this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2025
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Summary

A new book, A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, reveals Donald Trump's ignorance on key historical and geopolitical issues.

During a 2017 visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, Trump reportedly asked, "What's this all about?" showing a lack of understanding of Pearl Harbor.

The book also details Trump's confusion over India's border with China, his eagerness to meet Vladimir Putin before taking office, and his frustration with anti-bribery laws.

The authors claim their findings are based on extensive interviews and documents.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 191 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Trump does not understand ~~Pearl Harbor~~ anything.

Professor Kelley told me 100 times over three decades that “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddam student I ever had.” I remember his emphasis and inflection — it went like this — “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddam student I ever had.” Dr. Kelley told me this after Trump had become a celebrity but long before he was considered a political figure. Dr. Kelley often referred to Trump’s arrogance when he told of this — that Trump came to Wharton thinking he already knew everything.

The USA is the worst fucking society because it's allowed these pricks that know nothing but think they know it all to fail upward their whole fucking lives. Musk is another prick exactly like this. These coddled fucking baby bitches who are going to tear down all the things that allowed them to amass such wealth. They literally think they're above it all and think things like "stability" or "respect on the international stage" are jokes.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's not just born rich losers like Trump failing upward. It's across our entire society. I personally know typical Americans who have been allowed to fail upwards their whole lives. Not intelligent people who are in roles they shouldn't be in. It's across the board. Our society is built to allow stupid people to fail upwards. There simply aren't enough barriers to keep them from positions they shouldn't be in.

I couldn't agree more vigorously.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Trump understands all the worst impulses of humanity and appeals to them without hesitation or shame.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm not sure just living his authentic self means he "understands" the worst impulses as much as he just projects his own worst impulses onto the world.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago

That's true, it's not really actual understanding. He knows how his narcissistic mind works and also has learned that if he simply follows his impulses he eventually gets what he wants.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Yeah. It's an instinct thing. Donald Trump is not a planner.

He's just an asshole being an asshole and that appeals to a lot of assholes in this country.

[–] ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So I guess this Professor Kelley failed him in whatever course they teach... Right?

[–] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

As a college instructor, it's difficult sometimes. The dumbest goddamn students I've ever had still manage to pass sometimes due to being friends with the right people or getting lucky when cheating in a way that I can't necessarily prove. I can be 100% certain that someone cheated, but if I can't objectively prove it, it's really, really dangerous (to my career) to fail that student, especially when they are as connected and narcissistic as Trump.

Plus, lots of people take advantage of more inclusive accommodations and more forgiving grading or attendance policies to the point that sometimes they do pass despite knowing a tiny fraction of the material. I could eliminate a lot of that by making the tests harder and removing a lot of academic support services I offer to make the class more "sink or swim," but then I'm mostly punishing the people that need my help the most. I just have to remind myself that it's better to pass a student that doesn't deserve it than it is to misjudge the situation and fail a student who legitimately just needed some additional understanding or academic support.

One would hope...

[–] doctortofu@reddthat.com 71 points 1 day ago (3 children)

"When Mr Trump early in his tenure agreed to feature in an HBO documentary in which all living presidents read from the constitution, Mr Trump blamed others in the room when he struggled to read the text.

"It's like a foreign language,” he allegedly complained."

People are often saying "hurr durr Trump can't read," but even that is not really a joke - the man truly is barely literate.

What have you done America, what the hell have you done...

[–] Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 1 day ago

What have you done America, what the hell have you done…

Apparently nothing much in terms of general education.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

What have you done America, what the hell have you done…

Sided with an anti-intellectual felon rapist traitor.

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Was that regular type, or the original cursive?

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Look, if you invited me for a film where random lemmy-users read constitutions, I would fucking memorize that shit so that I could do it with my eyes closed. Old cursive sucks to read, and I definitely can't read it as fast as I can talk... but come on.

[–] Superheavy@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Intelligence on par with the Americans that voted for him, twice.

[–] twjolson@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago

The guy looked straight into the sun. There is no ending to "Trump doesn't understand... " that would surprise me.

[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 75 points 1 day ago (1 children)

During a meeting with Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister’s “eyes bulged out in surprise”, the Washington Post reporters claim, when Mr Trump told him: “It’s not like you’ve got China on your border.” China and India in fact share more than 2,000 miles of common border.

Mr Modi’s expression “shifted from shock and concern to resignation”

Modi is all of us. Shocked at the stupidity, concerned for our well being then resigned to the fact Trump doesn't even care about either.

[–] JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

He appears to be unaware that Russia is a neighbour to the US.

[–] exploitedamerican@lemm.ee 8 points 1 day ago

Billionaires are mostly all idiots who never had to actually educate themselves. Out of the 760 of them in the USA 12-15 of them are probably in the 130+ iq range and the rest are barely above or below the 100 median range. Even with their expensive private education most of them likely paid others to do their school work like george bush was rumored to have at yale. Then with nixon and reagan severely cutting education standards at the direction of their mutual consultant roger freeman saying that we were en route for a highly educated proletariat which was a threat to them and would result in mass unemployment (since people who are intelligent enough can easily understand capitalism is exploitative and many of the wages offered are not worth the effort input) now we are in a full fledged fascist hellscape. They are so emboldened they dont even attempt to hide it anymore.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 32 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The article is not a long read, and recounts a number of other horrifyingly stupid things.

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"It's not like you have China at your border"

Ugh

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

“I have had a two-hour meeting with Putin. That's all I need to know ... I've sized it all up. I've got it.”

The common thread is his default assumption that he already knows everything important there is to know. This is the sign of someone not only profoundly ignorant but also profoundly stupid, who has never noticed how this assumption is always wrong.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago

Even I know that there's always something important that you don't know, but you have to draw a line and make a decision anyway, and I'm just some asshole on the internet.

[–] teft@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago

Well his hero was in the European theater and died by suicide in a bunker in Berlin so it kind of makes sense he doesn't know about the Pacific theater.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rocket's red glare it had nothing but victory.

Trump speaking about the Revolutionary War. I'm supposed to be surprised he doesn't "get" Pearl Harbour?

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 2 points 1 day ago

We dominated the air in the revolutionary war for sure, but it was mainly because Britain didn’t have any airports.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

This loser has had a silver spoon shoved up his ass his entire life. Hey, weren't conservatives supposed to be against that kind of thing? Oh wait, conservatives don't actually have standards. Trump hasn't been forced to learn or grow because of that silver spoon. That's why he's an 80 year old man that acts like a 5 year old child and is about as intelligent as one. Does anyone, other than idiots, expect him to know anything about American history?

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We should be thankful he doesn’t get Pearl Harbor, fucktard would probably try to attack Japan.

[–] TheFogan@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

I don't know, he seems to have pretty positive views for the axis side of WW2. He'd probably be thinking "what if we had smart loyal pilots like the japanese, but with nukes". and would begin pushing for a supprise nuclear kamakazi strike against a nation that wouldn't see it coming. (maybe canada).

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Book came out in 2020, why are they talking about it like it's new?

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I agree and don't understand either.

The first thing I noticed when looking for it is that it is from after his last term.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I see. 👍

[–] PennyRoyal@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago

In fairness, harbour is a pretty long word for someone with the reading comprehension of a toddler

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