In other words, he is a classic sociopath, a human chameleon who adapts to whatever he thinks people want of him so he can get what he wants of them. See the play/movie "Six Degrees of Separation" for a wonderful portrayal of this.
Because it's just a role, however, it does eventually get dropped. And that's when people realize how the sociopath, the con artist, has damaged their lives.
It's also when the sociopath is his most dangerous. His only sincere emotion is anger.
The author is right that the American people are to be blamed for having voted for such a transparently nutty person, but she must also realize that sociopaths have been getting away with frauds like this since the dawn of time. This one was just on a huge scale, thanks to the mass media.
