Understanding Trump’s negotiating strategy

I sometimes wonder if people are able to see the forest through the trees. When we get emotional about something, like the future of the world under an authoritarian US President for example, it’s hard to see clearly.

So, I thought I’d take a minute to pass on my insight as someone who has spent decades now fighting real estate developers in Canada.

Donald Trump is a real estate developer first and foremost.  It is common practice for real estate developers to initially propose new developments that far exceed the allowable limits. They do this in order to achieve a better result than if they followed the zoning rules. This allows them to come out on top even after making small compromises in their proposal and site plan to accommodate the municipality. 

For example, I fought against a failed condo development turned rental apartments, in my community. It ended up being 20x larger than what had been there before. Three bungalows were replaced with a monstrosity that dominates the corner, towering over its neighbour’s backyards (single family homes).  And this is after we got it reduced in size.

My point is that Donald Trump puts forward the most extreme policy ideas and people for cabinet posts, in the hope that most will pass through with limited intervention or minor adjustments to his overall agenda. 

He bullies and threatens people (and nations) who stand up to him, (like Canada, Mexico, Panama and Greenland) to discourage others from voicing their opposition to his extreme and often fact-less proposals (national security my ass).  

Combined, the two strategies work well in the private sector where municipal officials are often ‘convinced’ into supporting  inappropriate proposals from the development community. 

There are two approaches that can help to ensure Trump’s strategy doesn’t succeed. The first is to say NO to every unqualified person and extreme policy Trump puts forward. If the 5-8 GOP non-MAGA Senators continue to balk at his nominations, there’s a good chance he won’t succeed.  I can count six nominees off the top of my head who should not be confirmed. I’m counting on these Senators to be true to the nation and to the US Constitution. Earlier, I wrote about the position they presently find themselves in.

The second is to investigate every one of Trump’s enablers—his minions. Since a number of them either have ties to Russia and Russian allies, or have engaged in unsavoury acts, it shouldn’t be very difficult. America’s news media—those who don’t capitulate—are in the best position to take this project on.  

I’m hoping more people than not will follow the examples of Liz Chaney and Adam Kinzinger in the US. We need heroes to step forward now.