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I've wanted to avoid this topic and have put it off for months. It seems I'm not going to get around it.
Let me be clear, first, as most of you know, I don't write about politics in this space. I write about leadership. Thus, you will see that I'm not emphasizing policy in this article, nor will I be endorsing any candidate.
I'm simply writing about leadership traits and personality characteristics, those of one Donald Trump.
One disclaimer-I get it.
I understand that supporting Trump is a vote against the status quo. People are tired of the same ol' same ol'. You know, the same mealy mouthed politicians seemingly serving up the same of everything, shifting words around, but saying very little.
Americans have been exhausted by retread candidates with retread ideas, cautiously moving their mouths with nary a creative thought escaping them.
It's refreshing to have different talk.
Trump's antics are like the rock band following the waltz, black and white television suddenly becoming color, a bland piece of meat startled by pepper.
I do get that.
The question is, however, does different make him better?
Individuals have offered up their reasons for supporting Trump. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he supports him because he's his friend.
Okay.
A smart CEO told my dad that he's all in on Trump because he's decisive; "He makes decisions now!"
But doesn't that "smart" CEO understand that that quality does very little good in the political arena, that collaborative skills must rule the day in government, that the constitution was created to all but eliminate unilateral decision making so that no one person can steer the ship?
In other words, how Trump is accustomed to making decisions in business is, by design, frustrated and ineffective in government.
I should note too that the inability for one to admit he's wrong is a sign of deep insecurity and a dangerous trait in leaders. For this Trump is notorious.
Google his interview with Chris Matthews and witness his dodge of Matthews asking him if he now acknowledges that he was wrong about Barack Obama's birth certificate.
You can also tell a lot about a leader by who he or she regards. His mutual admiration for Vladimir Putin, the "politician" who has had opposing journalists and opposition leaders murdered in Russia and has attacked neighboring countries, is another red flag for me.
Putin said Trump is "outstanding and talented."
Trump considered it a "great honor" to be praised by Putin. And "he feels fine" about him. "At least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country," he said.
And then there's Trump's tendency to say things without thinking them through; for example after the Isis attack in California when he stated that he would put a moratorium on Muslims coming into this country "until we get a handle on things."
What he had to mean was that he would halt immigrants from countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan for the time being. That might be a sensible precaution.
But to ban those of a certain religion? That's kind of Hilterish. It would be like saying that after Waco, Oklahoma City and the abortion clinic bombings we shouldn't have allowed Christians into the country. Wouldn't that've been something?
He often speaks, too, without a command of the facts. When asked about a specific trade agreement in one of the debates he said that it had been a "disaster" and started railing against China as the number one abuser.
It took Rand Paul to point out to him that China was not part of that agreement.
That brings us to Trump's peevish name calling; his childish, obnoxious boorishness.
His making fun of Carly Fiorina's looks, for one. His calling a Saudi leader "dopey," for another. Not to mention his characterization of Hillary Clinton taking a bathroom break at a debate as "disgusting."
Too, he chastised Time Magazine because it didn't make him its 2015 Person of the Year, while disparaging an ally of the United States at the same time-a person he would need to have a working partnership with were he president.
"I told you Time Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite," he tweeted. "They picked the person who is ruining Germany." That would be Angela Merkel, Chancellor.
As you know, I could go on and on with these examples.
The Constitution says you must be 35 years old to run for president. Too often he acts like he's 5. Someone should check his birth certificate for proof of age I think.
Speaking of relationships he'll need should he become president, how difficult will it be for Trump to function as a successful Commander in Chief after he insulted all captured soldiers by saying last summer that John McCain was not a hero because of his stint as a POW? "I like people that weren't captured," he said.
He tried to walk the comment back later, but, as is his wont, never apologized.
This brings us to Trump's unbearable do-no-wrong arrogance. For this there are too many instances to site. Most of his ardent supporters admit at least this.
Unfortunately, egotism can be temporarily attractive.
People are often seduced for a time by arrogance. There is a certain swagger that is eye-catching. And this unadulterated pretend confidence can be alluring.
But, I warn you, over time arrogance becomes insufferable and suffocating. Ultimately it disappoints often with devastating and disastrous results.
In sum, Trump has decision making habits that would be moot in government and poor collaboration skills that could make him ineffective. He cannot admit when he's wrong, admires and is admired by a horrendously immoral and dreadful want-to-be dictator, makes blanket statements without considering wholly what he's saying or without knowing the facts, makes fun of people and calls people names like a petulant child, and is excruciatingly arrogant.
Only you can decide whether that's presidential timber or not.
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