{"id":4480,"date":"2025-06-29T10:15:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/?p=4480"},"modified":"2025-06-29T10:26:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:26:33","slug":"prof-schlevogts-compass-no-18-you-are-fired-five-fatal-flaws-forge-trumps-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/29\/prof-schlevogts-compass-no-18-you-are-fired-five-fatal-flaws-forge-trumps-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 18: You are fired! Five fatal flaws forge Trump\u2019s fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Powerful forces signal that Trump may have peaked the day he took office. The crash is coming.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,<\/em><\/p>\n

but in ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar<\/p>\n

At his Resolute Desk, Trump sits like a force of nature \u2014 waging war, bending markets, and crushing dissent with a single gesture. He doesn\u2019t follow rules; he rewrites them.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s on edge, all eyes on him. He doesn\u2019t blink. He dominates. One man. One will. Total disruption.<\/p>\n

But step past the drama, and a different picture emerges: beneath the surface, fault lines are running deep, primed to rupture. The final reckoning? Trump\u2019s presidency is headed for failure. These are the Fateful Five: the interconnected weaknesses that spell his likely downfall \u2014 a web of vulnerability captured in the Five F-Framework (see Figure 1).<\/p>\n

\n
\n <\/figure>\n

1. Flawed mindset: No escape from \u201ccharacter is destiny\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n

US President Donald John Trump has often shown the right political instincts \u2013 seeking to end conflicts, challenging entrenched ideologies, and pushing back on progressive social agendas. More than once, he has acted with defiant bravado \u2013 doing what he believes is right, even in the face of mainstream opposition.<\/p>\n

Breaking decades of deadlock, he met North Korea\u2019s leader. Undeterred by fierce criticism, he engaged Russia\u2019s president Putin \u2013 isolated in the West over Ukraine and alleged election meddling. Meanwhile, he boldly bulldozed \u201cprogressive\u201d<\/em> diversity policies \u2013 which are spiritually, morally, and socially corrosive and truly regressive \u2013 braving the shrieking fury of woke inquisitors, their relentless pitchfork brigades, and the ever-aggrieved cancel mob.<\/p>\n

\n
\n US President Donald Trump arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the NATO summit, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 24, 2025.<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0 AP Photo\/Alex Brandon <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet Trump\u2019s boldness often slips into hubris \u2013 excessive pride that fuels overconfidence, blinds him to acute limits and warnings, and puts ego above the common good. It shows in his underestimation of global conflicts (like in Ukraine and the Middle East), attacks on allies and institutions (notably NATO), and fixation on flashy prestige projects (like the US\u2013Mexico Border Wall). Craving adulation, Trump chases image over substance and, driven by a mercurial temperament, governs by impulse.<\/p>\n

Pride, arrogance, narcissism, and impulsiveness can make a leader dangerously vulnerable. The TACO label\u2013Trump Always Chickens Out\u2013may have been floated to bait him into proving his toughness, though this is speculative. Regardless, that jab may well have nudged him toward a radical and fateful choice: striking Iran unprovoked, despite unequivocal CIA and UN evidence that Tehran possessed no nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

\n
\n US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) in the Situation Room at the White House, Washington, DC, June 21, 2025.<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0 Daniel Torok\/Getty Images <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trump\u2019s massive ego makes him easy prey for flattery. Before the 2025 NATO summit, the US commander in chief eagerly circulated a glowing message from the alliance\u2019 secretary general Mark Rutte. The consummate \u201cTrump whisperer\u201d<\/em> praised Donald\u2019s Iran strike as \u201ctruly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do\u201d<\/em>, assuring his friend that he \u201cwill achieve something NO American president in decades could get done\u201d<\/em>, and cheering that \u201cEurope is going to pay in a BIG way\u201d<\/em> \u2013 never mind that Rutte, a European himself, would help foot the bill as a taxpayer.<\/p>\n

\n
\n US President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 13, 2025.<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0 Pool via AP <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Flawed ethics: Limits of \u201cmight makes right\u201d<\/em><\/h2>\n

