Trump walks a fine line between madness and the madman theory - Washington Examiner

Theory Briefing

• Nixon deliberately cultivated a reputation for unpredictability to gain leverage in Cold War negotiations — the original madman playbook.
• The core question is whether Trump's erratic signals are genuine instability or a strategic performance designed to keep rivals off-balance.
• The theory only works if adversaries can't tell the difference — making the line between real and performed irrationality dangerously thin.
• Washington Examiner frames Trump's behavior as a possible conscious echo of Nixon, not a departure from rational statecraft.