Comment by busyant

> What was even the goal here?

Like many of us*, Trump has one tool in his chest. For Trump, that tool is extortion. Extortion has worked for him a lot, so why not apply that to all facets of his life?

I don't like the fact that I'm glibly summarizing someone like that, but I think it's pretty close to the truth.

When your one tool is a hammer (extortion), you think everyone else is a nail.

See, for example ...

- Columbia University, etc.

- Law firms that investigated him

- every single country that just got hit with tariffs.

* I think many of us have our own "one tool" that we like. Extortion, however, is a malevolent tool.