@DrewDad,
Quote:he's trained himself to fill gaps with repetition instead of placeholders like "um" and "uh."
Thanks. You're the first one to give this a shot and it's a good one.
I think of his repetition similarly but conceive of it as filler. The way I differentiate his technique from the standard sort of placeholder you mention is that those tend to leave a space/pause where the other(s) engaged might interject. Trump doesn't want anyone else interjecting. He wants to dominate the conversation. The repeated statements (up to four repetitions in the above) also serve a domination goal in the manner that four punches in the face "works better" than one punch in the face. And, of course, when there is so much this guy doesn't know, the filler/repetition and domination function to
cover up what he doesn't know or can't answer or can't expand upon.
It seems to me clearly a means of bullying and control. But I also see a similarity in the repetition with those guys at the mall or at Costco selling Magic Whatevers whose patter is marked by repetition and expansive claims.
