I was going to save this until after the inauguration, but the more I think about it, given the number of 24/7 doom-porn accounts out there, it may be helpful to say this out loud beforehand: beware of any pundit who claims Trump is much smarter than he looks.

For the last four years, there have been Extremely Online pundits out there that liberals, in particular, have been very credulous about, looking for hope or understanding amidst a neo-fascist presidency.

And I've RTed a few in my time. I'm not claiming my hands are clean.

The thing is, Trump is an emotionally exoskeletal man who has no inner life, unique among world leaders in giving us all a hotline to his id. What you see is what you get.

This presents a problem for the average #Resistance grifter.

How can you sell your insight if Trump is so obvious and so easy to get? If he's as clever and witty as a bag of hammers, then there's little to say.

But if he's a 3D chess mastermind with a secret, cunning plot, then you can make bank/clout by telling everyone what it is.

In *that* universe, there's a market for being The Trump Understander as a full time job, for the Seth Abramsons of the world to sell their unique expertise.

Given that this is a market, all I can say is caveat emptor.

There's ample room for expert analysis of this presidency, and insight to be gleaned even from the obvious. I study extremists online, yes, but when I tweet here about the Administration it's mainly as a well-read WOC who keeps up with the news. This isn't that hard.

But I don't bullshit you about Trump's capabilities or competence.

The fact is, a man this manifestly incompetent, boorish, unwise, and clever as a potato in a blender has brought this nation to the brink of ruin. You need to accept that.

The myth of Trump's hidden genius persists among liberals because some want to believe that only a criminal mastermind could get this far, do *this* much damage.

But nah; it's amazing how far white supremacism and institutional conservatism will get you without trying.

It's a way of trying to preserve the myth of American invincibility and righteousness amidst Trump's assault on democracy. Better to believe that he leads a "transnational crime syndicate" based in Russia than the fact that a fly-by-night grifter nearly destroyed this nation.

So, yes, be cautious about #Resistance grifters telling you *you're* stupid for thinking Trump is incompetent. They're just trying to justify their own existence; nothing more or less.