Trump and The 48 Laws of Power: Mastery at Its Finest

Every person on the face of this planet, in one way or another, is bound to a particular way of thinking, and a set of principles, that guide their actions. If most people were able to understand this, they would spend less time judging and trying to figure out others, and more time doing their own thing, because they would already realize that people are going to do whatever they want to do regardless. Their thinking patterns lead them to do so. But the truth is that most people will never reach this level of thinking. If they ever do, it definitely will not be any time soon. Why? Because their concept of what is right and wrong prevents them from doing such. In the very real world that we live in, they choose to not see and acknowledge the truth about people, and use everything from religion to generational misconceptions and excuses to justify their views on morality and life. When things go wrong, they run, too afraid to face their fears and challenge their own conditioned minds. When people harm, betray and threaten to hurt them, instead of striking back, they retreat, like cowards. To these kinds of people, revenge is "evil." They say things, like, "I don't have time for this negative energy" or "I'll just go pray about it." And it is exactly this particular mindset that makes them completely unequipped to even participate in the game of power, much more succeed at it. They pray to their gods but still end up getting fucked over in life. And I see examples of this every single day. You do, too — unless you are just in denial.

The truth is that Jesus is not coming back any time soon and, as much as you may want the world to be peaceful, this will not happen any time soon, either. People are going to rob, steal and kill until the world is over. They will deceive you, if you let them. They will lie to you as if it is nothing, befriend you and, then, stab you in the back, with no remorse. This is just life. Take it or leave it. If you want to have power or be successful in real-life "politics," you have to understand this first and accept that it all just comes with the territory. If you can understand this, soon enough, you will realize that life itself is nothing but a hub of political chaos. And, believe me, Donald Trump definitely understands this.

If you are not familiar with the works of Robert Greene by now, and have little to no idea of whom Sun Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli were, and power is what you want, be it political or otherwise, it is time for you to step up your game. We live in the Information Age, so I need not go into profound detail about these amazing men. Your Web browser exists for that purpose. But let me give you the basics.

Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese general, military strategist and philosopher. Greene is a bestselling author, speaker and acclaimed authority on strategy, power and seduction. And Niccolò Machiavelli, a late "distant relative" of mine, is credited as being "the founder of modern political science." Although strategy and power were being exercised long before these men ever existed, they studied and documented it in comprehensive, guidebook form, which, to this very day, facilitates one's application of strategy while on the quest for power. Countless people who have risen to power have pointed to their works, referencing them as political bibles, so to speak. And this is exactly what they are: political bibles on strategy and power. Hence, I, too, reference them. Just as every serious Christian should have a Holy Bible — and every Muslim, a Holy Quran — every person seeking success in politics, business and life should have copies of these men's works. Chiefly, The Art of War (Sun Tzu), The Prince (Machiavelli) and The 48 Laws of Power (Greene). And they should study and apply the knowledge within these works as if their lives depended on it. In the power game, believe me, your life surely does.

Now, in the Introduction, I mentioned that Donald Trump is a mastermind. I also asserted that, by strategic appearance, he is "masterfully masterminding his way into the White House." And guess what — I meant every word of it. And I believe that, if you read the three books I just mentioned, with emphasis on The 48 Laws of Power, you will see Donald Trump written all over them. Therefore, so that you can see this for yourself, in this chapter, I will review the 48 Laws and show you how, in my opinion, Trump is applying them as he sees fit — all to his advantage. If you have paid enough attention to him in the media, it will not be hard for you to see how masterfully he exercises these Laws. Moreover, if you do not have a copy of The 48 Laws of Power, then, I suggest you acquire one. With that said, let us begin.

Law 1 Never Outshine the Master

As we all know, anyone in a position above someone else is superior to the person positioned below. And he or she that is superior is master. Therefore, when a non-superior person aims to surpass a superior, the worst thing that he or she can do is outshine the master. Doing so would only, as Robert Greene points out, "inspire fear and insecurity" within the master, usually resulting in the banishment, not to mention the death, of the seeming inferior. Knowing this, it is much better for a shrewd power player to make a master feel even more masterful. This is basically what this Law is about.

But we also need to understand that masters are not just individuals or people, per se. Masters also come in the form of groups, and even nations. America is a prime example of a "master nation," because it is the power center of the world, which explains why most less-powerful nations think twice before going against this juggernaut we call the United States. Similarly, the Catholic Church could be considered an example of a master group, due to the massive influence of its Christian doctrine and world power, in general. And powerful master groups also exist in politics — groups that, at the moment, hold more power than Donald Trump. In the power sense, these groups are Trump's "masters."

If we were to ask ourselves, "Well, if Trump isn't the master, then, who is?" the answer to this question would have to be the GOP and its Tea Party, because it would have been nearly impossible for Trump to win the...