Worried about Trump’s pointed tweets? Remember that Reagan’s joke about bombing Russia (considered a gaffe, but who knows?) might have had serious ramifications. According to UPI, “In October 1984, the independent U.S. military newspaper Pacific Stars and Stripes, quoting Japan’s Yomiuri Shinbun [sic] newspaper, claimed the Soviet Union’s army in the Far East was briefly placed on alert after Reagan’s remarks were made public.”

Concerned that Trump might not be utilizing the advice and counsel of career foreign policy experts? As was noted in The New York Times about Reagan’s famous “Tear Down This Wall” speech, “When Mr. Reagan’s speech was first drafted, senior officials at the State Department and National Security Council tried repeatedly to get the words out. They believed the statement might jeopardize Mr. Reagan’s developing relationship with the Soviet leader.”

Trump has frequently said he wants to be unpredictable, and it occurs to me that the appearance of unpredictability might just come in handy when it comes to handling tyrants around the globe.