Can it be a coincidence, or merely a case of synchronicity, that in the age of Trump — a decade-long epoch that began in 2015 — several serious, high-profile books have been written about presidential character?

None of the three published in the last 15 months — an astonishing harvest of history on one subject — explicitly takes on the difficult question of evaluating the character of Donald Trump. But all three — one rooted in the life of Abraham Lincoln, another in the presidency of George H.W. Bush, the third focused more generally on modern presidents — speak of the glittering yet tarnished character of Trump's presidential predecessors.

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MikeCorthell
MikeCorthell

"A Very Small Man in a Large Chair"

The focus on presidential character during the Trump era is no accident. Trump’s behavior has forced Americans to reexamine what the presidency reveals, rather than what it builds. Unlike past leaders, whose flaws were tempered by moments of moral clarity or public service, Trump’s legacy is one of relentless self-interest. Books on Lincoln, Bush, and other presidents underscore this contrast. They show how character can emerge in humility, service, and responsibility. Trump, in contrast, flaunts lies, cruelty, and authoritarian admiration as features, not flaws. Where Lincoln saw himself as a steward of opportunity, and Obama as part of a long relay, Trump breaks the chain and tries to center history around himself. Presidential character matters not because we expect perfection, but because leadership amplifies the traits already within a person. The office, as Johnson said, tests the size of the person who holds it. Trump’s presidency has revealed a small man in a very large chair, and that revelation is why the question of character now dominates our national conversation. We are asking: who do we become when we stop expecting goodness?

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G_Allen
G_Allen

Let's take Trump's biggest accomplishment (so far, perhaps more to come) and examine it in the context of your response.

What is Trump's self-interest in closing the border? How did that personally help or benefit him?

I would argue that his political instincts are more in-tune with most politicians despite his being a businessman. And if you look at the other common-sense positions he has taken in opposition to the Democrats, like preventing biological men and boys from competing against women or invading their personal spaces, it shows that we needed a Trump-type character to dismantle the woke hellscape that Biden and the Democrats created and perpetuated.

Yes, Trump has plenty of character flaws. But look at someone you hold up like George W. Bush. While his character helped the country after 911, he never lifted a finger to help Trump as Republican nominee. His "character flaw" is being unable to see how the country needed Trump. For example, I'm sure Bush is happy at Trump's Supreme Court picks. Yet he never said a peep, even when Trump was relentless criticized as were the picks themselves. He never defended Justice Kavanaugh against those unfair attacks. He never defended Trump against the government's weaponization. He never used his platform to complain about the various witch hunts.

So unfortunately, without any allies, Trump has had to create his own movement. And this experience has forced him to not select mainstream Republicans who basically did not support him in his first or second election or terms.

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G_Allen
G_Allen

You cannot talk about Trump and his character flaws without paying even more attention to Biden's. Trump and Biden are interconnected. Biden and Obama tried to sabotage Trump's campaign against Hillary Clinton, basically weaponizing the FBI and DOJ. And when that failed, they created a hoax to hobble his presidency.

Biden's family corruption is legendary. While Trump has plenty of character flaws, pure graft and treason are not among them. But Biden and his family literally sold out America to China and other foreign bad actors. Being mean, disloyal, or a bad tweeter is nothing compared to Biden's corruption.

And then there is the specific weaponization of the justice system against Trump in 2020-2024. Several state and federal indictments, each shattering existing norms.

And then there is the Biden mental decline cover-up and the ruling of America by an unelected cabal of his aides. They even tried to run him for re-election knowing he was unfit. Perhaps only one or two Democrats (Dean Phillips comes to mind) tried to stop the trainwreck and the further destruction of the presidency.

These scandals far outweigh whatever norms Trump broke.

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MEPD Ret
MEPD Ret

"These scandals far outweigh whatever norms Trump broke."

Actually, Trump isn't breaking norms; he's merely copying what the Democrats have gleefully endorsed in the past, or did to him.

So far, to date, Obama deported more illegal aliens than Trump has.

Obama was the one who built the "cages" and detention centers.

Remember this famous Obama quote: "I have a pen and a phone", regarding EOs?

How about when Biden exploded the economy with the Pandemic spending package or opened our borders to all manner of illegals? [Ever wonder why we are now experiencing a resurgence of diseases that we thought had been eradicated?]

And what about all of those ridiculous Impeachments or raiding a former President's residence, or all of those lawsuits?

Would you like to compare the one day that Americans finally said "Enough" to all of those months of violence, destruction, mayhem, and murder by Leftist rioters as Democrats cheered on and supported them?

Oh, and there is so much more...

As they say, "Whatever goes around, comes around".

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