Triangulation Leads to Strangulation

Triangulaiton is when someone brings a third party into the relationship in order to defend themselves and their bad behavior. People do this by saying things like "all my other friends tell me I’m a great friend. If you don't think the same, it's YOUR problem." Our former president used this tactic all the time when he said things like, "many, many people tell me I'm doing a great job". This is triangulation. People who are a part of his tribe, but may be put off by his behavior, are bullied into silence because they don't want to be ostercized by their tribe. Donald Trump knew the power of belonging. He put people in the position of supporting him and being a part of the "in" crowd, or not supporting him and risk losing their friends and family relationships - and it worked!