By Dennis Matanda
While Barack Obama and some of his predecessors contributed to what one ought to expect of an American president, blockbusters like ‘The American President’ starring Michael Douglas, and ‘Amistad’ with Sir Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams may have better captured and crystallized the world’s imagination. The American president is wise, measured – deliberate; all-powerful, and yet still in awe of the co-equal branches of government.Like the rest of the world, many Africans – this writer included – transfer the moral fortitude of the Man in the Oval Office, projecting this on each of the 50 states that make up the United States of America.The equanimity and idealism; that shining city on the hill.
Then Donald J. Trump happened.
The man that replaced Obama behind the Resolute Desk had, for the most part, gotten his job by questioning his predecessor’s legitimacy. And yet, a great many Americans and some Africans thought he’d be a much better commander-in-chief than his erstwhile rival, Hillary Clinton.Almost a year into his presidency, while polls indicate a modicum of buyer’s remorse, and disapproval for what some suggest is not presidential manner, Donald J. Trump is still the world’s most powerful man. There’s also a higher-than-average chance that he will remain president until noon on January 20, 2021 when his first 4-year term officially comes to an end.
A Neustadtian Failure?
With each passing day – with a tweet, a sneer, and not being able to persuade the United States Congress to see things his way – President Trump, ostensibly, fails in Neustadtian terms. While his tweets thrill his base, his devotion to erasing his predecessor’s accomplishments is a stark reminder of the pendulum that swings between Republican and Democratic presidencies. As an investigation into Trump’s Russia dealings has anti-Trumpers smacking their lips at the prospect of an abbreviated Trump presidency, the 45th president lumbers through and survives another ‘self-inflicted’ scandal. And even though he deems them his mortal enemy, the Fourth Estate is, somewhat, hopeful that Trump will become more presidential.
Perhaps the media’s hope is a projection of the American public’s yearning. The public is, probably, expecting that the weight of the Oval Office will weigh the president down; that he will be more presidential. Being presidential would, in this case, be more like Dennis Haysbert in the ‘24’ TV series, and less than Trump in real life. But Trump is, perhaps, a guy keen to do things on his own terms, the things that made him the runaway success he was in his pre-presidency life. And in so doing, this may, exactly, be what endears him to millions of Americans and Africans alike.
A Love That Trumps Them All
The Americans seem to love Trump for a plethora of reasons. The Africans, on the other hand, seem to understand Trump’s motivations even better than his own countrymen.Africans may know the pattern only too well, having seen the blueprint to megalomania. Perhaps, that’s why they understand Trump. Even like him. After all, why can’t a man with power be allowed to do exactly what he wants? Doesn’t the King share the scraps from his table with those he deems worthy? And because kings are wont to be capricious by nature of their power and position, doesn’t anyone us have a fair chance of being The One Trump favors, if only for a moment?
Interestingly, in support of Trump’s natural aversion to tradition, or even the need to challenge it, this won’t be the first or last time Hollywood has romanticized a role. Just as he does when he plays the 6th American president, Hopkins, who plays Odin in Marvel’s Thor, is presented as the embodiment of a philosopher king. He is Odin, after all: father of Thor and Loki and the spiritual father of all humanity. A mighty warrior and a good companion. However, this portrayal does not tell us that Odin was devious and capable of treachery when it suited him. While he is regally one-eyed, many people do not know that Odin deliberately gave out his eye in exchange for precious knowledge that probably extended his reign. He killed fellow deities and ordinary men. Like Odin, just because Trump is all-powerful does not mean he cannot wander off on personal quests to tweet a thought. Perhaps, like Odin in Martin Dougherty’s Norse Myths, Trump does this to further his own goals or, better still, in search of wisdom.
Continues in Part II
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