In a candid discussion regarding the mechanics of President Donald Trump’s hold on power, longtime Yale leadership scholar (and regular Fortune contributor) Jeffrey Sonnenfeld warned the president’s chaotic style is often mistaken for incompetence when it is actually a calculated strategy. Speaking on the Raging Moderates podcast with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov, Sonnenfeld laid out the thesis of his new book, Trump’s Ten Commandments, while explaining that Trump is “dumb as a fox” and business leaders underestimate him at their peril.
Sonnenfeld, who frequently convenes top CEOs to discuss civic engagement for Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute, pushed back against the notion that Trump’s controversial behavior is impulsive. “Just because Trump often appears convincingly ignorant doesn’t mean he’s stupid,” Sonnenfeld said. “He’s dumb as a fox. He has incredible street savvy.
