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Does Trump read?

The claim that Trump does not read comes from fired White House staffers.
It’s largely propaganda but with a basis of truth. He seems to be skimming things. 
There were early questions raised about whether Trump is dyslectic. I am! A lot of us dyslectics asked the question in 2017/18. It would be really nice if one of us made it to the top and that does happen.
There are claims that Trump glanced at things and ignores the document. He does not take the time to read it. Normal reading time is roughly 2 minutes per page.

There is however evidence that he can in fact speed read or may have a visual photographic memory. Several people have commented that while he seemed not to take the time to read the document they just gave him, he then asks complex questions about it. Some assumed he had been pre-briefed. That’s a very fast way to raise a bureaucrats hackles.

Visual photographic memory creates the illusion that he is glancing at something and was ignoring it. He has in fact read it fully in the glance. Note this is not the same as Eidetic memory or high IQ. I know people with eidetic memory and below average IQ. I also know someone who has both a mensa IQ and an eidetic memory. It has its disadvantages. 
Photographic reading also causes problems in school because the teachers are not trained to identify and handle such students. They become bored and disruptive. Smart kids often play dumb to avoid being beaten up by other kids or embarrassing teachers. This can become a lifelong habit. This fits with Trump’s school history and to some extent his business history.

All CEO’s want 1 to 3 page summaries because all know that a 30 page briefing never gets fully read. The CEO knows that if it’s important others will need to read it.
If Trump is speed reading then that raises the possibility that he is much more widely read than even his MAGA fan base thinks. Trumps policy mix includes components from completely opposite and seemingly incompatible schools of thought. That takes work. 
If he does have an ability to speed read or visual photographic memory then expect him to appear not to be paying attention and pull out of nowhere a solution that no one expects. 

One reply on “Does Trump read?”

Fascinating idea… I had this ability to reread pages in my memory when I was young, though it’s faded as I have aged. If he’s doing that, then he does have a whole lot of data tucked away in his brain.

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