Moses and the Trump
Donald Trump may have been beaten in Iowa, but let’s be honest, if you would have told me a year ago that he would be a leading presidential candidate, I would have laughed in your face. Really. I totally would have. Yet fast forward to the present, and not only did Trump come a close second, but he remains the Republican frontrunner with a genuine chance of making it all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Wow. Crazy, no?
Donald Trump is not who I picture as a typecast for the leader of the free world. He’s brash, opinionated, the absolute antithesis of being politically correct and he would be the first person ever to seek this highest level appointment having never been elected to public office or serve in the US military. Now take Francis Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey on the hit political drama House of Cards), or Jeb Bartlett (played by Martin Sheen on the show The West Wing). That’s exactly what I picture a US president to be. Smart yet calm; confident yet diffident; charismatic and clever. Not exactly Donald Trump. But the real issue surrounding Trump’s meteoric rise through the Republican ranks is how is he coalescing such a strong support base? What is it about him that has Republicans not only backing him, but claiming that he has a real shot at the top of the political pyramid?
The parshas (weekly Torah sections) we are presently reading deal with Moses taking the Jewish people out of Egypt, culminating in receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai and then journeying to the Promised Land. Moshe, the Jewish archetype of what we believe a leader to be, takes a rag tag group of Hebrews and through his guidance and wisdom transforms us into a people and God’s public relations team here on earth. Yet even a cursory look at Moshe reveals that successful leadership qualities are not always what we think them to be. Moses had a speech impediment. He was not a great orator a la JFK or MLK Jr. He didn’t enjoy speaking in public and he wasn’t very good at it. It also seems that Moseis portrayed as having a self- confidence issue in that he thought himself unworthy to lead the Jews.
Yet Moses did have strong, positive leadership traits. He was humble. He surrounded himself with smart and resourceful people. He knew his own lackings and therefore ensured that others were there to help and pitch in when he couldn’t. Oh….he also had God in his corner.
Mostly though, Moses was humble; an absolutely deal-winner for someone in his position. In fact, not only was he the most humble man to ever live, he had a real deep belief and faith in the cause and his people. Where he led, the Jews followed (sometimes hesitantly). That’s what made Moses the greatest leader the Jewish people have ever had.
Taking a look back at the most recent presidential elections, I believe we can see a pattern emerge:
1996- Clinton (D) vs. Dole (R)
2000- Gore (D) vs. Bush (R)
2004- Kerry (D) vs. Bush (R)
2008- Obama (D) vs. McCain (R)
2012- Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
The common denominator here is that the man with personality won. Not who championed the right issues, not who said the right thing the right way and not the guy who was most qualified for the job. The man who became POTUS was the man with personality. Clinton played the saxophone on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno. Obama admitted to smoking marijuana in college. And the men who lost were portrayed as zombies…..Dole, Kerry, Gore…honestly, you couldn’t get more boring! Were they qualified? Sure. Did they have a proper CV? No doubt. But they could put you to sleep without finishing their first sentence!!! Personality wins elections. Personality makes politicians into leaders. Donald Trump, if nothing else, has personality. He has it for himself, for you, for me and for the entire block!!!
Modern presidential elections are often won by charisma and force of personality. Likeability and personality are certainly positive assets, and Moses had both, but they were balanced with humility, which made his leadership a real service for the people, and not just a popularity contest. In a culture obsessed with celebrities the situation is worse. Even someone as otherwise underqualified and outrageous as ‘The Donald’ can have a decent shot at presidency. Humility is not particularly respected in modern politics. Yet for Torah humility is the key.
Donald Trump has already surprised America and the world with how well he is polling. He is galvanising and polarising…you either love him or you hate him. But you know of him and have feelings one way or the other.
I leave you with a version of a popular activity going on social media (directed at you, Mr. Trump)….
Moses is a leader. Moses has personality. Moses is humble.
Moses is smart. Be like Moses.
