As President Trump prepares to address Congress we are again hearing about what he needs to do to promote his agenda and do all the other things he needs to do in order to be a successful President. We have, of course, heard all this many times before. And nothing has come of it. Trump continues to do what he does despite all the advice to change. The following fable may perhaps explain why. Star Trek fans may recognize it because it is the fable the two part cliffhanger “Scorpion” was named after.
A scorpion was walking along a river bank. It wanted to get to the other side. Seeing a fox the scorpion asked the fox if it could ride on the fox’s back in order to cross the river. The fox replied “Why should I let you do that? If you sit on my back you will sting me and I will die”. The scorpion replied “If I stung you I would die also.” The fox thought this over and decided it was safe to let the scorpion ride on his back. So the scorpion got on the back of the fox and they began crossing the river together. Halfway across the river the scorpion stung the fox. “Why did you do that?” the fox asked. “Now we will both die.” The scorpion replied “I couldn’t help myself. It’s my nature.”
In the end Trump can’t help himself. It’s his nature. The idea there is going to be a new Trump, a different Trump, a Trump who will act as a normal politician who holds the office of POTUS is an exercise in wishful thinking. Trump is a narcissist, possibly a sociopathic one. He cares only for himself. He is mentally lazy. He doesn’t want to read or listen to others who know more than he does. And that as they say is that. The Trump administration is not going to change. It can’t change. In the end he would have to change his nature. That isn’t going to happen.