Even the most powerful leaders have typically deemed it necessary to cloak their ambitions in moral reasons to gain legitimacy, unify people, rally support, and ease resistance \u2013 like Julius Caesar framing his conquest of Gaul as a civilizing mission.<\/p>\n

Fast forward centuries to Napoleon who sold his wars as fights for liberty \u2013 even as he built an empire. Consider his famous call urging troops to champion the Italian people: \u201cYou will go to fight for the liberty of the peoples of Italy, to free them from the chains of their tyrants.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Though arguably lacking the stature of a Caesar or Napoleon, President Trump often bypasses morality, propriety, and basic decency \u2013 ethically unmoored, he leans instinctively on the logic of \u201cmight makes right.\u201d<\/em> Classic proof: In February 2025, he proposed turning Gaza \u2013 a densely populated place he, with striking disregard for human suffering, described as a \u201cdemolition site\u201d<\/em> \u2013 into a US-run \u201cRiviera\u201d<\/em> without Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Trump casually shrugged off the unprovoked, US-backed Israeli attack on Iran in June 2025 as just \u201ctwo kids in a schoolyard.\u201d<\/em> He cynically reduced a deadly, high-stakes war \u2013 one which threatened world peace and risked unravelling the global economy \u2013 into a trivial, harmless spat. Remarkably, he cast himself as a neutral referee and peacemaker-in-wait, feigning detachment while watching the roughhousing \u2013 never mind that America had handed one kid the stick.<\/p>\n

In a 2020 tweet, Trump slammed the International Criminal Court \u2013 a body probing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity \u2013 as a \u201ckangaroo court\u201d<\/em> and \u201cillegitimate.\u201d<\/em> After the ICC probed Israeli PM Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, Trump hit back in 2025 \u2013 first slapping harsh sanctions on the ICC Chief Prosecutor, then, in a historic escalation, targeting four sitting judges.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 17: Field hospital without surgeon general \u2014 Cracks in Pope Francis\u2019 fa\u00e7ade<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In 2018, Trump refused to visit a war cemetery, reportedly dismissing fallen US soldiers as \u201closers\u201d<\/em> and \u201csuckers\u201d<\/em> \u2013 a striking example of disrespect and poor judgment.<\/p>\n

By putting power above principle, he sacrifices ethos \u2013 the trust derived from perceived moral integrity \u2013 which is a crucial tool of persuasion. His blunt style, admired by his base as authentic, fuels opponents\u2019 claims of tyranny, rekindling fears from the days of the American Revolution and eroding America\u2019s soft power. Against this backdrop, Trump\u2019s stunt of circulating an AI image of himself crowned \u2013 predictably provoking blistering backlash from democracy advocates \u2013 was hardly helpful.<\/p>\n

His raw, say-what-you-think style lacks the subtle finesse that refined leadership demands \u2013 a finesse that classical Chinese strategists famously, yet controversially, saw in dissimulation and other forms of artful deception. Paradoxically, Trump\u2019s brash candor and outspokenness \u2013 often bordering on na\u00efvet\u00e9 \u2013 stands in sharp contrast to another of his trademark habits.<\/p>\n

Notably, Trump is a historic \u201coutliar\u201d<\/em>, possessing a rare gift for alternative interpretations of truth, never letting facts stand in the way of a good story. His radical tactic of strategic truth adjustment \u2013 aptly called firehosing \u2013 bombards audiences with repeated falsehoods to drown out facts. Unlike subtle fake heading, firehosing is blunt and easily exposed. Case in point: The Washington Post tracked 30,573 false or misleading claims<\/a> made by Trump in his first term \u2013 about 21 a day, and climbing.<\/p>\n

