Editor's note: Stephen Ndegwa is a Nairobi-based communications expert, lecturer-scholar at the United States International University-Africa, author and international affairs columnist. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Let us start from the premise that U.S. President Donald Trump is not the buffoon that he would like the world to believe he is. You do not become the leader of the most powerful nation in the world right now by fluke.

It takes a combination of extraordinary wit, intellect and a massive amount of material resources to win a presidential election anywhere in the world. The demand for unsurpassed intellect and wisdom is even more in a developed country like the United States.

Various theories have been put forward as to how Trump managed to trounce the seemingly formidable Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections. But no single verdict has ever been agreed upon.

Well, that is not by mistake. Trump had created a massive disinformation machine against Clinton. While Clinton's truthful statements against her rival sounded stranger than fiction, Trump managed to make lies against the Democratic candidate believable. It is how the human mind works.

Trump perfectly understands basic human psychology. According to a business intelligence news platform VitalBriefing, there are three main reasons why people believe in lies.

First is "motivated reasoning," where people choose evidence to fit a predetermined conclusion. Second is "confirmation bias," by which people discard information that goes contrary to their belief system. Third is the "illusory truth effect," which means majority of us hold multiple untruths as genuine.

The U.S. president has managed to keep his supporters on a high. Any contradiction of his lies and gaffes, or fact checking by the mainstream media (excluding Fox News), has been met with an immediate rebuttal of "fake news." 

Trump has also used reverse psychology to good effect. Through this stratagem, he has released outrageous statements that have led people to unwittingly do his bidding. It is about going against the grain. Unconsciously, a lot of Americans admire Trump's guts and his political incorrectness.

At a personal level, vintage Trump has survived many odds in his 74-year life. The most damning account yet of the maverick, "Too Much and Never Enough" was published by his niece, Mary Trump, this year. Mary paints a picture of someone who has no qualms in achieving what he wants. In the same book, Trump's sister also makes damning allegations of her brother's lying ways.

Trump should not be taken literally. He became popular for his forthrightness in the program "The Apprentice" by his gleeful trademark "you are fired" when dismissing competitors in the business ideas competition reality show. He is true to character using the same measure in his government.

Through his spontaneity, Trump has created and thrived in toxic environments; a feat many people secretly admire and silently wish they could pull. Though they would be loath to admit it, Trump embodies an American culture that teaches "all or nothing," that the end justifies the means, and not vice versa.

During his four-year term, Trump has used outrageous statements to set the agenda and ensure that he is always on the media's priority list on most days. His pronouncements on the pandemic have left many people gawking, wondering at his level of understanding and reasoning.

The president has supported and touted unbelievable conspiracy theories on the origin and escalation of the deadly virus, in complete contrast to the views of medical experts and even common sense. This includes his perpetual blaming of China for the pandemic.

As the November elections approach, his scaremongering claims are becoming even weirder. In all possibility, for instance, does he expect any right thinking person to believe claims he made that people in "dark shadows" are controlling his Democratic Party counterpart Joe Biden?

He talked about an incident where, "We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that."

Ultimately, either Trump is delusional and paranoid, or he is an evil genius. No ordinary mortal would easily and constantly get away with such deception. The winner of the upcoming Trump against the world contest will be known after the presidential ballot.

Whether the U.S. electorate will be hypnotized by the president's political sleight of hand will depend on how discerning they will be of his hidden and coded messages.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)