Donald Trump is the most misunderstood political figure in the world.

While I admire him immensely, I have zero sympathy for his misunderstood position. The enigmatic master persuader that he is, Trump seems perfectly comfortable being hated and misunderstood by almost everyone, so long as he is understood by the people who matter to him. That appears to be the game he’s playing.

At this point, some people might conclude that this simply means he’s appealing to a foolish, gullible or racist base. I see no evidence of that. I’ve followed American politics closely for more than a decade, and I’ve developed a sense of kinship with many people in the MAGA movement. In my experience, they are some of the nicest people you’ll come across.

There is no evidence that MAGA supporters, as a whole, are racist or violent. Much of that characterization comes from fake political narratives rather than reality. Like any large political movement, it contains a wide variety of people, but the caricature often presented by its critics bears little resemblance to the people I’ve encountered.

Anyway, I used to sympathize with Trump and would often explain him to my friends. But every time I did, he would do something even crazier that invited more hatred toward him. Eventually, I gave up.

Now when somebody calls him a clown, a lunatic, or people’s favorite word, a narcissist, I just smile and think: that’s exactly what Trump wants.

This theory of mine may sound kooky, but if you agree with at least some of my contrarian takes and have a little faith in my intelligence, I’d recommend checking out Scott Adams’s body of work on Trump. A good place to start is his book Win Bigly, which helps explain the field on which Trump plays.

I’m fortunate to have come across Scott Adams. For over a decade, I’ve listened to his daily analyses of Trump’s moves, often for an hour at a time. That has helped me understand a thing or two about Trump, and I’m grateful to Scott for explaining him to me and to so many others.

There have been many crazy political figures throughout history, and Trump may be one of them. But here’s the important part: if he isn’t crazy, if he is actually a genius, then you’re missing the show (and learning) of a lifetime.