Before we go out to vote for President of The United States tomorrow, I've asked a good friend of mine, one of Inc. Magazine's TOP 100 Leadership Speakers, Canadian and fellow keynote speaker, to weigh in on the phenomenon that is Donald Trump.
_______________________________________________________________“Just Grab Them by Their P***y”
It was just one in a long line of outrageous and potentially career-destroying statements from Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. It was hardly the first and even as I write this, he may have said something equally if not more shocking. As the final days to the November 8 election countdown, I can assure you that there will be at least one more to come.
Although this particular statement created chaos in the Republican establishment, including some big time names leaping off the Trump train, I doubt it made much, if any difference in his base of supporters. After all, how many times have we heard some version of “Well this is the one, this time he has destroyed his candidacy”?
He Said What?
Let me remind you of just a few of his statements:
- John McCain “is not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
- “It doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”
- In reference to Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…and some, I assume are good people.”
- “Rosie O’Donnell, I’d look at her right in that fat, ugly face of hers, I’d say ‘Rosie, you’re fired.’”
- “It’s freezing and snowing in New York – we need global warming.”
The list gets added to almost every day.
What’s Going On?
Let me be clear,
this article is not aimed at condemning or condoning Donald J Trump, but
rather to wake people up. I chose to write this because due to my
training and background I’m seeing some things that just wouldn’t be
obvious if you don’t know what you are looking for.
One thing I hear from many intelligent people–Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike—is curiosity and confusion as to why Trump can say such outrageous things and not have them negatively effect his campaign. People are baffled as to why no matter what Trump says, his popularity doesn’t take a hit and, in fact often goes up. This same question can be heard either approvingly or disparagingly by the media, who are equally bewildered.
The most common argument for Donald Trump is that he is not ‘politics as usual’, and that is inarguably true. However, Trump is not just a step away from politics as usual; he is in many ways the polarity, and that’s part of his magic; Trump is a polarizing character, people either love him or hate him, but very few are on the fence. Many of his statements are assessed by experts as the ravings an unintelligent mad man, while others see him as quite calculated in his rhetoric and focus. He’s The Real Teflon Don
So can Trump be “decoded”? Can the secret to his success be uncovered? Yes, if you know where and how to look. I believe there are three key reasons Trump appears to be “Teflon.”
He claims to be the voice of the disenfranchised:
This for me is
one of the most brilliant manipulations to ever be perpetrated on the
American people!
Think of it: Donald Trump a garishly wealthy, silver spooned one percenter who lives a lofty gold-plated penthouse high above the plebeian masses has convinced the American working and struggling middle class that he understands and represents them. He points out how the things he says are not politically correct (and often deeply offensive) because he like his audience is not a polished politician. By doing this he taps into the psyche of those who feel that they are not heard by those in power, particularly those in Washington. His voice becomes the externalized voice of a deeply frustrated, and often vile, racist, and misogynistic voice of those who feel shushed by an overly politically correct society.
Think of it: Donald Trump a garishly wealthy, silver spooned one percenter who lives a lofty gold-plated penthouse high above the plebeian masses has convinced the American working and struggling middle class that he understands and represents them. He points out how the things he says are not politically correct (and often deeply offensive) because he like his audience is not a polished politician. By doing this he taps into the psyche of those who feel that they are not heard by those in power, particularly those in Washington. His voice becomes the externalized voice of a deeply frustrated, and often vile, racist, and misogynistic voice of those who feel shushed by an overly politically correct society.
The need and desire to belong
When a person
feels disenfranchised in some way, they experience an unconscious desire
to belong. This is the unconscious pull for the safety of the tribe.
Therefore, if a leader is able to show or manipulate the disenfranchised individual(s) into believing that they as an outsider “fit” in the leader’s tribe, there’s a good chance that the individual will ferociously defend anything said by the leader. Furthermore, if the leader uses doomsday rhetoric based on an “us and them” mentality (creating an enemy) followed by Messianic messages about “Only I can fix this” (save you); no matter how ludicrous or outrageous the leaders statements are the unconscious need to defend and protect the leader only increases.
