You’re not an emotional guy. But you feel strong feelings for him, as in you “really, really like him” (not a feeling that is usually associated with politicians and wealthy businessmen whom you do not know.) You are even “welling up” writing about him.

What should you do? You should recognize that you are being manipulated.

Trump is like any other con artist in that he knows what people like to hear. And that is what he tells them. Even when he has no intention of following through. Manipulators are very good at playing on people’s emotions. They make people feel special, and cared for, and *heard*. And then they take advantage of them.

So how do you know that you are emotionally responding to a manipulation, and not to a genuinely great leader? Because the facts just don’t match what you’re feeling. It’s the same uneasy feeling that someone might get who has been lied to by a cheating lover, or hustled by a thief.

With Trump, things sound good, but the facts just don’t add up:

He brags about his “temperament” while throwing one hissy fit after another.

He acts like he’s one of the downtrodden working class, but he was born to wealth and privilege and constantly demands attention and special treatment. He does NOTHING to benefit other people unless it benefits him too.

He claims he supports “Buy American, hire American” while he manufactures in China and hires foreign workers.

He says he is against attacking Syria, then after one event immediately changes his tune.

He takes credit for jobs that were in the planning stages 5 years before he took office.

He loses it over Hillary’s “private servers” then word comes out he had his own private servers.

He claims to support Sexual Assault Awareness Month then immediately defends a man who has been accused multiple times of sexual assault.

He’s not just atrocious by the standards of his opponents — he fails by his OWN standards. This is because he is about image, not reality. He only gets away with it because he uses flattery and slick language to make you think he’s on your side.

He’s not.