Michael Cohen - The Shiny Object Syndrome [View all]

It’s never just about the gold. It’s about what the gold does to him.

When Tim Cook handed Donald Trump that commemorative plaque with a gold base, the Apple CEO wasn’t just humoring the president; he was teaching the world how to handle him. Cook knew the formula: flatter him, feed his vanity, give him something shiny, and suddenly he’s calling you a genius and giving your company a tax holiday. It wasn’t policy. It was flattery weaponized.

And now, here we are again—the same playbook, just with higher stakes. South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung rolled out the literal gold carpet this week. The man gifted Trump a replica golden crown, South Korea’s highest national honor, the “Grand Order of Mugunghwa,” and capped it off with a gold-laced “Peacemaker’s Dessert.” The message was clear: praise the king, and he’ll forget who’s really running the kingdom.

Let’s not forget, Qatar already played this game and won. Earlier this year, in what they called an act of “honor,” the Qatari government gifted Trump a custom aircraft worth roughly $400 million—complete with gold trim, embroidered Trump insignias, and a private suite that makes Air Force One look like a budget airline. Trump gushed that it was “the most beautiful plane anyone’s ever seen.” Meanwhile, Qatar walked away with favorable energy contracts and renewed U.S. military assurances. Imagine that: foreign policy bartered for the price of a shiny toy with wings.

https://www.meidasplus.com/p/the-shiny-object-syndrome