You heard it here first. Donald Trump is really quite a boring man
Donald Trump is really quite a boring man. I say this despite informed analyses of the effect of Mr Trump’s “near-constant campaign presence” on this mid-term election. Mr Trump literally transformed the American political map”.
His rhetoric, larger-than-life personality, outrageous words and deeds undoubtedly cast a huge shadow on the political landscape. Not just of America but across the world.
But for the US, as The Washington Post writes, Mr Trump “inevitably remains the dominant issue in nearly every facet of American politics, at once electrifying and polarizing, and constantly needling his friends and foes to react to his unpredictable moves and blistering Twitter feed.”
That’s true. It’s been true since 2015, when Mr Trump rode the golden elevator down into the Trump Tower lobby and announced he would run for president.
What we have learnt of Mr Trump in the years since is fairly well summarised in the paragraph I’ve quoted above. As per that paragraph (and our knowledge of Mr Trump over the past three years), it’s safe to say he is:
** electrifying
** polarizing
** constantly needling friends and foes to react to his unpredictable moves and blistering Twitter feed
We could also add that he is:
** untruthful
** narcissistic
** callous
** ignorant
** chauvinistic
** out of time
That’s who he is. That’s how he behaves. And we have seen the full range of his emotional and intellectual behaviour in the past three years. We know his lies, boasts, bluster, boorish behaviour. We know he doesn’t care much about the idea of America and how it is being tarnished by its newly shameful worldwide image as a transactional, immoral, militarily powerful bully, led by a bully.
With Mr Trump, one may cautiously suggest, there are no new highs – or lows – to reach. He has done his best and his worst and everything that comes after this point will simply be a reprisal.
That’s why I say he’s boring. Most of us are fairly predictable individuals. However, most people try in their own way to develop, to progress, to reach for the stars, if you will. Some do it by reading new things; others by trying a new hobby; still others by taking on board different ideas. This constant impulse to progress – to achieve one’s full potential – is what makes human beings admirable and exciting.
As someone once said, the most splendid achievement of all is the constant striving to surpass yourself and to be worthy of your own approval.
But with Mr Trump we don’t get a sense of striving to surpass himself. He doesn’t have to try to be worthy of his own approval. He already approves. And has done so for a very long time. From the day he ceased to strive, Mr Trump became boring. That was probably a very long time ago.
Even sensationalism becomes samey and tiresome after a while. Boring.
