisticated information. What concerns me is that Mr. Trump understands that there are many folks out there who want to believe the things he says. They recognize that “experts” take positions different from Mr. Trump, but he offers them an excuse for rejecting expert opinion as elitist.
All I can suggest is that expert opinions be seriously considered. When Mr. Trump offers comments on building a large building, I would defer to his expertise. When Mr. Trump offers comments on what makes a successful reality TV show, I would defer to his expertise. There are individuals I have far more faith in when it comes to national security, technology, and science.