Trump’s brusque manner in his personal relationships and his contentious, populist style in public and with the media were some of the factors that led to his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. From a functional perspective, what he needed to do was to form a relationship of attractive opposition with the electorate but, instead, he formed a relationship of antagonistic opposition with many of them.
Moreover, his behavior detracted from his numerous accomplishments as President. During his tenure, America became energy independent for the first time in history; he pulled American troops out of a seemingly endless conflict in Afghanistan; he pushed for building a wall at America’s southern border; he settled an endless conflict in the Middle East by establishing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, something which no past president was able to achieve.
Many who were against him saw his theatrics and other surface antics as un-presidential. He was presented by the media as “too untrustworthy and too emotional,” i.e. unstable, and not fit for the presidency. By contrast, Biden was pictured on the political stage in the exact opposite manner, with a seemingly smooth, cool, competent facade. In the debates, he responded to Trump’s contentiousness by appearing unruffled and in control of himself, traits that scored him points in the publics mind. More importantly, Biden was expertly packaged. during the political campaign. He never revealed his political hand to the public, and only appeared in carefully orchestrated interviews, speaking mainly in platitudes.
Contact between people happens on the social surface. What mattered to the public about Trump and Biden were what people saw of the candidates on the social surface, their facade, not about the dynamic that was being played out in the social depths within and between these two socio-political character types. The public’s exclusive focus on the surface was also a symptom of their profound state of cluelessness about the two candidate‘s highly different underlying socio-political character structures which was the key to how they would function in the Oval Office.
If Trump had decorum and behaved with dignity instead of playing endlessly to his loyal base he would have earned more credit with the public as a whole. His opponents were seasoned provocateurs and he let himself be constantly provoked. This gave him the image of a populist figure and a street fighter in the minds of the public, not a politician with integrity and a clear strategy for America. By allowing himself to fall into this image, he became his own worst political enemy.
Charles Konia, M.D. 