If trump has the opportunity to

[choie]

1. Act to better the lives of Americans and non-Americans
2. Act to worsen the lives of Americans and non-Americans (this includes doing absolutely nothing, which in turn will worsen the lives of Americans and non-Americans)

He will do #2 every time. He has never EVER chosen #1.

Trump has the ability to order the USDA to release billions of dollars to fund SNAP while the shutdown continues. And he actively decides NOT to do it.

#2 every time.

[ShazzieB]

1. Actively decides not to or just can't be bothered?

The net effects are the same either way, of course. However, he is a malignant narcissist who has absolutely no empathy for how things affect anyone but him, he's extremely lazy, and his dementia has reached a point where he has only a vague notion of what's going on most of the time. I doubt he cares enough about SNAP benefits (if he even knows what they are) to actively make any kind of decision about them.

At the rate his brain is deteriorating, I'm afraid his presidency is rapidly approaching Weekend at Bernie's status, if it's not there already. I'm pretty sure his flying monkeys are already making most of the decisions at this point. I say this NOT to make excuses for him, but because I think that's the truth of the matter.

[choie]

2. Hmm, I think I disagree.

Yes, he's definitely a lazy POS, but as a New Yorker, I clearly remember his ad stating that the Central Park 5 should face the death penalty. That was 40 years ago. The cruelty is the point. So I think it's purposeful. He gets off on being cruel and vindictive.

[ShazzieB]

3. He does get off on cruelty, especially when it's personal.

No argument there. He gets off on the cruelty most of all when the target is someone he views as an enemy.

However, I think his dementia is making it harder and harder for him to focus on anything long enough for effective decision making of planning. His mind wanders from one moment to the next, and half the time, he can't even hold on to a single thought long enough to coherently finish a sentence. Sometimes he gets distracted by a word that reminds him of another word and he's off on some completely unrelated tangent. His ability to comprehend the "big picture" of anything is seriously compromised at this point.

In the case of releasing funds for SNAP benefits, it's possible he's purposely not acting, but I think it's also possible that he's oblivious to the whole thing. If he had any competent and responsible advisors, one of them might point out to him that he has the power to release money to fund SNAP, but the flying monkeys that are staffing his administration aren't going to do any such thing, and I'm not convinced that it would even occur to him without a reminder. I'm not convinced he even knows what SNAP is, much less comprehend the ramifications of not funding it.

I'll admit I'm somewhat biased, because I've watched a lot of videos lately analyzing his decline and pointing out how his dementia is affecting him. As a result, I'm looking at him through that lens and seeing him differently than I would otherwise. Some people look at him and still see the crafty schemer he used to be. I see a tired, weak, bumbling old coot who is still as mean as a rabid wolverine but no longer able to focus his meanness as effectively as he used to. Even when it comes to specific people who he regards as personal enemies, he simply orders Pam Bondi to go after them and lets her figure out the details.

I'm aware that not everyone sees him the way I do, but I can't unsee the videos I've watched or unknow the things I've learned from them.