Is This the Secret to His Success?
What more is there to say about Donald Trump? More than four dozen books address his tenure as President. Hundreds more address his business career. That is a lot of spilled ink.
Read all these books and you may still be at a loss as to who this strange, orange-coiffed man is. His actions often do not make sense. At times he appears self-destructive. Does he have any self-consciousness?
Psychologists, political scientists, journalists, and politicians (normal ones) have not yet figured him out.
Maybe the solution is right in front of us. In the list of the Catholic Church’s Seven Deadly Sins. Trump scores 7 for 7. Not bad for a non-Catholic.
The list, first appearing in the 6th century under the auspices of Pope Gregory I, offers a concise, convincing description of Trump. It is as if he got a copy in grade school and used it as a guide ever since.
Trump has not just dabbled in each of the sins, he’s mastered them. There is no category in the Guinness Book for how often someone has violated any one or all of the seven sins, but if there was, Trump would have a shot at it.
Lust
Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, and others, possibly including a few professionals in Moscow, are proof that the President has, or had a powerful sex drive. It is what might have prompted Trump to buy the Miss Universe Pageant, which created an opportunity to catch a show in the changing room. And then there is that one-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and his sidekick Ghislaine.
Gluttony
The President has said he weighs 243 pounds. Morning Joe claims he is pushing 300. Nancy Pelosi has suggested he is morbidly obese. What exactly does he weigh? Melania herself may not know. What we do know is that he is fat and practices the diet of a 15-year-old. His favorite meals include bacon and eggs, fast-food, and ice cream.
In fairness, Trump is no boozehound. He does not drink. Does he pop an occasional pill? He takes hydroxychloroquine and announced it, to the displeasure of epidemiologists, at a COVID-19 press briefing. Recreational drugs? No evidence unless you want to consider some of his more bizarre behavior.
Greed
Is Trump greedy? There is no need to analyze this one. In 2016, he bragged, “I like money. I’m very greedy. I’m a greedy person. I shouldn’t tell you that, I’m a greedy — I’ve always been greedy. I love money, right?”
Despite his claimed wealth, he has a long history of cheating contractors. He surrounds himself with a gaudy display of gold plated furniture that would make King Louis XIV, the king who moved the royal court to the palace of Versailles, blush.
Trump’s decorating style has been compared to that of the late King. Does Trump have a gold-plated toilet? Apparently not, but, knowing of Trump’s fondness for gold, the Guggenheim Museum offered him one in 2018.
Sloth
The President’s reluctance to work, or even engage in the appearance of trying, is well documented. He doesn’t read. He is a textbook example of a sloth. He may be our most lazy modern President unless you consider watching TV and tweeting work. Proof of Trump’s sloth is documented in how he schedules and uses “Executive Time,” time on his calendar spent by himself with no meetings or phone calls officially scheduled. Approximately 60 percent of his time was so categorized.
Don’t forget golf, which is work for some people. Trump has played golf over 290 times since becoming president.
Wrath
Unless you have a thick skin, don’t anger the President. Trump doesn’t hesitate to unleash his wrath—his strong, vengeful anger or indignation—against anyone who upsets him. He’s called for Representative Adam Schiff to be arrested. He’ called former National Security Advisor Bolton “a Creepster.” James Clapper is a “proven liar.” The list goes on.
Trump is also threatening punishment against cities, always headed by a Democratic mayor, that he calls “anarchist cities.” He’s threatening to cut off federal aid and take other punitive action.
Beware the Wrath of Trump!
Envy
Who does Trump envy? Other heads of state who are richer than he is or who head nations not hampered with the rule of law and democracy. Think Vladimir Putin and other dictators. Also Barack Obama. Why else would Trump hire an actor to play President Obama in a video of Trump firing him?
Trump is envious of Obama’s popularity, but can’t seem to figure out why people don’t like him.
Pride
Hubris, inordinate self-esteem. How many times have you heard President Trump describe himself as “great” or “the best?” He is a self-described genius, driven by ego. A man who trusts his gut.
Catholic theologians view Pride as the worst of the seven deadly sins, in part because it spawns the commission of the six others.
Most of us do not aspire to be guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins. One wonders, however, if the personality traits that helped Trump achieve this distinction are not the same characteristics that made him successful or at least appear that way.
The President has the appearance of being extremely successful. The amount of Trump’s fortune remains a mystery. In April, Forbes estimated he was worth $2.1 billion. That was after losing a billion or so due to the pandemic. Others question these numbers. Trump has a track record of appearing to be wealthier than he is.
But who cares? Maybe the goal is to look like he is rich. The motivation? When he was younger, to get women. When he was older, to persuade banks to lend him money even when the information in front of them told them they should not. Now, looking wealthy is baked into his persona. Trump looks in the mirror and sees “winner.”
