I'll lightly disagree, John. Trump's reactions are not attacks on policy. On that score you're right. But if you're defining malice as motive-less, then I'll suggest it's not malice. Malice often suggests a pleasure in cruelty that is at the same time thoughtful in its exercise (to optimize the cruelty of the situation). But Trump's reactions are more undirected, more id-oriented. He is a rage-aholic on the one hand (very id-like); over-effusive on the other with praise for whoever pleasures him by stroking his ego--or when he needs to self-stroke (more id); blame averse (more id); projection-prone in classic Freudian style (more id). See the pattern? As a man-child his behavior is too gross for even malice. (How crazy is that? I'm asserting that malice is too fine a term for his habit of tongue-lashing those who call him out and tongue-basting those who invite him in.
I'll lightly disagree, John. Trump's reactions are not attacks on policy. On that score you're right. But if you're defining malice as motive-less, then I'll suggest it's not malice. Malice often suggests a pleasure in cruelty that is at the same time thoughtful in its exercise (to optimize the cruelty of the situation). But Trump's reactions are more undirected, more id-oriented. He is a rage-aholic on the one hand (very id-like); over-effusive on the other with praise for whoever pleasures him by stroking his ego--or when he needs to self-stroke (more id); blame averse (more id); projection-prone in classic Freudian style (more id). See the pattern? As a man-child his behavior is too gross for even malice. (How crazy is that? I'm asserting that malice is too fine a term for his habit of tongue-lashing those who call him out and tongue-basting those who invite him in.