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Vanity Fair: Is Donald Trump's Insecurity A National Security Threat?
Is Donald Trump's Insecurity A National Security Threat?
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/is-donald-trumps-insecurity-a-national-security-threat
Trump’s egomania, to this point, has distinctly benefitted him. Presidential candidates are expected to talk about themselves, constantly—and Trump was excellent at this. On the campaign trail and in debates, candidates espouse “I will do this…” “I have done that…” “I believe in this…” “I don’t support that.” But once they make it into the White House, the calculus changes dramatically. There are so many aspects of Trump’s new job that are not about him. Nearly three million people now work for him, and they’re certainly not going to want to hear Trump talking about himself for the next four years. Then there’s the 62 million people who voted for him and are expecting their lives to get better. Many are expecting jobs, not Trump praising himself or making up stories to justify why he lost the popular vote. President Trump certainly can’t keep patting himself on the back whenever he does something miniscule. While President Obama created 15 million jobs, he didn’t jet around the country holding rallies in gymnasiums to congratulate himself. Trump, on the other hand, has so far done constant victory laps for potentially creating a couple of thousand.
Trump’s obsession with himself is going to be a very stark slap in the face when he begins working in the Oval Office this week. For decades Trump has worked out of the Trump Tower and almost everything that adorns the walls and sits atop the desk is about Trump. In his inner sanctum in the Trump Tower he was surrounded by magazine covers that adorned his face. Most are old and yellowing, going back decades—Fortune, Businessweek, Forum and a 1984 edition of GQ, among countless others. He even has pictures of himself framed sitting on the shelf behind him. (Can you imagine framing a picture of yourself and sticking it in your office cubicle?) The word “Trump” appears so much in Trump’s office you’d think it was one of the only word in the English language.
The Oval Office looks nothing like that. While Trump will surely hang a few pictures of himself on the walls (he’s already changed the curtains to gaudy gold), he won’t be able to replace them all. There’s something wonderful in knowing that Trump will have to sit in his new office looking at sculptures of men and women that are clearly much greater than he is, like Abe Lincoln, Winston Churchill, George Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford. There’s something satisfying knowing that Trump could replace 999 pieces of artwork in the White House to pictures of himself, but if there’s one of someone else, someone better than him, it’s going to eat away at him. Or, one hopes, maybe it will humble him enough to scare him straight. I’m guessing it won’t, but hoping it will.
Trump’s obsession with himself, particularly when not shared by the media and those he serves, may distract him from the job at hand. How can we trust such a vain narcissist to value the interests of those around him—the some 300 million people he serves—if he won’t even release his taxes or trust the intelligence community because it’s not in his interest? What are the blind spots of a man who arises to the highest office in the land and on Day One is consumed by his ratings and inaugural turnout? It simply baffles the mind. The question is when will the 62 million people who voted for him recognize that Trump’s self-interest has destroyed their own.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/is-donald-trumps-insecurity-a-national-security-threat
Trump’s egomania, to this point, has distinctly benefitted him. Presidential candidates are expected to talk about themselves, constantly—and Trump was excellent at this. On the campaign trail and in debates, candidates espouse “I will do this…” “I have done that…” “I believe in this…” “I don’t support that.” But once they make it into the White House, the calculus changes dramatically. There are so many aspects of Trump’s new job that are not about him. Nearly three million people now work for him, and they’re certainly not going to want to hear Trump talking about himself for the next four years. Then there’s the 62 million people who voted for him and are expecting their lives to get better. Many are expecting jobs, not Trump praising himself or making up stories to justify why he lost the popular vote. President Trump certainly can’t keep patting himself on the back whenever he does something miniscule. While President Obama created 15 million jobs, he didn’t jet around the country holding rallies in gymnasiums to congratulate himself. Trump, on the other hand, has so far done constant victory laps for potentially creating a couple of thousand.
Trump’s obsession with himself is going to be a very stark slap in the face when he begins working in the Oval Office this week. For decades Trump has worked out of the Trump Tower and almost everything that adorns the walls and sits atop the desk is about Trump. In his inner sanctum in the Trump Tower he was surrounded by magazine covers that adorned his face. Most are old and yellowing, going back decades—Fortune, Businessweek, Forum and a 1984 edition of GQ, among countless others. He even has pictures of himself framed sitting on the shelf behind him. (Can you imagine framing a picture of yourself and sticking it in your office cubicle?) The word “Trump” appears so much in Trump’s office you’d think it was one of the only word in the English language.
The Oval Office looks nothing like that. While Trump will surely hang a few pictures of himself on the walls (he’s already changed the curtains to gaudy gold), he won’t be able to replace them all. There’s something wonderful in knowing that Trump will have to sit in his new office looking at sculptures of men and women that are clearly much greater than he is, like Abe Lincoln, Winston Churchill, George Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford. There’s something satisfying knowing that Trump could replace 999 pieces of artwork in the White House to pictures of himself, but if there’s one of someone else, someone better than him, it’s going to eat away at him. Or, one hopes, maybe it will humble him enough to scare him straight. I’m guessing it won’t, but hoping it will.
Trump’s obsession with himself, particularly when not shared by the media and those he serves, may distract him from the job at hand. How can we trust such a vain narcissist to value the interests of those around him—the some 300 million people he serves—if he won’t even release his taxes or trust the intelligence community because it’s not in his interest? What are the blind spots of a man who arises to the highest office in the land and on Day One is consumed by his ratings and inaugural turnout? It simply baffles the mind. The question is when will the 62 million people who voted for him recognize that Trump’s self-interest has destroyed their own.
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