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Transcript

Tim O'Brien: A Deep Dive Into Trump's Shallow Mind

"To the Contrary" Podcast

“Well, Charlie, living inside Donald Trump's head, you discover there's not many things in there other than a putter, a cheeseburger, a porn video, and somebody else's credit card. And it never extends very far beyond those items because he's focused always on the most basic and visceral of things, his various appetites, his various needs.

“You can usually understand him through two lenses, either self-aggrandizement or self-preservation, very little else.” — Tim O’Brien

Happy Sunday.

Tim O’Brien joins me on today’s “To the Contrary” Podcast for a deep dive into the shallow mind of the man in the Oval Office. Tim is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for The New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald,” and one the nation’s foremost experts in the dark recesses of The Donald’s cerebellum.

You can listen/watch right here, or: Watch on YouTube / Listen (and subscribe) on Apple/ Spotify / iHeart / RSS Feed.

We taped our conversation before Trump quoted Napoleon — who staged a coup, overthrew a Republic and named himself dictator — but it was very much on brand for the lawless narcissist, wasn’t it?

(Yes, we’ll have more to say about this later.)

No billionaires. No oligarches. Just smart, straight, sober analysis. With a touch of snark. And dogs. Always dogs. To the Contrary is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Some highlights of my conversation with O’Brien:

Does Donald Trump even understand how money works?

Is Trump bluffing on tariffs? Or will he do it?

What has Trump done to our image in the world?

There is a reckoning coming.

No surrender. No grovelling. And no pretending that any of this is normal. But I need your help. To the Contrary is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

ICYMI:

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Sunday dogs

Sunday morning buddies.

BONUS: Valentine dogs:

Fern and Leo.