Donald Trump has no idea what he’s even trying to do

| 9:09 am EST December 28, 2020
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After spending all week refusing to sign the stimulus relief bill because he said it wasn’t to his liking, Donald Trump went ahead and signed it last night anyway – after having gained zero concessions. It’s a reminder that Trump really is the worst deal maker in history.

It’s also a reminder that Trump has absolutely no idea what he’s even trying to do. He keeps tweeting that he wants the $600 relief checks increased to $2,000, but he’s made no effort to make this happen. The Democratic House is about to approve $2,000 checks today, but Trump has seemingly given no guidance to what he wants his own party to do about it in the Republican Senate.

If Trump had any coherence to his strategy, he’d be pushing the Republican Senate to support the $2,000 relief checks, so he could try to take credit for the whole thing. It might or might not work, but he’s seemingly not even making that simple play. Nor does Trump seem to be doing anything to try to take credit for the ongoing vaccine rollout, or much of anything else. There are opportunities, albeit isolated ones, but he’s not even grasping at those.

Donald Trump has no idea what he’s even trying to do. He’s facing a life of criminal charges, civil action, asset forfeitures, creditor squeezes, bankruptcy, criminal trials, and prison. He has just twenty-three days to try to give himself a softer landing with regard to that ugly reality. Instead he’s cluelessly spinning his wheels, wasting what little time and leverage he has left, and ensuring that things end as poorly for him as he deserves.