Edward Norton Has An Interesting Theory About Why Trump Is Behaving Like A Desperate, Cornered Rat

In the wake of Rudy Giuliani’s disastrous press conference on Thursday, followed by the announcement that Donald Trump invited Michigan GOP officials to the White House in an effort to overturn the state’s election results, Edward Norton posted an early morning Twitter thread on Friday that attempts to explain the president’s desperate behavior, and why it will fail.

According to Norton, Trump’s actions aren’t to make his base happy or lay the groundwork for Trump TV. Instead, the Fight Club actor theorizes that Trump is delaying a peaceful transition for two reasons: to suppress evidence and to create enough chaos and anxiety that he can “cut a Nixon-style deal” to prevent “irreparable damage to the system.” However, Norton says America needs to stay strong and call Trump’s bluff:

His bluff after ‘the flop’ has been called in court… His ‘turn card’ bluff will be an escalation & his ‘River card’ bluff could be really ugly. But they have to be called. We cannot let this mobster bully the USA into a deal to save his ass by threatening our democracy. THAT is his play. But he’s got junk in his hand. So call him.

Norton ends his thread with the belief that America can survive Trump’s assault if we hold strong. “Faith in the strength of our sacred institutions & founding principles is severely stretched… but they will hold,” he writes. “They will. He’s leaving, gracelessly & in infamy. But if we trade for it, give him some brokered settlement, we’ll be vulnerable to his return. We can’t flinch.”

You can read the whole thread below:

Norton’s words were also a big hit on Twitter, where people were surprised at the nuanced political analysis from The Incredible Hulk star:

(Via Edward Norton on Twitter)