In a surprisingly introspective and thoughtful interview on Fox News, the President revealed his political philosophy and tactical approach to social issues.

Fox:  How do you decide the way to address an issue.

Trump:  I’ve found that symbolism is much more important than reality. Ironically, I learned that from “reality TV.”  There’s nothing real about reality TV.  It’s all staged, exaggerated, hyped up.  It’s like professional wrestling.  Simplify everything.  Make it simplistic so people can pick sides, who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy.  My job is to paint everybody who criticizes or challenges me as the bad guy.

Fox:  Can you give us some examples of how you’ve employed this approach?

Trump:  Sure.  If you wear flag pins in your lapel and flood the stage with flags, you sell your supporters that you’re patriotic, and they don’t care if you’re selling out the country to Russia or some other adversary.

Fox:  Any others?

Trump:  Of course.  How about “Respect the Troops!”  I can turn any issue into a respect the troops issue. Kneeling during the national anthem at a football game to protest police brutality against minorities — you don’t respect the troops.  Of course, it has nothing to do with the troops, but I made it that way, and now I have turned the debate around from injustice, where we’d be on the defensive, to the troops, where I can go on the offensive!

Fox:  Amazing!

Trump:  Then, here’s “Drain the Swamp!” I convinced people that there are a bunch of selfish, money and power hungry people in Washington who don’t have the people’s interests at heart, and I was going to change that.  I was going to drain the swamp!  But of course, I replaced them with even more selfish, more power-hungry people, who thought they were entitled to fly on private planes at the public expense, who were more elitist than the elites, who were only in it for themselves, starting with me and my family of course.

Fox:  Haha, yeah, that was great!

Trump:  Hillary gave a speech at Goldman Sachs and I said they owned her.  But I appointed Goldman Sachs executives to the top economic positions in my Administration, and it’s OK. They are driving my tax cut for the rich, and I have sold it as a great boon to the MIDDLE CLASS. Can you believe it?  Me, a champion of the middle class??  As my slacker son Don Jr. would say, Give Me a Break!

Fox: Who is your philosophical inspiration?

Trump:  Lincoln.

Fox:  Lincoln??

Trump:  That’s right.  He said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time.”  That’s my 35%.  That’s all I need!