ya, that's the problem. you're looking at it like a reward system, because that's how it works on normal people. Trump isn't normal. the people around him influencing him are using praise as a means to influence him. he is vulnerable to being influenced by praise. you're thinking of praise how it normally works. you praise someone for doing something well and don't praise when they don't do something well. instead, the people who are willing to use praise to influence, have been able to control him. there is a means to influence him, and we completely refuse to use it. there are reasonable ethical reasons why we shouldn't do that. but this isn't a normal situation here. this is Trump. to me, it's a critical enough situation, that using praise as a means to influence him as justified. to everyone else, well, it just looks like all of you keep doing what won't ever work. he doesn't listen to criticism. everyone keeps doing what won't work. it just suddenly clicked one day how stupid everyone in here is being.