The Method Behind Trump’s Madness | Opinion

Every day seems to bring a new story that highlights Donald Trump’s tendency to break norms, showcase narcissism, and turn virtually any situation into a personal power play.

The latest example involves a major tunnel infrastructure project that would significantly improve train travel between New York and New Jersey. Trump reportedly withdrew federal funding for the project but offered to restore it if Penn Station was renamed after him. As if that weren’t enough, he also demanded that Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., carry his name. While this level of self-aggrandizement is extreme, it’s consistent with Trump’s pattern of inserting himself into national landmarks, like when he put his name on a key site honoring President John F. Kennedy.

To make sense of this behavior, a forthcoming book, Trump’s Ten Commandments, offers a clear framework. The book breaks down Trump’s playbook into ten recurring strategies, showing how his universe revolves entirely around himself a kind of god complex, which explains the Biblically inspired title. What makes the book especially insightful is the author’s unique perspective.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale School of Management and head of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, co-wrote the book with his associate Steven Tian. Sonnenfeld combines deep academic expertise in leadership with close relationships with CEOs and political leaders around the world, giving him a rare vantage point on Trump’s behavior. Over the years, he has interacted with Trump personally, observing his style in both business and politics firsthand.

Sonnenfeld first encountered Trump as a media commentator during The Apprentice. Concerned that the show misrepresented real leadership, he became a media sparring partner for Trump. Trump even offered him the presidency of Trump University, which Sonnenfeld wisely declined. While Sonnenfeld admits he was charmed by Trump, he has also helped organize business opposition to Trump’s policies. The book, however, is not a critique of policy it objectively identifies recurring behaviors in Trump’s playbook.

Some view Trump as a “dangerous lunatic” whose actions seem irrational. Sonnenfeld argues that dismissing Trump’s strategic acumen is a mistake. The book identifies ten “commandments” or strategies that Trump repeatedly uses, regardless of context. Three stand out:

1. The punch-in-the-face approach: Trump often begins negotiations with an extreme demand to unsettle his opponents. By starting with an outrageous position, he can later claim a “win” even when the final outcome is less extreme than his initial stance. His approach to Greenland is a notable example.

2. The sleeper effect: Trump repeats statements endlessly, true or false, with such confidence that they begin to be accepted as fact. Media outlets that support him often amplify this effect by echoing his assertions.

3. “I alone can fix it” syndrome: Trump constantly promotes himself as the hero, framing all accomplishments in terms of his own brilliance. This self-aggrandizement extends to physical spaces as well, with his signature obsession for gilded embellishments.

The book emphasizes that these strategies form a consistent playbook. Yet, much of the public remains either shocked or indifferent to Trump’s behavior, despite its repetitive nature.

Ultimately, only someone like Trump could embody this playbook fully. It requires a unique mix of personality traits and flaws, reflecting a deeply egocentric, even sociopathic mindset though a full psychiatric analysis is outside the scope of leadership scholarship and belongs to trained mental health professionals.