Short-term gains come at a steep cost. Sidelining logos \u2013 logical reasoning based on facts, not fiction \u2013 Trump is forced to lean hard on his last remaining persuasion tool: pathos \u2013 appealing to the audience\u2019s emotions \u2013 stoking fear of unchecked immigration, economic doom, and national decay to fire up his base.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s relentless wielding of pathos lies at the heart of his cunning, divisive populist playbook: he casts himself as a hero of \u201cthe people\u201d<\/em> battling \u201cthe elites,\u201d<\/em> but banks on hollow promises, sham fixes, and the emotional bait of feigned compassion. True leaders unify; Trump divides \u2013 as polarizer-in-chief, he unquestionably backs powerful special interests like the Israel and arms lobby, while routinely vilifying the vulnerable.<\/p>\n

3. Flawed leadership: Ambition splits focus and awareness<\/h2>\n

Trump\u2019s zealous quest for an imperial presidency and American restoration splinters strategic focus and coherence and engenders a chaotic juggling act.<\/p>\n

The US president\u2019s scattershot approach spreads him thin across domestic crises and global flashpoints, risking failure everywhere \u2013 worsened by the fog of vague, half-baked initiatives, such as \u201cBuild the Wall\u201d<\/em> and \u201cDrain the Swamp\u201d<\/em>. At times, he goes full shotgun \u2013 epitomized in the record-breaking flurry of 26 executive orders on day one of term two: scrapping climate pacts, overhauling immigration, narrowing gender rights, targeting civil servants, and pardoning 1,500 Capitol rioters.<\/p>\n

Curiously, Trump pairs this tireless multi-tasking with a cinematic jump-cut style, dropping the ball when challenges mount. Once his brash promise to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours fell flat, the 47th president slammed on the brakes and made a sharp, unexpected pivot \u2013 upending global trade and subsequently targeting Iran. His notorious audacity in flouting rules oddly contrasts with unlikely timidity: Think TACO again.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 16: Rembrandt reveals blessings of Pope Francis\u2019 reign<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For Trump, leadership is just the art of the deal. His dominant logic is flawed: he treats politics like real estate \u2013 centered on bargaining, branding, short-term wins, zero-sum games, and risky bets. Prioritizing transactions over relations, he ignores the complex human stakes at play. Through his peculiar lens, the New York mogul is spotting real estate-style opportunities, remarkably, in the political arena: dreaming not of peace in Gaza but a Riviera, and viewing a North Korean beach not as a geopolitical flashpoint but luxury property in waiting.<\/p>\n

Trump did not just see real estate deals in politics \u2013 he saw a full-blown business portfolio. To some, he played the role of a Godfather in the White House, deploying extortion tactics straight from the Mafia playbook. Consider this: Trump preyed on Ukraine\u2019s vulnerability and desperation for US military support to seize critical minerals and resources. In a brazen twist, he demanded payment for aid already delivered \u2013 like invoicing someone years after giving them a Christmas gift.<\/p>\n

Just as a sports coach chasing wins, masters of the political game require a smart, balanced roster. But Trump prizes loyalty over competence \u2013 elevating partisan firebrands, such as the political strategist Steve Bannon, while sidelining seasoned pros seen as wavering, such as FBI Director Comey \u2013 sacrificing effective governance for personal allegiance.<\/p>\n

Such favoritism echoes the infamous tale of Emperor Caligula, who allegedly planned to appoint his prized horse, Incitatus, as consul \u2013 rewarding loyalty over competence to mock the Senate and flaunt his absolute power.<\/p>\n

By surrounding himself with yes-men and shutting out dissenting voices, Trump traps himself in an echo chamber devoid of the diversity and checks essential for making creative, rational, fact-driven decisions.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, Trump\u2019s outsized ego clashes even with loyalists, leading to public humiliations and bitter fallouts fueled by bruised pride and policy rifts. The casualty list is long: Sessions, Cohen, Bolton, Barr, Musk \u2013 all cast out, only to burst back onto the scene as staunch critics armed with insider secrets and thirst for revenge. Sharp minds steer clear, knowing that in Trump\u2019s orbit, loyalty is demanded but never securely returned. The damage from Trump\u2019s weak personal leadership is only compounded by his equally poor performance as an organizational architect.<\/p>\n

