Donald Trump, personally and politically, was shallow and petty from beginning to end. He didn’t really know anything about politics when he started office, and he didn’t really learn anything during those four years either. Trump had no such desire – and perhaps no such ability. He just wanted to “win”. And he wanted it for himself – not America.
That said, Trump worked hard and did his best. He naively thought he could get the job done and sincerely wanted to “make America great”. But he was often frustrated in his efforts because he wasn’t allowed to indulge his natural inclinations toward fascism and tyranny. American laws, institutions, habits, and even his own subordinates held him back. This constant thwarting of Trump’s will was both good and bad for the country and himself.
Trump was often gleefully defiant toward those who mocked and insulted him, personally and politically. When people questioned his personal and political fitness for office, Trump openly called himself “a very stable genius”. In fact, he was only semi-stable, mostly due to his mediocrity; and only slightly smarter than the American average.
But Donald Trump was heroic. In the face of withering condemnation from all sides, he usually stood his ground and defended himself. He was a natural fighter who knew how to strike back, and often did so.
Trump's instincts and persona were mostly good. Without knowing why, Trump was a robust and even defiant defender of Western Civilization, America, capitalism, and freedom. But intellectually, he had no real idea of what these were, why they were good, or how to support them. So he did a poor job of this in relation to the likely skills of his rivals Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, who he defeated in the 2016 Republican primaries.
Trump was militantly anti-philosophical. Unlike perhaps every other president before him, Trump never read books. The shallowness and pettiness of his policy research and thought was amazing.
Trump was a remarkably ‘consistent’ pragmatist and utilitarian. He had virtually no principles or morals – other than personal pomposity and self-promotion. To give the devil his due, Trump was a dynamic person, with a strong personality, and no filter, or need of one. He was an “alpha male” and "winner” of sorts. But he had a weak character and poor personal compass – and thus was easy to manipulate via flattery. Foreign leaders constantly conned him.
It’s good that Trump deregulated the economy so much, put three slightly libertarian justices on the Supreme Court, and (under duress) partially built his wall. But he spent like a drunken sailor, kissed up to practically every dictator on earth, and never remotely came out in favor of political liberty as a concept or ideal. Trump was a nationalist and populist guided by common sense – not a libertarian guided by political understanding and wisdom.
As a human being and public figure, Trump spent four interminable years with a hideous belly, butt, raccoon eyes, orange complexion – and beyond-hideous hair. And he never stopped being a buffoon, carnival barker, and slimeball who lied practically every time he opened his mouth.
Trump was a hugely successful businessman-turned-politician. He was like Ross Perot, but with a few less conspiracy theories, and a bit less craziness. A rather desperate America wanted to see if great business acumen would translate to politics, even in the form of a rank amateur. It did not.
Trump was a social and political disruptor – as people wanted. He often gleefully stomped on the dominant American ideology of political correctness and multiculturalism – which was a joy to watch. He frequently attacked the political “swamp” and “deep state’. But he didn’t have any ideas in his head when he did so, and so this rarely worked or helped. Trump's footprint and legacy in advancing liberty and uplifting America will be slight.
Ultimately, what the American people wanted and needed was someone who was solidly and principledly pro-freedom, pro-capitalism, and pro-libertarianism. Donald Trump was never remotely thus.
