Authentic presidential leadership: Americans know it when they see it

Toward the end of his presidency, Ronald Reagan was doing the standard round of exit interviews, one with Tom Brokaw of NBC. During the taping, Brokaw asked Reagan a rather brilliant question, namely, was there anything from Reagan’s Hollywood days that helped him become a better president? 

The Gipper thought for a moment and finally replied, ‘I don’t know how you can do this job and not be an actor.’ There was great wisdom in what Reagan had to say.

Shakespeare was right. ‘All the world is a stage.’ The great leaders of the world all knew about presentation. Think about it. 

Julius Caesar in his finest armor. Napoleon insisted on his own uniform, and that of his men be presentable. George Washington understood that what one looks like is a part of leadership. He never went before his men without being dressed in his finest, his horse brushed, and the leather well-tended. He said little publicly, which only added to his aura. When he went before the Constitutional Convention, he was always dressed in his finest uniform. Same with Robert E. Lee. When he went to surrender to Gen. U.S. Grant, the Confederate leader put on his best uniform. 

Sun Tzu once said that ‘victorious warriors win first then go to war.’ By that, he meant winners gain a psychological advantage before engaging the enemy. And presentation is a large part of that advantage.

Dressing in character is also a part of leadership. Abraham Lincoln was no slave to fashion, but the old log splitter understood his ruffled style worked for him. It was what citizens wanted. It was a part of his authenticity.

The internet is replete with stories about leadership and presentation, something lost on the intelligentsia today. Donald Trump has his own style, and that is key. His rallies are a lot of entertaining and informative. He commands attention. He obviously has fun on stage.

In that manner, Trump may be the most exciting president in modern history. From his hair style to his ubiquitous red hat to his rallies, everything is unique. None of it is accidental; Trump has always understood the importance of not just being a leader but also being seen as a leader. Donald Trump in a Speedo would not work for him. JFK in a bathing suit worked for him. In fact, JFK was one of those lucky men who clothing always looked ‘leaderly’ on. Manly. In control.

Arguably, no moment revealed Trump’s leadership more profoundly than when, just moments after his assassination attempt, he stood up before the audience, put his fists in the air, and shouted with defiance, ‘Fight!’

Juxtapose this with his current ultra leftist challenger. There is nothing iconic or memorable about the Kamala Harris campaign. Her campaign sign is arguably one of the most bland ever conceived of, static white letters on a plain blue field. 

Harris has tried her best to coin phrases like ‘coconut army’ and ‘brat.’ They’ve even gone so far as to try and appropriate the patina of rural Americans by slapping the Harris campaign logo on a camouflage hat and calling it a day. Just the other day, she tried out a southern accent, Of course, it backfired. Her presentation seems so forced, so insincere. Fakery.

The American people crave authenticity, and they see right through phonies. California coastal elite Kamala Harris in a camouflage hat isn’t authentic. It didn’t work when then-presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren attempted to do a livestream with a beer. It didn’t work when Barack Obama had the White House release photos of him at a gun range. And it most definitely didn’t work when Michael Dukakis rode in a tank in 1988. 

The socialist Tim Walz is even worse. He screams fraud! The cognitive dissonance between the trappings of mainstream America and the ideology of a far-left ivory tower elite is making him inauthentic to millions of Americans. He’s not even good enough to be a cliché. He is something worse.

Even Democrats concede that no president in modern history has created more iconic looks than Ronald Reagan. From his California ranch to his cowboy boots to his legendary Stetson hat, Reagan looked and felt exactly like what a conservative should be. Bold, classic, individualistic and quintessentially American.

For this and a thousand other reasons, Reagan is now regarded as one of our four greatest presidents. And Biden? People have already forgotten him and his presidency. To coin a phrase, he will be consigned to the dustbin of history where all miserable presidents belong. His presentation and lack of leadership have banished him to the list of failed presidents.

And Shakespeare was right: ‘The play’s the thing!’