The Donald and Game Theory.
One of Donald Trump’s staples throughout this year long run to be the Republican nominee is his propensity for irregular and unpredictable statements and strategies. The unpredictability of his actions has made it very difficult for other GOP hopefuls and Hillary Clinton to prepare for and counter these actions. This is the essence of Trump’s campaign to date and the reason other players have had such trouble dealing with Trump’s shenanigans.
Trump’s extreme, seemingly irrational and often self-detrimental stances on situations and issues forces others to respond in ways in which they had not anticipated or thought about; often out of anger or disbelief. This almost always ends up in Trump’s favour because he is far more experienced at this proverbial game of chicken that most would never consider playing. Trump’s constant hard line approach coupled with an inability to apologise strikes fear in his opponents; it leaves them very little choice to what they can play to put Trump down.
Trump uses Game Theory to his advantage because he often unknowingly sets the other player up to fail with his comments. Take the example of Trump insulting Jeb Bush. Bush tried to take the high road and not retaliate. This led to Trump’s comments sticking and Jeb was seen as “low-energy” and weak, had Jeb fought back, he would have been seen as ‘stooping to Trump’s level’ (as many – Marco Rubio in particular – have over these last 12 months). The hard line strategy that Trump takes is often strictly dominant because he plays it in such a way that he feels that he has nothing to lose, and his opponents therefore, seem to not be able to win. This is a scary prospect for others because, like a freight train with no brakes, it’s very difficult to stop. This refusal to admit he is wrong makes him a winner in almost every possible outcome.
History shows that the hard-line approach does not always work (The USSR’s hard-line attitude triggering the Cuban Missile crisis, the British refusal to negotiate for the Suez Canal in 1956, etc.…) but thus far for Donald Trump, it has worked resoundingly well. His unpredictable responses and remarks, empty threats and refusal to admit he is wrong puts the other player on the back foot in almost every situation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/06/17/heres-how-game-theory-helps-explain-donald-trumps-strategies/
https://thinkprogress.org/how-donald-trump-insulted-his-way-to-the-top-of-the-gop-b5ab95b676ec#.lvqm0wkb8