Unlike epochal leaders who built enduring institutional frameworks \u2013 think Napoleon\u2019s Code Civile \u2013 Trump\u2019s legacy so far boils down to a bold dismantling act, epitomized by Elon Musk\u2019s chainsaw ripping through the excess of labyrinthine bureaucracy.<\/p>\n

Tellingly, Trump seems to have skipped classes in Organizational Behavior \u2013 the study of workplace dynamics \u2013 to his detriment. Had he mastered it, he could have driven systemic change step-by-step \u2013 in a methodic and disciplined manner: sparking urgency, forging vision, and empowering execution.<\/p>\n

The US president would also have learned to meticulously calibrate transformation across key dimensions: purpose, substance, scope, scale, speed, style, and sequence. To illustrate: savvy change leaders are timing every single move with precision \u2013 fast for quick wins, slow for broad and lasting buy-in \u2013 and balance structural reforms with cultural shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his haste and vaulting ambition, Trump mistook force for foresight \u2013 jamming every lever to the limit with no flight plan, no runway, and no brakes. He drove radical change at full throttle on all fronts, ignoring the gauges and redlining the engine \u2013 as if raw adrenaline alone could fly the plane.<\/p>\n

On his blind mission to the stars, POTUS 47 neglected the intricate immune system of a bureaucracy with its manifold ingenious ways of mounting resistance \u2013 from open defiance to slow-rolling to feigned compliance that quietly sabotages reform behind a smile. Need a masterclass in bureaucratic resistance? Just watch Yes, Prime Minister.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 15: Kakistocratic defense splurgers destroy Europe<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Notably, Trump seemed oblivious to the ratchet effect \u2013 a dynamic in which actions, like a one-way mechanism, are far easier to take than to undo. It is a cautionary principle: once momentum takes hold \u2013 whether in administrative systems or government policies \u2013 reversal is rarely simple. This insight sharpens awareness of how hard legacies are to unwind \u2013 and advises prudence before locking oneself into moves that resist reversal.<\/p>\n

To illustrate the trap: Trump\u2019s tariffs on China, meant to protect US industry, proved politically perilous to undo. Or Iran: once provoked, reconciliation proved far harder than escalation. In both cases, pulling the trigger was easy; climbing down, far harder \u2013 true to the adage, \u201cSome paths are easier to blaze than to backtrack.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Flawed politics: Weak grip on realpolitik<\/h2>\n

Unclouded by ideology, Trump jolts politics with an innovative and results-driven mindset, defying orthodoxy and upending entrenched trends. Wielding power more like a chainsaw than a chisel, his sheer will cuts political noise and rips into the machinery of government with blunt force. The maverick and trickster favors personal engagement over formal channels \u2013 witness his direct talks with President Putin on Ukraine. With his seat-of-the-pants style and raw energy, he shatters long-standing barriers, but creates little lasting substance.<\/p>\n

Paradoxically, despite his pragmatism, Trump often operates in a vacuum \u2013 driven by wishful thinking and blind to the hard and dynamic realities of power: scarce economic resources, military constraints, geographic limitations, and institutional checks. Committing the fallacy of the last move, he gravely underestimates backlash from adversaries, such as tariff retaliation or military counterstrikes. Remember the time-tested truth: \u201cEvery battle plan is perfect until first contact with the enemy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s shaky grasp of realpolitik \u2013 pragmatic power politics grounded in shifting realities \u2013 leaves him ill-equipped for complex global challenges. His radical shifts in strategy, tone, and messaging betray a deafness to the nuance that serious statecraft demands. Trump\u2019s erratic style is laid bare in his wild policy swings and theatrical dealings with friends and foes alike.<\/p>\n

Undermining the very structures that long projected America\u2019s power and cemented its political, economic, and military might, Trump voluntarily surrendered key levers of dominance that his adversaries could have only dreamt of prying loose. He rattled NATO by questioning core defense commitments, stunned allies with abrupt troop pullouts from Germany, Syria, and Afghanistan, and treated US forces in Asia as bargaining chips \u2013 demanding steep payments from South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n

