Who will stop the insulting boss?

In just a few weeks, Donald Trump has called one journalist a "whore," another "ugly inside and out," a third a "terrible person," and asked a fourth if she was "stupid." All women. When the White House press secretary was asked about the first of these insults, she replied that it had to be understood in light of Trump's "frankness." At this point in the bad movie, it's no surprise that the American president belongs to the "Oh, that's just how I am" club, nor to the "I apologize if anyone was offended by my words, you filthy people" fraternity. During his first presidential campaign, Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York and not lose a single vote. It's a statement only someone colossally foolish or perversely cunning could utter. Even now, I don't know if he was one or the other, and I tend to think that, in reality, his magic lies in being able to be both at the same time. Because, from a communicative point of view, insults work and are a double win. Supporters celebrate them tribally, and protesters waste part of their time at the White House asking about these trivialities, when they could be directing their questions to more important matters.

Michelle Obama left that phrase for history: "WWhen they go low, we go high("When they lower the bar, we aim high") but, in light of the facts, it's not accurate. Trump has been the main ambassador of a style of politics designed for social media, because it perfectly adapts to the four pillars of this platform: immediacy, polarization, confrontation, and disinformation. Aiming. You end up dancing to someone else's tune. Whoever discovers an effective way to oppose this trench warfare of communication will illuminate the path for a new era.