The man that he is

I keep hearing people on the news wonder why Trump doesn't change his disastrous tactics in regard to the virus. Why, they ask, does he attack Dr. Fauci when that's a losing strategy? Why doesn't he make an honest effort to actively combat the virus, given that it would help him in the polls?

My simple answer ... Trump can only be himself. That's true for all of us, but in Trump's case, that means he will continue to be a sociopath. He can't and won't suddenly decide to do the right thing, even if it would be to his benefit, because that's just not who he is.

I learned this from Star Trek :)

In the episode Peak Performance from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Commander Data is pitted against Commander Riker in a war games battle.

As you would expect, Data knocks himself out trying to anticipate what Riker's moves will be ahead of time, and it takes the practicality of Counselor Troi to help him simplify things ...

*

DATA: I have several examples of Commander Riker's battle technique. At the Academy, he calculated a sensory blind spot on a Tholian vessel and hid within it during a battle simulation. And as a lieutenant aboard the Potemkin, his solution to a crisis was to shut down all power, and hang over a planet's magnetic poles, thus confusing his opponent's sensors.

TROI: And from these specifics, what general conclusion can you extrapolate?

DATA: Only twenty-one percent of the time does he rely upon traditional tactics. So, the Captain must be prepared for unusual cunning. Counsellor, Commander Riker will assume we have made this analysis, and knowing that we know his methods, he will alter them. But, knowing that we know that he knows that we know, he might choose to return to his usual pattern.

TROI: Wait, wait. You're over-analysing, Data. One cannot deny human nature. What kind of a man is Commander Riker?

DATA: A fighter?

TROI: Yes.

DATA: The weaker his position, the more aggressive will be his posture.

TROI: And he won't give up.

DATA: Then despite whatever options he is given, he must be ...

TROI: The man that he is. Exactly.

*

So am I saying people can't change? I'll refer to another science fiction quotation, this one from John Crichton of FarScape (Green Eyed Monster): "I keep hearing that you've changed. I think weather changes. And we just keep making the same mistake."