Wounding a friend marks a stunning break even from the most basic pagan maxim \u2013 \u201chelp your friends, harm your enemies\u201d<\/em> \u2013 a code long fundamentally transcended by Christian ethics.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s North Korea approach veered from threats of \u201cfire and fury\u201d<\/em> and mocking Kim Jong-un as \u201cLittle Rocket Man,\u201d<\/em> to praising him as a \u201cvery talented\u201d<\/em> leader and crossing into North Korea with a smile and handshake. The dime-spinning showmanship grabbed headlines \u2013 but yielded nothing: North Korea kept its nukes.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Germany
Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 14: \u2018Whatever it takes\u2019 revisited \u2013 Euromaniacs exploit threat bias again<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Forged in the high-stakes world of real estate, Trump brings a gambler\u2019s instinct to politics \u2013 gutsy, fearless, and drawn to spectacular all-in bets that others would avoid. But he often chases outsized rewards while ignoring long-term risks.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s 2018 unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal alienated allies and fueled tensions \u2013 bringing Iran closer to the bomb. His sweeping trade war with China that year backfired, straining global supply chains and hurting American farmers without a clear victory. The 2025 US attack on Iran escalated diplomatic failure into open conflict.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s move to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem epitomizes short-term brinkmanship over long-term strategy and consensus-building. Breaking decades of precedent, it fired up his evangelical and pro-Israel base but sparked regional tensions and sidelined the US as a broker in the Israeli\u2013Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

At times, Trump shows caution, backpedaling after hallmark, bet-the-house gambits \u2013 canceling tariffs or recasting himself as an impartial arbiter and kind-hearted peacemaker after ruthlessly igniting conflicts and backing one side \u2013 earning the moniker \u201cdaddy\u201d<\/em> during a respite in the 2025 Israel-Iran war.<\/p>\n

Yet a moment may come when the destructive forces and chaos he unleashed spirals beyond control, and the former host of The Apprentice finds himself outmatched \u2013 not as the boss, but as the Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice, forced to cry: \u201cMaster! Help! The evil spirits I have summoned will not be quiet!\u201d<\/em> \u2013 only to hear in reply: \u201cYou\u2019re fired!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Flawed economics: \u201cIt\u2019s the economy, stupid\u201d<\/em> \u2013 still true today<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the economy, stupid\u201d<\/em> \u2013 coined in Clinton\u2019s 1992 campaign to spotlight the voters\u2019 top concern \u2013 remains timeless. Yet Trump seems deaf to this enduring truth.<\/p>\n

From the start, Trump shattered economic orthodoxy with his Make America Great mantra, favoring shock interventions from the White House over steady multilateral cooperation and gradual consensus-building at home and abroad. Yet mirroring his shaky grasp of realpolitik, he was weak in realwirtschaft \u2013 often gambling on wishful outcomes, underestimating the hard forces shaping the real economy.<\/p>\n

Over time, Trump doubled down on destructive economic nationalism and selective deregulation \u2013 pursuing radical decoupling from China and showering incentives on US manufacturing. He ramped up tariffs on European and Asian imports, reigniting global trade wars and driving up inflation at home. Undermining global climate efforts, he unleashed fossil fuel expansion by gutting environmental rules and opening federal lands to drilling.<\/p>\n

In 2025, he signed the beautifully alliterate One Big Beautiful Bill \u2013 a sweeping deficit-financed economic package bundling infrastructure spending, tax cuts, and industrial subsidies \u2013 hailed as bold stimulus by supporters, slammed by critics as reckless populism.<\/p>\n

In his most audacious economic gambit yet, Trump vowed to scrap income taxes for most Americans and replace the IRS with an \u201cExternal Revenue Service\u201d<\/em> bankrolled by sweeping import tariffs.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s plan grabs headlines but reeks of recklessness \u2013 overhyping tariffs, burdening consumers, fueling inflation, inviting global backlash, and eroding fiscal credibility; a crowd-pleaser doomed by economic realities and glaring policy contradictions \u2013 like aiming to tame inflation by stoking it with tariffs.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"US
Prof. Schlevogt\u2019s Compass No. 13: How to recast the White House into the \u00c9lys\u00e9e \u2013 five rules for handling a strongman<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This reveals the deeper flaw of the overreaching leader: by putting politics above economics and sidestepping fundamental economic principles, he triggers toxic fallout that can swiftly unravel their reign.<\/p>\n

