Stay with me here.
Trump’s MO is, to put it delicately, coercing people to get what he wants. I’m sure that a lot of people like him for this trait. Sometimes it seems like an expedient way to get things done.
I think he extorts people to do what he wants. It usually works. He would send his fixer, Cohen, to make some scary threats and people would sign NDAs.
When Cohen was about to testify against him, Trump threatened to reveal compromising material on Cohen’s father.
These are the people I think that Trump is(was) blackmailing:
Lindsey’s Graham
Tulsi Gabbard
Rand Paul
Lindsey was told to fall in line and make nice with Israel.
Tulsi was given one job - attack Obama
That last guy might seem unexpected.
Rand was merciless with Trump at the beginning of his first term. Nearly everyone even in his own party hated him for his hardline libertarianism.
Suddenly, late into COVID, he had one mission - to discredit Fauci. He simply seems unhinged now.
I know this is a conspiracy theory, but it also covers the facts.