And earlier this month — as Trump worked to woo Michigan’s Arab American voters and secure meetings with top community leaders — a Trump adviser approached a local Arab American official with an offer Shocking: Trump, the adviser said, would implement any policy the leader might adopt. wanted on paper in exchange for a meeting and support from the leader. The leader refused the quid pro quo.

But on the day Trump appeared in Michigan, he met with another Arab-American leader, Hamtranck Mayor Amer Ghalib, whose support he had won a few weeks earlier. During his visit, Trump promised peace in the Middle East without specifying how – even though he had, hours earlier, congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military operation that killed the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying Netanyahu was “doing a good job.” »

The private offer, along with Trump’s very different speeches to different audiences, underscore the former president’s deeply transactional approach to policy — one that has long been light on his core policy beliefs and heavy on empty promises as Trump moves from position to position, trying to win and extract the benefits of the one directly in front of him.

“When he’s in front of an audience that he’s selling to, the added dimension is his immense need and his core identity as a performance artist, and he wants whoever is in front of him to think that they’re on his side and that “He’s a superstar, and so he caters to public prejudice, while also engaging in comical and grandiose self-aggrandizement,” said Tim O’Brien, a Trump biographer who is critical of the former president.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt rejected any notion that Trump was transactional on political issues.

“President Trump takes his policy cues from only one group of people: the American people,” Leavitt said in a statement. “In addition to his signature promises to secure the border and rebuild our economy, President Trump has unveiled many new and exciting policies throughout this campaign that he believes will benefit Americans who struggle against weak and terrible actions of the Harris-Biden administration during this campaign. the last four years. »

During his presidential campaign this cycle, Trump reversed a number of his previous positions, generally based on his target audience.

As president, for example, Trump signed into law a law capping state and local tax (SALT) deductions at $10,000 — part of his massive tax cut legislation that disproportionately harms blue states like Connecticut and New York, which have higher state and local tax rates. But in September, before a planned rally in New York, Trump reversed course, posting on social media that he would “take back SALT, cut your taxes and much more.”

As president, Trump has consistently supported rules and regulations favoring employers.

But after speaking with a waitress at his Las Vegas hotel earlier this year who complained about taxes on her tips, Trump suddenly proposed eliminating those taxes — a policy he had not previously endorsed.

“They’re killing me with the tips,” Trump told the waitress, before announcing his plan to “eliminate all taxes on tips” for service workers.

And Trump, who at one point was deeply skeptical of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin – calling them a “ripoff” against the dollar, “no money” and “based on nothing” – became a cryptocurrency convert after meeting a series of pro-crypto donors, who promised to support him politically and financially if he changed his position.

In June, following a private meeting with Bitcoin executives, Trump posted on social media that Bitcoin enthusiasts should vote for him because he would ensure that all remaining Bitcoins would be “MADE IN THE USA!!! »

The constant slalom between positions can create a sense of dissonance, but former aides and some current confidants say Trump — a former Manhattan real estate developer — is often less focused on positions than on winning over those directly behind them. in front of him and getting everything he needs in return.

In some cases, Trump’s contradictory positions spark public outcry as his far-right base rejects his more centrist posture or as the moderates he tries to appeal balk at concessions to his base. In almost every case, Trump always backs down to appease his MAGA constituency.

In a single 24-hour period in late August, Trump flip-flopped on an amendment in his home state of Florida that would protect abortion rights in the state constitution, first suggesting that He previously supported it – amid a conservative outcry – saying he actually found it too “radical”.

“He often does beta testing: he puts out a statement and sees if there’s a reaction or not, and if there is, he recalibrates,” said Marc Short, who served as vice-president’s chief of staff. President Mike Pence. “That’s why it’s important to have a conservative base that insists on why they hold him accountable.”

Short added: “That’s who he is – that’s probably how he traded real estate in New York – and in the first administration, there were loyal conservatives who were around him, who helped guide certain policies, and they are no longer there. .”

During several fundraising events this summer, Trump told wealthy donors that even if they were skeptical of him, he would cut their taxes in 2025 – “so you have to give generously,” he said supported at an event in New York in June. . He added that if he doesn’t win, “your taxes are going to be multiplied by three or four.”

“So you really should,” Trump concluded.

At various events with oil donors as he sought big checks, he promised expedited drilling permits, license and pipeline approvals, less regulation and even government merger assistance.

“Trump’s approach is: You may not like me, but you certainly recognize that your interest is in supporting me, and I need your help,” said Dan Eberhart, a donor to oil who attended events with the former president. “I think Trump is more transactional and less ideological than politicians in both parties.”

Trump repeatedly agreed to meet with special interest groups because they contributed large checks to his super PAC, often offering them private meetings or dinners within days of their financial largesse. He now closely tracks what lobbyists and major donors gave him, as well as the industries that gave him money.

One adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe his fundraising and private meetings, said Trump was willing to negotiate whatever was needed from almost anyone in exchange for votes and contributions to the campaign. “He used to not be so transactional — that’s changed,” this person said. “It’s all transactional.”

Olivia Troye, a former Trump national security official who has since become a prominent Trump critic and is considering voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, said that in observing Trump as president, she came to believing that “Trump has no belief system.” .”

“I saw him in meetings – depending on which group was in front of him – change the topic of discussion and change his position, so one minute he was criticizing China and the next minute he was praising China. China,” she said. . “So it’s very transactional, and it also shows that he’s devoid of real convictions.”

Troye concluded: “The only thing he’s consistent about is not having a consistent position.”