A Businessman for President

During the presidential nominating process, several of my colleagues were adamant in their support for Trump.  These folks were not sociologists; they were criminal justice types.  Believers in law and order, they assumed that the Donald would deliver exactly that.

I, however, demurred.  Trump was clearly a pompous fool.  He was a narcissist who would undoubtedly wreck havoc if elected.  Nonetheless, my coworkers persisted.  So far as they were concerned, he would get things done.

For as long as I can remember, conservatives have touted businesspersons for the presidency.  They have argued that these folks are natural leaders; that they are specialists in making things happen.  What is more, successful executives have proven themselves by making a profit.  Had they not been able to meet a payroll, they would have gone out of business.

This always struck me as a juvenile claim.  What had business success to do with running a government or conducting foreign policy?  This was apples and oranges.  Making money and protecting a nation were not the same thing.  Distinctions had to be made.

Now we actually do have a businessman as president.  Depending upon one’s interpretation, this may be for the first time.  Trump is certainly our first billionaire real estate developer.  So the question is: How is he doing?

In many ways, it is too early to tell.  Trump has not yet put most of his policies in place; nor have we seen their consequences.  Nonetheless, some things have come into sharper focus.  We already know a lot about his governing style.

First, Trump is painfully inarticulate.  Even when reading from a teleprompter, his words do not soar.  When extemporaneous, he stammers and repeats a few favored phrases endlessly.  The effect is to make him sound as if he knows less than he does.

Second, Trump is given to hyperbole.  Everything is the best and the greatest.  His programs will not only work, they will work better than anyone else’s.  Moreover, they will take effect immediately.  This propensity for exaggeration is probably a legacy from his days as a salesman.

Third, our president is agonizingly limited in his knowledge of government.  He has been described as intellectually detached.  That is probably true.  Time and again, he simplifies the difficulties he must overcome.

That said; let us switch to the positive side.  Trump has turned out to be a doer.  In a few short weeks, despite relentless opposition, he keeps on churning out new initiatives.  He also makes quick adjustments when necessary.  In other words, he wants to win.  He wants to get the job done.

Contrast this with Obama, who was a man of elegant language.  Nonetheless, Barack accomplished almost nothing in his eight years.  Indeed, his two major policy initiatives were arrant failures.  As an incompetent administrator, both his stimulus plan, with its shovel ready jobs, and ObamaCare, with it lower prices, were bombastic disappointments.

Trump is also a people person.  He talks to everyone.  This includes politicians, business leaders, and foreign leaders.  Unlike Obama, he does not closet himself with close advisors and political allies.  This enables him to learn from others and to enlist their cooperation.

Next, Trump has been straightforward.  Although he is constantly accused of lying, the reverse seems to be true.  Indeed, he appears to be a man of his word.  What he has promised, he is obviously attempting to deliver.  I, for one, am confident that a wall on our southern border will be built and that ObamaCare will be repealed and replaced.

The point I am trying to make is that, much to my surprise, I am finding Donald Trump a breath of fresh air.  Despite his obvious limitations and political awkwardness, he is doing what a business man was alleged to do.  He is attempting to make things happen.

Our last president was a man of words; our current president is a man of action.  Obama sold us on towering ideals he could not achieve; Trump is more down to earth and pragmatic.  I know which of these approaches I prefer.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University