Donald Trump’s Nature and Leadership: The Need to be Assertive, Not Abusive

US Presidential Nominee Donald Trump continues to amass the reluctant endorsements of top GOP leaders.  True to his nature, Trump sparked controversy after House Speaker Paul Ryan promised his much delayed support by arguing the judge overseeing litigation against the now-defunct “Trump University” was biased due to his Mexican heritage and controversial statements Trump has made against illegal immigrates.  Since then, Trump has continued to dismiss criticism for the racist remarks and the self-serving attempt to discredit the legal proceedings against his company as Republicans beg him to act more “Presidential.”

In many respects, the stream of insincere Trump endorsements does more to discredit those offering superficial support and reveals the true nature of the political culture.  The pressure that finally pushed Paul Ryan to support Trump demonstrates an unwillingness to accept dissent from the group-think that rules Washington.  It also demonstrates how political hardliners can herd the political majority, against the will of their constituents, if they develop a strong enough following and are persistent enough to threat the herd’s image.  In bucking pressure to endorse Donald Trump, based solely on his Nominee status, unless he learns to be more Presidential, people like Susan Collin offer the kind of leadership the US needs. ​

That said, Donald Trump has made an effort to clarify that he does not believe minorities are inherently biased and can offer impartial judgments.  He has also attempted to act more “Presidential.”  Caught in a temporarily humbling position of weakness with the Trump University fraud litigation and racist rant on judicial impartiality, Trump appears somewhat compelled to submit to the authority of public opinion.  When Trump holds power over others, however, he is inclined to ignore the impact of his words and actions on others, which is a major problem for someone who wishes to ascend to the most powerful position in the world.
 
Although most people are naturally egocentric and self-serving to a certain degree, individuals like Donald Trump tend to be overly aggressive to abusive when they feel confident and/or find themselves in a position of strength.  When at a disadvantage, they will never take a submissive tone or stance, even if they are clearly wrong and need to apologize.  They will, however, become less aggressive and more assertive.  Because submission leadership is not leadership and abusive leadership is destructive, proper governance requires assertive leadership that seeks to address and balance the interests of all constituents.
 
In order to become a quality leader, and get the support of reluctant voters, Trump must embrace his more assertive nature and control his own assertive-abusive impulses when he feels confident and/or finds himself in a position of strength.  To do this, he must embrace the notion that the US President is a representative of all US citizens and a servant to all constituents, not just those he needs to win the Presidency.  In other words, Trump must learn he is a public servant, not the master of the public.  The same is true of all national and international leaders.