Character is destiny: Trump and his team prove the point

“Character is destiny,” the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, famously said.

Two and a half millennia after Heraclitus lived, Donald Trump and his administration are proving the point. Without undertaking a psychological inquiry into his emotional well-being, we know a lot about President Trump’s character, based on what he says and writes about himself, not to mention what we’ve seen from him over four decades as a public figure. He is boastful (he brags about it). He’s transactional. He’s hypermaterialistic, and he cares a great deal about appearance. seeing his name atop buildings that he owns. The direct result has been a profound corruption of government policymaking — on everything from taxes to clean water policy — as the administration makes decisions that directly effect Trump’s business empire.

Trump continues to repeat the lie that voter fraud is a significant problem and explains why he lost the popular vote. His grandiosity does not enable him to acknowledge that Hillary Clinton received more votes. As a result, he looks silly for embracing transparently untrue claims; and, more seriously, he perpetuates a myth designed to suppress the vote of minority voters.

Trump cannot stomach the fact that his campaign is being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for possible collusion with Russian interference in the 2016 election. If it is true that there was no collusion, then Trump should welcome an inquiry to resolve the matter. But Trump believes himself above the law and disdains the constitutional checks and balances that are the bedrock of our working democracy.

What he believes in his gut is that if attacked, he should hit back harder. Hence the reckless decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, and his repeated efforts — so far, stillborn — to dismiss Mueller. Irrespective of whether any Russian collusion occurred, the president cannot be permitted to fire an independent investigator simply because the investigator is looking into allegations of misconduct by the president himself, or those close to him. That’s the pathway to authoritarian rule.

All of these are problems — and many others — of Trump’s own making. By and large, they don’t reflect any particular ideology or program. Rather, they are a direct outgrowth of his personality and character.

The effect of these character defects are broader still. Trump’s example has been emulated by his Cabinet and political appointees, who apparently have similar qualities. The grandiosity and disregard for ethical standards is pervasive in the administration, evidenced most recently by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s use of a lobbyist’s condominium for just $50 a night.

Even more consequentially, Trump’s impetuousness has created a chaotic White House with seat-of-the-pants decision-making. It is entirely likely that the White House’s erratic process will lead our nation into a dangerous and unnecessary war with Iraq, North Korea, Syria or an enemy to be determined.

Most elected officials run for office out of a sense of public service — but they also tend to have very healthy egos. For better or for worse, that’s almost part of the job description. Still, as he himself says, President Trump is not like other politicians. He is a character unlike others, and his character is unlike others. As a result, we’re destined to lurch from crisis to crisis, peril to peril, as long as he is president.