Therefore, if a leader is able to show or manipulate the disenfranchised individual(s) into believing that they as an outsider “fit” in the leader’s tribe, there’s a good chance that the individual will ferociously defend anything said by the leader. Furthermore, if the leader uses doomsday rhetoric based on an “us and them” mentality (creating an enemy) followed by Messianic messages about “Only I can fix this” (save you); no matter how ludicrous or outrageous the leaders statements are the unconscious need to defend and protect the leader only increases.
And finally, and perhaps the most revealing:
His speech patterns
Late night comedy
will often show a 30-second clip of Trump apparently rambling on
somewhat incoherently about something and then make fun of what he said.
However, for those of us who are highly training in NLP
(Neuro Linguistic Programing) it’s what comes directly after that
30-second ramble that reveals his true power.
First off, you need to understand that NLP says that when presented by chaos, the conscious mind becomes distracted and effectively shuts down. This leaves the unconscious (and far more powerful) mind wide open to receive what are known as “installed commands.” In stage magic this is called ‘slight of hand’; the magician get you to focus on one hand so that you don’t notice what he’s doing with the other.
Therefore, when Trump appears to go off on a word salad tangent about something no one, not even his most ardent supporter can follow, his audiences’ minds become totally vulnerable to whatever he says next. Consequently when his “rambling” is followed by a installed command statement, that he will very effectively repeat two or three times in a row, the statement not only lands, it sticks!
The audience doesn’t remember the ramble, but you can bet that the “command” will be retained. And what sort of “commands” is he giving? “Crooked Hillary.” “Lock her up.” “The election is rigged.” Don’t believe me? Watch the Trump speeches and you’ll be amazed how many times he uses this technique. This is known as ‘slight of mouth’.
Trump has constantly used each of these three strategies throughout his campaign. However, let’s be clear. This is a sincerely calculated process that requires constant and consistent upkeep and testing.
Of course, I cannot verify if Donald Trump has actually studied these techniques or if, over his 70 years of life, he stumbled on them and realized their power. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. He uses them and uses them more effectively than any other American politician in modern history. His followers, many of whom are not the uneducated voters that comedians likes to poke fun at, but rather people who are highly educated and intelligent rally around him even more after he says things like “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose voters” because it is true.
Nothing New
Now, note I said that he has used these techniques more effectively than any other American politician
has in modern history. I said that because these techniques aren’t new.
They are the methods that every dictatorial leader in history has used.
All it takes is an environment like that of pre-Revolutionary Russia,
China, Cambodia, Uganda and so many more places where the wealthy have
all the power, and corruption is rampant for a Stalin, an Idi Amin, a
Marcos, a Franco to arise, garner support and take over a country.
You may think it can’t happen in America, but it can and it is. The Cult of Trump is on the rise!
Please share, like and comment below!
With gratitude,
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Meet Dõv Baron
Dov is the leading authority on Authentic Leadership, and Leadership Succession or, as he prefers to call it, “Full Monty Leadership.”
The world’s only Corporate Cultural Momentum Strategist, Dov works with leaders and executive teams to build the bonds that create corporate cultures that become Fiercely Loyal.
He also writes for and has been featured in many industry magazines including CNN, CBS Small Business Pulse, SHRM, Yahoo Finance, Boston Globe, Business in Vancouver, USA today, CEO, Entrepreneur and many more.
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Now some of you may be upset by what Dov said, but let's stay neutral as business professionals and analyze what is happening. And if you are a Trump fan, and MANY of my friends are in BOTH Hillary and Trump CAMPS, you have to admit, Trump is the most unpolished speaker I have ever seen.
Let's keep the faith and keep moving forward as we evolve into the 21st Century of politics.
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