One principle that Trump has learned--as a tactic--is the principle of randomness.
His effort is to be random in his actions--sending tweets that to or about Graydon Carter, Taiwan, the Trump Grill, China--as a blizzard of unpredictability.
This produces two effects:
1) The media is drawn to the novelty of the tweets, and provides him with what he most has needed each day of his adult life--coverage
2) It provides a cover in a different sense--a veil over intent, planning, and lack of knowledge Instead of focusing upon the agreement of the FBI and CIA on Russia's hacking to his benefit, to his misadventures regarding China, or his victory tour apologetics, he instead provides a shiny indirection, which has little effect but to draw the attention of the media, and to make his later behavior more unpredictable.
Unpredictability has some advantage in negotiations, in that one's opponent cannot pick a strategy based upon dependable action.
However, leadership is also grounded in a responsibility of values--Washington, Lincoln, FDR and Kennedy were effective leaders because they made it clear what their intentions were for the nation, how this would benefit the nation, and worked toward those goals with the intelligent, strong, persistent effort, rather than the deceptive weakness of an indirection designed to hide uncertainty, lack of understanding, avoidance and fear.
Trump's strategy will be to move with such uncertainty that he hopes that the truth will never pinned down.
This approach always leads to the outcome that what is attempted to be hidden is highlighted--and eventually--the truths are discovered.
http://www.dayintrump.com/2016/12/17/random-acts-of-distraction
