--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not taking off his dark overcoat, lending…" description: "\"“Not taking off his dark overcoat, lending him quite a hulking gangster look, pacing in front of the CIA’s wall of stars for its fallen agents, in fron..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/michael-wolff-423_american-president_not-taking-off-his-dark-overcoat-lending_358528.jpg" --- # Not taking off his dark overcoat, lending him quite a… ![“Not taking off his dark overcoat, lending him quite a hulking gangster look, pacing in front of the CIA’s wall of stars for its fallen agents, in front of a crowd of about three hundred agency personnel and a group of White House staffers, and, suddenly, in a mood of sleepless cockiness and…” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/michael-wolff-423_american-president_not-taking-off-his-dark-overcoat-lending_358528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/michael-wolff-423_american-president_not-taking-off-his-dark-overcoat-lending_358528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/michael-wolff-423_american-president_not-taking-off-his-dark-overcoat-lending_358528.jpg) > ““Not taking off his dark overcoat, lending him quite a hulking gangster look, pacing in front of the CIA’s wall of stars for its fallen agents, in front of a crowd of about three hundred agency personnel and a group of White House staffers, and, suddenly, in a mood of sleepless cockiness and pleasure at having a captive crowd, the new president, disregarding his text, launched into what we could confidently call some of the most peculiar remarks ever delivered by an American president. “I know a lot about West Point, I’m a person who very strongly believes in academics. Every time I say I had an uncle who was a great professor at MIT for 35 years, who did a fantastic job in so many ways academically—he was an academic genius—and then they say, Is Donald Trump an intellectual? Trust me, I’m like a smart person.”” [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president’s flamboyant, self‑aggrandizing speech reveals a blend of bravado and insecurity, using academic references to bolster his image. **In simple terms:** President boasts about academics to appear smart. Key Takeaway Questionify your own claims with evidence. Themes politics ego communication image leadership Mood arrogant defensive Type political anecdotal When to use this quote - political rallies - press conferences - campaign speeches Key Concepts self‑presentation insecurity public speaking Questions to Reflect On - How does bravado affect public trust? - When does self‑promotion become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Criticism may overlook substantive policy issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic-genius-3296952/) [American president](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-president/) [Donald trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donald-trump/) [Genius Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-say-676015/) [Smart person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-person/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Trump Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-intellectual-3296951/) [West point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-point/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [“Is Donald Trump an intellectual? Trust me, I’m like a smart person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/is-donald-trump-an-intellectual-trust-me-i-m-like-a-smart-person/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The media and intelligentsia were partly complicit in Trump's depiction of the world as a dystopia headed for even greater disaster. 'Charge the cockpit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-media-and-intelligentsia-were-partly-complicit-in-trump-s/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [He was a genius - that is to say, a man who does superlatively and without obvious effort something that most people cannot do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/he-was-a-genius-that-is-to-say-a-man-who-does-superlatively-and/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Accept your genius and say what you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/accept-your-genius-and-say-what-you-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There's a lot of controversy online, some people say i'm a genius and other say i'm hugely talented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kindler/there-s-a-lot-of-controversy-online-some-people-say-i-m-a-genius-and/) [Andy Kindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kindler/) > [Oh, I'm not a true genius. I'm a near genius. I would say I'm a short genius. I'd rather be tall and normal than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/oh-i-m-not-a-true-genius-i-m-a-near-genius-i-would-say-i-m-a-short/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [I’m the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct. At least I’m obviously physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-m-the-archetype-of-a-disabled-genius-or-should-i-say-a-physically/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Scott Medlock. Some say he's a genius, some say he's a fool. I say he's the Jim Morrison of sports art, and proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robby-krieger/scott-medlock-some-say-he-s-a-genius-some-say-he-s-a-fool-i-say-he-s/) [Robby Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robby-krieger/) > [“But if Halberstam defined the presidential mien, Trump defied it—and defiled it. Not a single attribute would place him credibly in the revered circle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/but-if-halberstam-defined-the-presidential-mien-trump-defied-it-and/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I am less disposed to think of a West Point education as requisite for this business than I was at first. Good sense and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/i-am-less-disposed-to-think-of-a-west-point-education-as-requisite/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [“Where, indeed? Captain Vincent Reed had been born in the city of Richmond, Virginia, of northern parents who were stationed there by the telegraph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/where-indeed-captain-vincent-reed-had-been-born-in-the-city-of/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [My dad being an Army officer, I was just born to it. I was raised in a military manner, and it was a given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eisenhower/my-dad-being-an-army-officer-i-was-just-born-to-it-i-was-raised-in-a/) [John Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eisenhower/) > [When I was a senior in college, I attended an inspiring conference at West Point called the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs, which paired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lashinsky/when-i-was-a-senior-in-college-i-attended-an-inspiring-conference-at/) [Adam Lashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lashinsky/) > [So, Wesley Clark is running for president. Pretty amazing guy. Four star general, first in his class at West Point, supreme commander of NATO,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/so-wesley-clark-is-running-for-president-pretty-amazing-guy-four-star/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [My son's a West Point cadet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-mitchell/my-son-s-a-west-point-cadet/) [Victor Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-mitchell/) ## More by Michael Wolff > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. Journalist - that record keeper, quote taker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/i-am-old-enough-to-think-the-word-journalist-is-not-all-that-noble-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Politics had seemed to become, even well before the age of Trump, a mortal affair. It was now zero-sum: When one side profited, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/politics-had-seemed-to-become-even-well-before-the-age-of-trump-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) [Explore all 570 Michael Wolff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## More American president quotes > [The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-american-president-resembles-the-commander-of-a-ship-at-sea-he/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [I happen to think that Hillary Clinton is a beacon of hope for younger girls, as was Barack Obama in other inspirational areas. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-meneses/i-happen-to-think-that-hillary-clinton-is-a-beacon-of-hope-for/) [Alex Meneses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-meneses/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [The true sovereign is not the American president nor the English king, but the Lord of the Second Advent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/the-true-sovereign-is-not-the-american-president-nor-the-english-king/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [Let's get real: would any American president seriously open up their borders unconditionally to Mexico as the U.K. has done to the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/let-s-get-real-would-any-american-president-seriously-open-up-their/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [It was interesting watching the Afghanistan war review deliberations, this three-month process where Barack Obama did the most thorough foreign policy review ever by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/it-was-interesting-watching-the-afghanistan-war-review-deliberations/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“When was the last time an American president found it worth his while to write a speech on the importance of art and literature?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/when-was-the-last-time-an-american-president-found-it-worth-his-while/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [To give credit to Lincoln for moral progression seems beyond the facts and unnecessary for our appreciation of this arguably greatest of all American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kaplan/to-give-credit-to-lincoln-for-moral-progression-seems-beyond-the/) [Fred Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kaplan/) > [In fact, American presidents never apologize for what America does in war, because in the American mind, all its wars are defensive, always fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/in-fact-american-presidents-never-apologize-for-what-america-does-in/) [Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/) > [President George W. 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Every time I say I had an uncle who was a great professor at MIT for 35 years, who did a fantastic job in so many ways academically—he was an academic genius—and then they say, Is Donald Trump an intellectual? 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