This is why I've always vehemently disagreed with those who assert Trump is some kind of secret evil genius who only pantomimes his buffoonery. There are smart, progressive people who *still* believe this! https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1345166757972086790

The buffoon who hides his sinister cunning behind a "wot, me guv?" panto act is definitely a type in politics (see: Johnson, Boris). But it's not Trump. He *is* actually as catastrophically incompetent as he appears to be, incapable of planning, much less executing one.

The pandemic was an issue no one had preconceptions about, because it was completely new. Most people knew what they thought about Trump re: immigration, say. But Trump and COVID was obviously novel. It was an opportunity for him to dramatically reset the story of his own gov't.

He had a golden opportunity to completely set the tone for how he would be seen in response to this crisis, because it was impossible for him to be pre-defined on the issue. Instead, he reverted to type because he could never conceive of it as anything other than a slight.

As evil as the man is, we sometimes lose sight of how truly terrible he is at his job *and* the fact that it's not deliberate. He's actually really, really bad at politics (see: all the drama in Congress this past week).

This matters for more than academic reasons. He, and only he, benefits from people building up his legend as this invincible master-strategist who's always playing 3D chess. You can, and must, deny him the mantle of that myth.

The pandemic is an issue, by the way, where *liberals* were queuing up in support for sweeping expansions of state power. Had Trump wanted his Reichstag Fire moment, this was it. Viktor Orban certainly wasted no time consolidating *his* power back in March.

Instead, as ever, Trump takes the path of least resistance. Impotent rage at the virus' very existence; anger that it upstaged him, that it made him look bad...

Because, here's the thing. Trump has always been the heckler tossing peanuts from the stands. His entire Twitter feed during the Obama years was that. But he lacks the self-awareness to realise how *pathetic* that looks when you're the President of the United States.

And yet that's what he kept doing! Because he has no other gear. Blame someone else, claim he could do the job better. So instead he spent his days yelling at *governors*, trying to recapture the glory of his circa-2012 Twitter feed.

He has always seemed to somehow lack the awareness that he has the power to influence events as President. All he knows how to do is yell on Twitter and hope someone gives him what he wants. That's what led to this week's debacle with COVID relief and the NDAA.

So, yes, in sum: he really is this pathetic, this isn't an act, this isn't multidimensional chess. He just really, *really* sucks at this job. Don't give him unearned credit. Because his fans are right about one thing:

What you see is what you get.