Primary
Yes but also a bit of no.
I suppose it’s probably true that he thinks “the base will love this” with every insult, but I also think he does it because he likes it, and that that’s who he is. He’s a profoundly nasty man, one who lashes out in rage at anybody who annoys him, no matter how close or loyal. Nastiness aka cruelty is at the core of his being, and one of his favorite activities.
It does appeal to the base, though, and how depressing is that? A hefty fraction of the population is thrilled and amused and energized by deliberate hostile cruelty and bullying from a gilded real estate fraud who frauded his way into the presidency.
At any rate – I certainly agree with Walter Shaub that the ethics part is far from secondary. Trump is an actively bad human being, and that can’t possibly be secondary.
I mean, he did that nasty Twitter thing for years before he was president. I think he did shout “You’re Fired!” at contestants on The Apprentice because it was good ratings and the network encouraged it. But I think he also loves to shout “You’re Fired!” because it gives him the sense of being in charge, being the big kahuna (could he spell kahuna?), and being superior to those who may actually do a better job at the actual work than he does.
Continuing with my Rosetta Stone translation motif, here are some additional transcriptions into Newspeak, though through a Trumpian filter rather than a TRA one:*
= unvarnished, plain-spoken truth from a self-made man beholden to nobody who won the Biggest Election Victory Ever. Not to mention the crowd at the Inauguration; also Biggest. Ever.
= he’s a take-charge sort of guy who’s the Best Great Negotiator, breaking the eggs to make the omlette of Big Decisions against the unelected, entrenched interests of Deep State agents and elitist know-it-all Eggheads getting in the way of how Trump wants to do things. And all those department heads and cabinet officers whom he appointed and who subsequently quit? Not that bright. Couldn’t hack it. Besides, Trump didn’t really know them at all. In fact, never heard of them.
*Not that anyone here on a regular basis can’t do this themselves, still I think it’s useful to spell this stuff out. Unfortunately, I think we’re ging to hear a lot more of the Trumpian Newspeak than ever before, should the Senate vote along strict party lines in the impeachment proceeedings.