That is consistent with his mastery of the Seven Deadly Sins.
J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. For more than 30 years, he advised clients on federal education and social service policy.
Stephen Schaare says
Hi Mr. Dean, You are citing “morning joe” ? “Professionals in Moscow”?.I am still here, still reading your hatred, but I cannot respond to this drivel. I have standards. This, this petty slop.I leave with this, “A man is twice a child”
George Merrill says
I see this matter differently. I’d say everyone, at least everyone I know, is guilty of some if not all these sins. I can’t imagine any politician ever who is remotely qualified to cast the first stone. I suspect the more important question may not be who the worst sinners are, but who are the ones with some awareness of it.
John Dean says
Thank you for this response, which is helpful to the discussion. I should not have cast the first stone here. I confess however, that some of the recent statements and actions of the President contributed to focusing (albeit with the intention of satire) on his negatives.
Bob Benson says
That’s it. I’m done. It is a sad day when you cannot control your own editorial policies.Removing the Spy from my list.I am neither a Republican or a Democrat , just an open minded observer
John Dean says
I am sorry to read your comment and apologize for being so harsh on the President. I hope you do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Although this piece may have been a stinker, it is not typical of the rest of the Talbot Spy. The other writers/editors deserve support and have much to offer.
I plan to be more balanced/less outspoken in future columns.
Mike Huffstetler says
Mr. Dean:
I no longer read your nonsense!
Dick Deerin says
Interesting take on our hopefully soon to be ex-President.
Ellen Smith says
Too funny. Now apply the same analysis to Biden, Obama, Clintons, Pelosi, etc. etc. and you won’t need to change the text. Not to focus on Dems only but they are the loudest.
John Dean says
I am sorry to read your comment and apologize for being so harsh on the President. I hope you do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Although this piece may have been a stinker, it is not typical of the rest of the Talbot Spy. The other writers/editors deserve support and have much to offer.
I plan to be more balanced/less outspoken in future columns.
John Dean says
Ms. Smith: Apparently a reply intended for Mr. Benson got posted as a reply to your comment. My apologies. I somehow managed to send it as a reply to you.
What I wanted to say is thanks for reading the piece. I also will not be doing a similar analysis of Biden, Obama, or anyone else. Please note that finding evidence of gluttony by Obama is difficult.
Steve Shimko says
Sounds like those responses criticizing Mr. Dean’s comments are more along the line of “let’s shoot the messenger”. None of them have offered any rebuttal to the points Mr. Dean raised about Donald Trump, probably because it is impossible to do so. As for me, I’m just going to remind readers of the 30,000 (and counting) lies, misstatements, and half-truths mouthed by this president. Two that stand out are 1) I’ll release my tax returns, and 2) Mexico will pay for the wall. Liar-in-Chief is a more accurate description of this president.
David Reel says
In J.E. Dean’s latest screed about President Trump; he opines that the President has committed all seven deadly sins of the Roman Catholic Church. That is a lot of sins for any one person. Mr. Dean is either unwilling or unable to offer any thoughts on Donald Trump’s record as President on public policy issues. Anyone who follows politics knows Donald Trump is not a candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church or any other denomination. He is certainly not the first president whose outsize personality and flamboyant character have been viewed as less than stellar. Every President from George Washington until the current President was or is a human being, complete with a wide range of human flaws and personality quirks. Some much more so than others. During the Clinton years, the American public was told regularly that Bill Clinton’s personal conduct before and during his eight years in office was irrelevant. We were told all that mattered was how well he performed his duties as president. Somehow that same standard is not applied to Donald Trump. Enough is enough with Mr. Dean and his virulent hatred for our current President. Dean needs to read and acknowledge the recent publishers note in the Spy that included the following observations:
“With apologies to songwriter Joni Mitchell, the Spy will encourage the concept of sharing both sides now. We will seek out Republican, Democratic and independent thinking on the most critical issues of our time with the special request that these be separated from the personalities and character flaws of those that advocate those policies.
That is not an easy task for writers nor their editors. It is instinctive to comment on the motives and contradictions of both Trump and Biden in this election. In some cases, those inconsistencies are not only significant to highlight when talking about policy, but they are also essential in educating the general public on complex issues.
Nonetheless, we will encourage all of the Spy’s contributors to avoid the trap of using moral indignation or character assassination for the simple but compelling reason that those “trigger” phases will defeat their objective of attracting the undecided or the ill-informed to hear their perspective of an issue.”
Well said Mr. Publisher. Please take heed Mr. Dean. Spy readers deserve better.
John Dean says
Thank you for your comment. Recent events have heightened my concerns about the President, but, with hindsight, I should not have written this particular piece for the Spy. Future columns will, I hope, will be more civil.
Linda Baker says
Ahh, Mr Dean I see you’ve been watching “The View” again, and taking notes.