NO SWEAT!

Donald Trump is embarrassing the Washington D.C. press corps. If you doubt that, check out the rant by Chris Cuomo during a radio interview this morning. He still hates Trump, but he hates the environment at CNN even more. He said he doesn’t “value indulging irrationality, hyper-partisanship” or spend his time “trafficking in things I think are ridiculous.” This does not mean Chris Cuomo is a secret Trump supporter. He clearly hates Trump. He just realizes that the way CNN reports on him only destroys their own credibility making Chris question whether “he can really change anything.

It is about time some smart reporters figured this out. If they let Trump get under their skin they are the ones who lose. One of the most common quotes I use when teaching associates how to handle difficult people is the following:

“The size of the person is directly proportional to the size of the person or thing that makes them angry.”

If you allow someone you consider to be small to influence your behavior, they have won. You have only lowered yourself to their level. The only way to beat them is to never allow them to influence your behavior, either way. Do the right thing, without regard to what they say or do. Neither give them something they don’t deserve nor deny them something they do deserve because of their behavior. Let the facts and only the facts determine what you do. Any other response gives them unnecessary control over you.

I often say that this person or thing is too small to warrant getting me upset. For example, if someone cuts me off on the freeway, my usual response is to laugh and say: “they had a greater need.”

Trump dominates the media in every encounter. The angrier they become with him, the more he impacts them. If you look closely at these encounters, the reporter looks and acts furious. President Trump, on the other hand, is probably smiling. That does not stop him from challenging them and in a case like yesterday humiliating them. But if you look closely, he is not the one who is upset. If anything, he appears to enjoy this.

Some have wondered how Trump, or any other president, could possibly deal with the daily onslaught of negative press. The answer, quite simply, is he doesn’t sweat the small stuff. His enemies, on the other hand, bathe in sweat.

TDM