Why he did it
The answer is surprisingly simple.
The 37-count indictment of Donald Trump is damning stuff: It alleges that the former president purposely retained classified documents, showed them to people on at least two occasions and then actively sought to obstruct the investigation into his retention of said papers.
What’s not in the 49-page indictment, however, is an answer to this question: Why would he do this?
After all, Trump seemed to be purposely exposing himself to legal ramifications — and knew it!
In one exchange, first reported by CNN, Trump tells an associate that “As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t.”
So, what gives?
I think the answer is deceptively simple — and is a window into Trump’s psyche.
Start here: Trump spent his entire life feeling as though he was on the outside looking in at the “in” crowd.
His dad was a developer in Queens, not Manhattan.
Once he got rich, the exclusive, old money golf clubs didn’t want him as a member.
When he went to Washington for the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011, he was relentlessly mocked for his political ambitions.
Time and time again — throughout his life — Trump has been the kid with his face pressed up against the glass, looking in on a life he so badly wanted.
Getting elected president changed all that. Suddenly, Trump was THE center of attention. He was the straw that stirred the drink not just in Washington but around the world. A single tweet from him could move markets — or change the political calculus around an issue in an instant.
This fact, by the way, is why I always scoffed at those people who predicted that Trump wouldn’t run for a second term in 2020. (Remember them???) He had spent his entire life trying to get to the center of things — and there was NO way he was ever going to willingly give that up.
All of which brings us to Trump’s decision to keep — and show off — classified documents.
The reason is simple: It made him feel like a big man.
Remember that back in January Trump admitted that he kept empty folders marked “classified” — for a very specific reason. “Remember, these were just ordinary, inexpensive folders with various words printed on them, but they were a 'cool' keepsake,” he said on his Truth Social website.
A “cool keepsake.” As in, a fun thing to flash around, to impress people with, to remind them that he had been president.
Trump never conceded the election in 2020 for a lot of reasons but one big one is because he didn’t want to give up the prestige of being president. He loved having his ass kissed — “sir!” — and being treated like the most special person in the world.
It’s why he created a version of the White House at Mar a Lago. And it’s why he kept the classified documents. That he could pull out something marked “classified” in a post-presidency meeting — even if it was only to say that the other person wasn’t allowed to see it — made him feel like was still the most powerful guy in the world.
He had access to stuff other people didn’t. He KNEW stuff other people didn’t. That it was TOP SECRET stuff made it all the better.
So much of Trump’s behavior is explained by his ego and his self image. He had fought his entire life to be the one in the know, the guy on the inside of every conversation. Once he had that, there was no way in hell he was giving it up — even if the law required it.
Don’t overthink things when it comes to Donald Trump’s motives. He does what he wants and what feeds his ego. Nothing more, nothing less.
He inherited a half billion dollars. He should’ve spent some of it on therapy.
"The reason is simple: It made him feel like a big man." Alas, Trump has never been a "big man" and he never will be a "big man." Trump has proven himself both a loser and an incompetent. I started paying some attention to Trump in 1988. He hasn't changed. He never will. History books will tell future generations about Trump. It will not be pretty and, ultimately, he will have taught us some regrettable lessons while he was accomplishing nothing of value for anyone.