Trump convicts himself of being a shallow, egotistical, control freak. He seems overly concerned about what other people think about him. It appears the only value women have to him is his assessment of their physical beauty.
Trump is the kind of guy who would shit on someone's sofa and when caught instead of taking responsibility, he would offer them a dollar to clean it up if they gave him a positive review.
In both of these audio recordings, Trump said it was off the record many times. The press is risking paying a very high price for this. Who knows how many important, if not critical conversations will never happen because of this. Even the release of the grab 'em by the pussy audio can be questioned under the idea there is an implied obligation to the interviewee that they are aware of what is being recorded.
We may have lost a tool in which knowledgable sources will not risk going off the record to convey the seriousness or the validity of an international crisis, for example.
Trump's mentality is based on self-agrandizement and he will say anything to achieve this primary imperative.
Trump was able to recognize and leverage certain groups feelings of persecution, mistrust of our media, and dissatisfaction of our politicians into the Presidency.
News organizations face a dilemma of maximizing ratings though heavy coverage of Hollywood gossip or focusing important news events and consumer issues. In my opinion, the media maximizes their credibility with the public when they do not push an agenda through general "reporting". Editorial comments should be used for that purpose.
In addition, it is critical our politicians become less partisan. They need to focus of the needs of the American people, not just "their" voters. Each new change of party leadership has brought an escalating focus to their own objectives causing inconsistent policy from administration to administration. This is not efficient governance.
The key is ethics - individual and organizational self accountability and holding other's accountable for their actions. Anything less opens the doors for Trump like leaders gaining power.
