There’s something appealing about a rebel. They say what they want to say and do what they want to do. It’s refreshing, even appealing when you’re used to an alternative that is known for being boring.
Donald Trump is the best thing that happened to the long-term success of the Republican party in years. I’ll cover that elsewhere, but for now it’s important to note that I’ve changed my tune on the importance of the man and his presence in the field. He should not be the nominee and he definitely cannot be the President, but he’s added a spice to the mix that would never have been there if he hadn’t joined the race.
Like a person that is fun to date but who carries too much baggage for a long-term relationship, let alone a marriage, Donald Trump represents the pre-primary fling that the Republican party needs. We’re going to end up marrying someone else as our candidate and hopefully our President, but this fling has been both entertaining and strangely enlightening. He’s pushed the candidates to rethink and improve. For that, we should all be thankful.
Those traits that make him appealing such as his willingness to speak his mind even if his perspective is unpopular makes him an ideal date before popping the question to someone else. He’s the contrast, the salt that makes the caramel so tasty.
Here are some of the things that make him an important candidate but a terrible nominee:
- No Filter – This is pointed to as a primary reason that many people support him. He speaks his mind and isn’t worried about the consequences, at least in theory. It’s great to have a candidate that does this and while we can dream wistfully of a President that did the same thing, such a President would erode world relationships worse than the last two Presidents have done.
- Deal Making – Nobody can doubt that Trump knows how to put together deals that favor him. He’s one of the masters of it. However, political deal making and business deal making are two completely different things. Ronald Reagan helped tear down the Berlin Wall and end the Cold War, but he wouldn’t necessarily make a great business CEO. There are so many factors associated with deals on a geopolitical scale while in business, it really just comes down to money.
- Bad Relationships with Specific Demographics – It’s interesting to watch candidate Trump go after women (and then deny it), Hispanics (and then claim that they love him), and unattractive people (though Rand Paul is clearly more physically appealing that Trump), but to know that a President Trump had insulted people like he was in junior high creates relationship barriers that often cannot be mended. He’s already hated by liberals. No need to have him hated by a good percentage of conservatives as well if he’s going to be the nominee.
- Winning – This would be the strange one to understand as a weakness for a President. People love winners. We love them as candidates and we love them as Presidents. He’s the problem with Trump. He’s such a winner that he’s a very soar loser at the same time. He doesn’t possess the humility necessary to accept losses. In the world of business, it’s very possible to win nearly all the time. In politics, especially in the Oval Office, you’re going to lose a good chunk of the time because you don’t always have control over what the Congress, states, SCOTUS, and foreign leaders will do. Even President Obama knew how to respond when he lost his Congressional majority. President Trump will not be as prepared for such a devastating loss.
We applaud Mr. Trump for doing things that make him appealing as an early candidate because he’s changed the calculus for the better. He’s a great date, one to remember for the ages. However, he cannot be the candidate we marry as our nominee. There are two certainties in that situation: the marriage will end and it won’t end well.
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