A.B.O.U.T. Behavior #29 : Creating Attention Deficit World
After years of avoiding press conferences and briefings, recently Mr. Trump has barraged us with daily updates about the coronavirus. In these sessions he bombards us with demonstrations of his ADHD symptoms: making careless errors due to inattention, interrupting himself and others, poor planning, negligible follow-through, jumping from task to task, blurting out impulsive comments, and incessant motion. Why are his poll numbers actually rising right now, when so many of his problematic behaviors are on full display?
Part of the answer may be that he has set the bar so low with his previous performances, that people find it refreshing that he has the ability to demonstrate concern about serious issues facing all Americans. For many, coronavirus and economic collapse might feel more immediate, compelling, and real, than his tirades about a trade imbalance with China, drug gangs invading our southern border, or whether the mainstream media generates “fake news”.
Success in holding onto his base constitutes the biggest share of his current popularity. His cheering section retains a strong confirmation bias — they see and hear what they expect, and disregard the rest. They accept at face value Mr. Trump’s claims that he is valiantly fighting the coronavirus and that any errors in the…
