“They say an old man is twice a child,” Rosencrantz remarks in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as he and the prince of Denmark observe Polonius. It’s a borrowed line, dating back to antiquity: Sophocles wrote, “For the aged man is once again a child.” We all recognize that old age can cause senility and fragility. And when a person is already inclined toward delusion, that trait can become more entrenched and grandiose over time. The irony in Rosencrantz’s comment is that he is speaking with a character who is both feigning madness and possibly descending into it. Polonius, in fact, is the one to note that Hamlet’s act may produce certain benefits, declaring, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t.”
We’ve seen this strategy throughout modern political history. Khrushchev feigned irrationality to strike fear into the West. Reagan thought it benefited him if Russia viewed him as possibly crazy. After Hiroshima, Truman wanted the Japanese to believe he would bombard them with “a rain of ruin from the air,” even though he only had one more bomb at his disposal (and figured it a bonus if the Soviets thought he might drop one again). Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what is an act and what is true madness, but it’s important to recognize when there is no meaning to be found—no method to the madness.
That seemed to be CNBC economic analyst Steve Liesman’s conclusion last week about President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “I’m going to say this at risk of my job,” Liesman said, “but what President Trump is doing is insane. It is absolutely insane … and now he’s saying he’s putting 50 percent tariffs on Canada unless they agree to become the fifty-first state. That is insane. There’s just no other way of describing it.” Host Kelly Evans countered with an attempt to make sense of Trump’s actions, suggesting the president might be motivated by Canada’s threat to tax electricity exports or that he might be employing “insanity as a strategy.” But Liesman wasn’t having it. “Insanity is not a strategy,” he retorted.
It’s not just Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy that appears insane. His entire administration is defined by madness—in both senses. On Friday, he went on another incoherent rant on social media, claiming once that the 2020 election was stolen from him and rewriting history to blame all of our current problems, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on Joe Biden. In other Truth Social posts, he’s boasted about being a king and claimed that the “European Union was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States.”
If these acts were merely confined to deranged posts, perhaps one could argue there’s “method in his madness.” After his rant on Friday, Trump gave a speech at the Justice Department wherein he kvetched about various imaginary enemies of the United States (which, coincidentally, are his personal enemies) and made clear that he expects the department to serve as an extension of his personal wrath. Similar delusions have led to the dismantling of USAID, a wasteful visit to Fort Knox to check if the gold had been stolen, and continual talk about annexing other countries.
Even his official portrait shows signs of delusion. He seems to have intentionally posed like Winston Churchill because, in his mind, he’s of the same mold and is saving the world. He’s promoted a book called Trump and Churchill, which might as well be called Trump and Mickey Mouse for all the supposed similarities.
Worse still, his delusions are echoing throughout his administration. His aides, advisers, Cabinet appointees, and other defenders are going to ridiculous lengths to invent methods for Trump’s madness. Asked last week about Trump’s tariff threats, his senior trade and manufacturing adviser, Peter Navarro, said, “Looks like the president is negotiating strategically. So stop with the rhetoric. OK? Just stop that crap.” When a reporter replied, “But he does seem to be changing his mind all the time,” Navarro snapped back, “Stop that crap!” Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, went even further that same day, claiming that “tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.” She added that the tariffs would make us “wealthy again,” as if we haven’t experienced any growth since the McKinley administration.
Practically everyone in Trump’s orbit is there solely because they’ve shown a willingness to go to great lengths to entertain his delusions and stroke his ego. His attorney general, Pam Bondi, got the job because she supports the delusion that Trump was wrongfully and illegally targeted by federal prosecutors. Likewise, Kash Patel, the new FBI director, understood that engaging Trump’s delusions and constantly flattering him were key to landing a big role in the administration. Patel has been a frequent proponent of the idea of a widespread and nefarious “deep state,” and he’s even written children’s books wherein he helps topple the enemies of “King Donald.”
Adding the most fuel to the fire, perhaps, is Trump’s right-hand man—yet another angry megalomaniac who suffers delusions of grandeur (and grand delusions). Elon Musk’s rage toward Democrats may stem in part from a perceived snub by the White House under the Biden administration, when Musk wasn’t invited to an electric vehicle event (though he had also, of course, grown tired of what he saw as interference from federal regulators in his businesses). These days, Musk competes with Trump on a near-daily basis for the title of Most Batshit Social Media Post. Last month, he tweeted that the journalists at 60 Minutes “deserve a long prison sentence” for the crime of editing an interview with Kamala Harris. The other day, he retweeted a post blaming “public sector workers” for millions of deaths under Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. (As it happens, Musk’s own policies as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency are causing people to die around the world.)
Some of you might argue that Trump isn’t mad, but just a psychopath feigning madness for his own ends. Or perhaps his ludicrous assertions began as convenient foils and have morphed into true delusions. After all, he’s had plenty of people telling him he’s right. Perhaps there’s a more accurate Shakespearean comparison, then. King Lear has a deep hole in him that constantly has to be filled: He insists that his three daughters publicly fawn over him to gain his graces and dismisses his most beloved daughter, Cordelia, when she refuses to engage in the practice. He cannot accept the errors of his ways. Yet Lear somehow retains his hold on power even as his hold on reality slips away, until ultimately he meets his demise and causes the death of all who are dear to him.
We are in a Shakespearean moment right now. Journalists are trying to understand Trump’s irrational behavior, and are generally unwilling to consider the possibility that it is not some grand strategy but just a sign of a madman with increasingly diminished mental faculties. Perhaps he’s not quite yet burying steaks to grow meat trees, like George III, but Trump’s delusions cause considerably more damage than that. Are we going to wait until he’s ranting about “drainage” like Daniel Plainview and beating someone to death with a bowling pin? Are we going to continue to bend over backward to pretend that this emperor isn’t naked?
