Trump’s experience in the world of business, Brams said, has almost certainly made him personally familiar with the strategy.
“It’s a common argument in bargaining situations, which of course is Trump’s background,” he said.
In fact, he pointed out, Trump’s history of driving several large business ventures into bankruptcy with questionable decision-making likely only increased the effectiveness of a “madman strategy” in the corporate world.
Adding to the evidence that Trump is consciously pursuing a strategy of appearing erratic and impulsive, he has said countless time in interviews before and after being elected president that he values appearing “unpredictable” in negotiations.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it translates well in this particular case,” Brams said. “I think in business dealings, Trump could threaten to do something dire, but dire wasn’t blowing up the world. It maybe blew up some business enterprise — preferably not his — but he could claim that both sides would go down and he was more willing to accept that than the other side. But now, when you are talking about nuclear weapons, it seems to me it’s a much more dangerous game.”
Even more troubling, he said, is that Kim, the young North Korean despot with a finger on his own nuclear button, appears to be pursuing a similar strategy.
“We’re in a situation where the opponent is playing the same sort of game,” he said. “It’s worrisome that they both could escalate to the point of no return.”
And as if that possibility isn’t upsetting enough for you, Brams has one more observation: The whole concept of madman theory rests on the idea that the person executing the strategy isn’t actually insane.
“The main point is that it’s feigned,” he said. “You’re not really as crazy as you seem, but you want the enemy to think you are. Now, I think in Trump’s case, he may be as crazy as he seems.”
