One thing about true Leaders is that they recognize their genuine “weak spots” and make concerted efforts to diminish them either by: self-improvement and/or working closely with complementary colleagues. In the case of Donald J. Trump, it seems as though he struggles with being the genuinely nice person that people who really know him will attest and the competitive ‘winner’ that is his more ‘public’ persona.
I certainly have noticed a sublime change between the “Apprentice Donald” of 2015 and the “Assassination Attempted” Mr. Trump of 2024. While he may never appear “humble” nor will he stop ‘exaggerating’ ‘embellishing’ or ‘enhancing,’ he has given the “public” many more glimpses of an authentic, patriotic American who genuinely cares to make the United States as good as he can for as many people as possible.
In some ways, he reminds me of the “robber barons” of the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Men like Rockefeller; Vanderbilt; Carnegie; and Morgan who, after lives of brutal negotiations, cruel manipulations and even situational exploitations eventually “saw the light” and decided to make up for past ‘transgressions,’ unfair benefitting and even previously-ignored ‘blessings’ to make amends.
So yeah, Trump has been, is and will continue to be a “jerk” sometimes BUT I think he is well aware of the fact that “last/final impressions” can make up for a lot a past and previous impressions. Are we not the country of giving “second chances,” rooting for the ‘underdog’ and ‘comeback’ stories? I think so and if so, this one will be one of monumental historical proportions.
I certainly do not pretend to understand all that makes Donald J. Trump ‘tick’, but I think I know enough to comprehend his desire to make the second term of President Trump to be one for the Ages. With what he has learned about himself and about the political process of the executive administration of the highest office in the land, I think he will bring to bear the same kind of impact that we have seen in the later years of Morgan; Carnegie; Vanderbilt and Rockefeller…STILL ‘household’ names!
By way of contrast, I see Joe Biden more like the historical figure of Al Capone. Being Italian, it pains me taint the image of Alphonse. Both got ahead by some form of thuggery. Each could claim that they had tough, unprivileged lives and had to fight hard for every ‘crumb’ that they ever got in life. Both can cite tragedies, trials and tribulations which caused them to behave in the manner with which they did. It seems to me, however, that neither of those two characters ever have seen that “light” which could have enabled them to get out of the way of their own self-serving egos.
Without such an ‘awakening,’ awareness or acumen, one keeps behaving like a “manager” by utilizing any means to keep their exclusive interests in the forefront of their efforts. To me, the best and most compelling analogy of this comparison in when Al Capone created a free “soup kitchen” during the Great Depression to win over hungry people and keep scared people in line. This kind of seems like forgiving student loans to endear oneself to young voters or ‘validate’ illegal immigrants in order to secure more actual votes.
I guess the one big difference is that Al Capone used to ‘eliminate’ his opponents through murderous ‘hits.’ Joe Biden only tries to persecute, prosecute and jail powerful people who threaten him with disagreements. With a recent assassination attempt, I can only pray this is when the similar comparison ends?