Trump’s Strategy

President Donald Trump’s first week has been a whirlwind, to say the least. He has signed a number of executive orders that correspond to many of his biggest campaign promises, infuriating his opponents: on immigration from certain countries, on building a wall along the border with Mexico, on banning administration officials from lobbying, on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAP), on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Here is his strategy as I see it.

Man of His Word

First and most importantly, he is keeping his word. In an era where politicians are invariably derided as being liars ready to promise the world only to get elected, he’s flying in the face of the stereotype doing exactly what he said he’d do.

This is going to solidify his strength among supporters who voted him in. It also sends a message to those who haven’t come to his side yet that he means what he says and when he says, “I’m going to do it,” he will. That gives him incredibly valuable capital when he’s the most powerful person in the world.

Strike While the Iron is Hot

He is fresh off an election win and whatever the inaugural crowd sizes were, he is the new president of the United States. Powerful people in politics and business will be clamoring to get in his good graces and will be less willing to publicly offend him because they realize they will have to deal with him for at least another four years. Rather than drag out the realization of his campaign promises over time when some of his opponents in Congress or big business might see the White House sans Trump on the horizon and be brazen enough to challenge him, he is forcing them to hold their breath and deal with it.

Time is on His Side

Even if time doesn’t heal all wounds, it heals most of them. If he spaced out the fulfillment of these promises, he would have an increasingly hard time dealing with the fallout individually because after each one, his opponents would have time regroup. By front-loading them during his first week, he’s banking on the near certitude that opposition to the policies will fade and will soon be a distant memory.

Approval Ratings

He is putting what has the highest likelihood of being the most noise-inducing at the very start of his tenure because he recognizes that the uproar may have a negative effect on his approval ratings: he’s currently below 50% according to Gallup. But it’s better for him to have low approval rating early on and work up over the remaining four years; this is more feasible when expectations are low. If his ratings are pushed low because of a barrage of bad press corresponding to a barrage of controversial action, future action which is less controversial combined with well-received actions will almost certainly boost his ratings. If this happens, having driven the ratings low early, any increase will look good. After all, it looks a lot better going to 60% from 45% than from 75%.

To note however, his approval ratings are nowhere near how low they can be: Truman and GW hit 22%.

Playing to His Base

Again, he knew the policies he instituted in the first week were going to infuriate his opponents. He knew that they were preparing to pounce on every little move; the ACLU had announced that they’re watching him before he even took office. But rather than temper himself, he doubled down. In doing so, he evoked the ire of all those whose virtue signaling during eight years of Obama’s presidency turned large parts of the country into Trump territory during the last election.

By calling out the mainstream media, which is surprisingly ready to confirm his assertion that they’re out to get him, and by evoking the cries of those who labeled him a fascist and called him and his supporters every name in the book, he continues to fuel his support — and will do so as long as they continue the same behavior.

Trump didn’t get elected by people in Brooklyn, Santa Monica, and Haight-Ashbury: when they continue to call him a fascist, continue calling people in his administration neo-Nazis, and continue to pretend like the end of the United States of America is nigh, they are only alienating themselves and only proving Trump’s point that if you’re not on their side, they’re going to think you’re evil. They can convince themselves as much as they want that they are standing up to some sort of tyranny but, in the end, he is the president of the United States and unless he does something illegal upon which impeachment proceedings can be initiated, their invective is only going to galvanize his base and he knows it.

Kick ’em While They’re Down

Finally, his coup de grace is the flurry he’s unleashed upon his shell-shocked opponents. The Left is still reeling from their election losses and he knows it so he is bombarding them with whatever he’s got early on, while he can. Not only does this make him look strong in contrast with their impotency, he further divides them by hitting them unrelentingly as they try to coalesce.

In a world of limited resources, his opponents must decide which of his policies to rebuke. Will it be the wall? Will it be the immigration order? Will it be abortion? Will it be the pipeline? Will it be his Supreme Court nominee? Will it be Betsy DeVos? It’s difficult enough to form a coalition around one issue, much less five or six; you can’t be protesting DAP while marching on Washington while protesting at your local airport while organizing a phone bank.

The problem is compounded by the weak Democratic Party and the leaderless Democratic National Committee dealing with its own internal power struggle. So Trump is piling it on by telling them that not only do they have to get their house in order, they have to concurrently deal with all his policies while they’re doing so.

The long and short of it is that they won’t be able to.

By the time the Democrats get organized and choose which one or two of his decisions to organize around, people will have become tired of protesting. On the balance, he comes out on top.

Who’s Playing Whom?

Judging by his unexpected win, Trump’s ability to outmaneuver and outsmart a vast and seasoned orchestra of politicos, media, and activists should not be underestimated. By continuing to prophesy the hellish future of the United States while viciously berating its opponents, the Left has played right into the hands of its nemesis: Trump uses the attacks and ad hominems as proof of an elite and tone-deaf conspiracy — and it works.

However you cut it, sticking to your word while keeping your opponents weak and luring them into doing what will ultimately benefit you is artful political strategy.