https://youtu.be/l0zxgXgLlJo?si=BtwolYGwkE0oeNYK&t=2318
OK, I have spent too much time on this transcription. But this has to be the most self-compromising and disingenuous display of self-interested genuflection to a morally and mentally deficient political leader that I have ever seen. Whatever points Peterson may have tried to make in the past about the importance of intelligence, being a grown up, and exercising free speech, have all effectively been washed away by this dazzlingly dishonest kowtowing to a wannabe authoritarian leader.Morgan: If you were psychoanalyzing Trump and Kamala Harris, what would you conclude right now based on everything you have seen and heard?
Peterson: Well, if I could vote in the American election, I would vote for Trump, and I don't trust Harris. Now, do I trust Trump? Well, he was president for four years! Like, look, the best predictor of someone's future behavior is their past past behavior. If you're trying to hire someone, and you have documented history of their efforts in precisely the domain you're trying to hire for, and the evidence is clear and valid, use that in favor of all other predictive . . . what would you say . . . predictive markers. So, I think it's more appropriate for me as a clinician who knows the psychometric literature to point out that, independent of Trump's personality, which tends by the way to be a relatively weak predictor of behavior, it's intelligence that's the best predictor, and then personality, we have a documented track record. OK, so what do we know about Trump? Well, as far as I'm concerned, we know this: decent economic performance, markedly stable international situation, no wars, plus . . . and that's something . . . no wars. Plus, he established the Abraham Accords, and they've held even after October 7th, and everybody in the State Department told the Trump administration that was . . . that putting that agreement together was impossible. Now, of course, it is the Abraham Accords that have infuriated and frustrated the bad actors in Iran, and that's pretty much the entire political class there, and fomented October 7th that produced this catastrophe that is unfolding, but putting that at the feet of Donald Trump is a very ill-advised thing to do. So, I would say with regards to Trump, well, we know what a Trump presidency would be like. But, there's something else to consider, too, because you might say, well, you know, that was round one, and now it's round two, and Trump is older, and, although I think he's actually modified his behavior to some degree as a consequence of being beat up so thoroughly over the last five years, and, although he's a bit defensive, he's also less blustery and more human which I think is a big plus, but for me another things I've seen really switch that is really being positive for me is that Trump has pulled a lot of hyper powerful people together around him: Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, uh, Vivek Ramaswamy, Robert F. Kennedy, most of whom wouldn't be Democrats in anything approximating a sane or normal world. And so, you see, my sense is that somebody whose narcissistic impulses are out of control . . . 'cause Trump is a flamboyant and dominating character who likes the public lights, so you think, well, does he tilt too far in the narcissistic direction, it's like, well, why would he share the spotlight with the rest of this crew? And the other thing that we should consider is that, look, man, I would vote for Trump if for no other reason than Musk himself has already agreed to head something like a department of government efficiency in the US, it's like OK!!! (makes big double thumbs up sign) 'Nuff said! You know, and then Kennedy is bringing the public health crisis into the political realm, and both those two things are revolutionary . . .
[Some fumbling and interrupting, and Piers Morgan breaks in to praise Trump's "moral courage" after the two assassination attempts, leading to Peterson chiming in to make the following gobsmacking statement:]
Peterson: Yes, grace under pressure, but you pointed to something else is that he was up cracking jokes. You know, Hitler wasn't well known for his sense of humor, and the thing about Trump, and you can't deny this, Trump is a funny bastard. He's funny! He'll say daring things just because they're comical. He's really good at it. And even his Twitter usage, his X usage, Twitter of course, cause he's not really using the platform now, um, impulsive, um entertaining, unbelievably cutting and funny in a stand-up comedian sort of manner, and you know that just doesn't go well with the tyrannical personality. [I break in: because Peterson, having a whole in his education, has never read much about Caligula] Because, tyrants are not well known for being able to tolerate the court jester. Let's put it that way.
[I break in again: Yes, Jordan, they don't tolerate being made fun of. They certainly do go in for making fun of others. Caligula did too. Good grief, man, try to make some goddammed sense. Do you hear yourself?]
And so Trump is tough and funny. You know, the thing about Trump, you gotta think about too is, you know, is he ambitious? Well, I don't think it is ambition that is driving his pursuit of his second term. [I break in: oh, yes, it is his desire not to go to prison that is driving his pursuit of his second term]. I mean, first of all, Trump's an old man and second of all he's already been president and he's as famous as you can get. You might say, well, his ambition is so overweening that, you know, it's compelling him forward regardless. You know, I don't actually think so; I actually think what happened is that Trump accidentally became president. Shocked the hell out of him and then begot some sense of exactly how unstable and corrupt the DC swamp had become and he started to take the role seriously, and now I think he is taking it even more seriously, and that's part of why he is building this coalition [I add: of kooks]. I think he made a dreadful mistake in the debate with Kamala Harris because, well, first of all, he didn't highlight the Biden laptop [me: LOL!!!! Wow! What an idiot!] spectacle, which is like a bit of political maneuvering that outdoes any political deviance I have ever seen [I add: Really? You don't get out much, Jordan, and clearly whatever history reading you have done is failing you now] and since the beginning of my political awareness [I add: OMG! This is so bafflingly disingenuous that it is hard to fathom.] including everything that went on around Richard Nixon, who was impeached for his much lesser sins, um, Trump has gathered these people around him and he's ready to move forward. Now, he didn't make a case for that in the damn debate.
Stunning.
