Mr. Trump’s purpose was to persuade the representatives to unite around him, a pitch he delivered in a subdued version of his stream-of-consciousness style. Mr. Trump’s erroneous proclamation also suggested that he lacked even an interest in the Constitution. Last week, Mr. Trump commented on Twitter that flag-burning should be punished by jailing and revocation of citizenship. Although I suspect that Mr. Trump’s chief purpose was to provoke his opponents, his action was consistent with the authoritarian playbook he uses. Mr. Trump’s inconsistencies and provocative proposals are a strategy; they are intended to elevate his importance above all else — and to place him beyond democratic norms, beyond even the Constitution.

Source: New York Times December 05, 2016 08:22 UTC