In the video above, I discuss how Trump is the opposite of what the Founders thought a president would be, and how his stupidity is setting up his presidency and the entire Republican Party for failure. Give it a watch to complement this article.
For those who watched Trump’s first term, it was clear that his second term was predestined failure before it started. Successful presidencies are often built before the president-elect ever takes office, during the presidential transition through staffing.
Trump learned the wrong lesson from his first term. Trump thought he couldn’t do what he wanted because the people around him told him no, so he replaced competent people with loyalists who would do his bidding.
By staffing his government in this way, he set it up for failure and went against what the Founders intended by the presidency.
The American system of government was based on the idea that presidents would be virtuous people. There was a belief among the Founders that the American people would not elect a president who lacked character and virtue.
The role model for the presidency, according to Pierce Butler, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, was George Washington.
Butlers said the delegates “set their eyes on General Washington [the Convention’s presiding officer] as chairman; and formed their ideas of the powers that should be given to a president, from their opinions of his virtue.”
The Constitution has survived since 1787 because it is not a completely specific document. The Constitution has served as a guideline, with relatively few, but some very important, changes throughout the country’s history.
Those who wrote the Constitution created a strong executive branch because they believed that future executives would be just like Washington. The assumption that presidents would follow Washington’s example and behave as individuals of high character who respected the office and public service meant that the presidency was often governed by norms and precedents, rather than laws and regulations.
Presidents are supposed to be honorable public servants, and the system worked very well, with few exceptions, until the American people twice elected a person who was the opposite of George Washington to serve as president.
Not only has Donald Trump been found guilty of fraud by a court, but corruption appears to be the currency of his administration. Trump ignores rules, norms and ethics as if they do not exist.
Trump was elected president twice, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Trump has strengths. Because he is not a thinker, Trump makes solutions to complex problems seem simple, which may be attractive to some voters. The problem is that once he is in power and he cannot solve the problems, voters turn against him.
Trump’s lack of respect for norms, laws and his generally immoral behavior means he has no qualms about using bullying, intimidation and dishonesty. Again, these are all qualities that can help win an election or two, but they become liabilities when it comes to governing.
Due to his character traits and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, many Americans feared that his return to the presidency would mean the end of democracy and dictatorship, but Trump has one gigantic limiting factor that explains why his presidency is already considered a failure by the American people.
It would be foolish to fire Trump just because of his apparent lack of intellect, but Trump’s refusal to learn is his Achilles heel and the reason he is failing.
Trump contains a self-defeating combination of arrogance and stupidity that is sinking his presidency.
The story continues below.