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan\u2019s defiance of economic orthodoxy \u2013 slashing interest rates amid soaring inflation \u2013 ignited a lira freefall and an inflation inferno, proving that fighting fire with gasoline burns fast and deep. Flouting economic fundamentals in a policy blitz can precipitate a swift downfall \u2013 U.K. prime minister Liz Truss\u2019s radical push for large unfunded tax cuts shattered market trust in the economic competency and policies of her government and sent her premiership crashing in just 44 days.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: The monumental downfall of a tragic icon<\/h2>\n

At the end, we may ask, \u201cWas this the rise of a colossus \u2013 or the long prologue to a fall?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump embodies the quintessential American can-do spirit \u2013 the very driving force that vaulted the land of opportunity to global preeminence, drawing the best and brightest for generations. Yet unchecked strength in excess \u2013 untempered by moderation, prudence, or equity \u2013 becomes weakness that, if uncorrected and compounded by other flaws, engenders derailment.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s impulsiveness and unpredictability, personalized rule, disregard for diplomatic balance, and penchant for undercutting institutions evoke not Bismarck\u2019s cautious statecraft, but the apparent reckless self-sabotage of Wilhelm II \u2013 reportedly a mercurial man whose very excesses and volatility ensured he would be Germany\u2019s last emperor. Never forget: every choice carries a price \u2013 nothing comes without a cost.<\/p>\n

If you lean toward the ominous and sinister, consider this chilling conspiracy theory: Trump may have been elevated not to succeed, but to fail \u2013 spectacularly. His rise may have been engineered as a political vaccine, paving the way for a calculated liberal restoration, swiftly reversing his agenda and quietly entrenching progressive rule over countless electoral cycles. By similar conspiratorial logic, Hitler\u2019s ascent to absolute power could be seen as a dark gambit \u2013 to inoculate the German people against authoritarianism, militant nationalism, and anti-Judaism, and to catalyze the creation of Israel. Both, perhaps, were dialectical masterstrokes \u2013 premeditated catharses, with doomed, fateful figureheads cast as sacrifices to reshape history through fire.<\/p>\n

Even in his unhinged state, Trump could still, in theory, learn from past missteps and change course \u2013 but the odds are vanishingly slim. His five fatal flaws are poised to seal his fate. As Oscar Wilde observed, \u201cAll great men are gifted with destruction.\u201d<\/em> The Apprentice star seemed to have peaked on the first day in office; his undoing may take multiple forms, each varying in drama and pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trump might come down \u201cnot with a bang but a whimper,\u201d<\/em> reduced to a lame-duck after a midterm humiliation of his party. More spectacular exits include second-term impeachment or post-presidency criminal conviction. Or perhaps no rupture at all \u2013 just a legacy of failure, etched in history not for triumph, but for squandered power.<\/p>\n

To conclude, Donald Trump is such stuff as tragedies are made on. The man can be compared to the typical protagonist in classical Attic tragedy \u2013 not a pure hero or a true villain, but a flawed, elevated figure, whose all-too-human weaknesses drive his fall, echoing the narrative arc of classical Attic tragedy.<\/p>\n

Inspiring pity through his suffering and fear that his fate could be ours, the tragic hero typically begins noble and strong, but caught in a web of dark forces and blinded by pride or misled by a fateful error, engineers his own downfall \u2013 seeing clearly and recognizing the truth only when it is too late. Longfellow\u2019s apt warning echoes like a tragic chorus: \u201cWhom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Powerful forces signal that Trump may have peaked the day he took office. The crash is coming. \u201cThe fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.\u201d \u2014 William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar At his Resolute Desk, Trump sits like a force of nature \u2014 waging war, bending markets, and crushing dissent with a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4480"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4488,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4480\/revisions\/4488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}