Donald Trump says he needs 'very little knowledge' to make decisions
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
When you have as much "knowledge" and "common sense" as Donald Trump, reading other people's knowledge apparently becomes frivolous. In an interview with The Washington Post published late Sunday, Trump explained he can make decisions "with very little knowledge other than the knowledge I [already] had, plus the words 'common sense,' because I have a lot of common sense and I have a lot of business ability."
Trump also said he doesn't read much, partly because of how busy he is, and partly because of his love of efficiency:
One day last month, Trump had a visit from a delegation of prominent executives in the oil, steel, and retail industries, and one of the executives told Trump that the Chinese were taking advantage of the United States. "He said, 'I'd like to send you a report,'" Trump recalled. "He said, 'I'd love to be able to send you' — oh boy, he's got a lengthy report, hundreds of pages. . . . I said, 'Do me a favor: Don’t send me a report. Send me, like, three pages.'"Trump said reading long documents is a waste of time because he absorbs the gist of an issue very quickly. "I'm a very efficient guy," he said. "Now, I could also do it verbally, which is fine. I'd always rather have — I want it short. There's no reason to do hundreds of pages because I know exactly what it is." [The Washington Post]
Besides, he told The Post, he is often "more accurate than the guys who have studied it all the time."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Do what Donald doesn't, and head over to The Washington Post to read more.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com