For subscribers
Donald Trump is transactional. People fail to comprehend that
He is obsessed with money, but his record suggests he doesn’t always drive a hard bargain.
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To deal with Donald Trump, first accept his zero-sum view of things as unshakable.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Janan Ganesh
Because it wasn’t profane or even vivid, the most telling statement Donald Trump has made since leaving office didn’t hold the world’s attention. Asked in a Fox News interview in the summer of 2023 whether he would defend Taiwan with force, he said the island, which makes a fortune from semiconductors, “took our business”.
A non sequitur? Perhaps. A vulgar thing to mention given the life and death stakes? That too. But what an insight into a mind.
