The Odd Couple: Obama and Trump May Have Made a Winning Team

Letter to editor by Matt Helfrich

Leadership cannot be defined in one convenient definition or example. There are different types of leaders whose qualities and actions have both positive and negative consequences. There are leaders whose ideas, vision, and outstanding oratory skills inspire millions, but experience difficulty implementing those ideas at a practical level. Woodrow Wilson conceived the idea of the League of Nations following World War I to establish collaboration among the international community to address international disputes. Although he eloquently explained his concept of the League of Nations as the organization to prevent all wars, he couldn't get his own countrymen and women to support it. JFK's speeches filled people with hope and made them believe "they could reach for the stars", including many African Americans who were being treated as 2nd class citizens. However, it is doubtful that JFK could have surrendered his ideals and been practical enough to avail the Civil Rights laws passed in 1964 and 1965 - as his successor, Lyndon Johnson, was able to achieve by being politically pragmatic in order to obtain the votes for the Civil Rights legislation.

Like Kennedy before him, Obama could deliver speeches that left you in tears and made you believe and hope for a better America and a better world. He also had ideas - clearly developed on his own - that provided hope for our country's needy, poor, sick, and unemployed. However, his Presidency leaves a legacy of missed opportunities, naive foreign policy treaties, and the inability to obtain a true consensus for his goals. Trump, on the other hand, has no ideas of his own. The fact that he has changed his opinion on important policy matters - NATO, Syria, Russia, and Healthcare - within 3 months of the beginning of his Presidency is evidence of this. His speeches are usually insulting, vain, and devoid of any substance. And yet he was a successful business man who was able to earn billions despite his inability, or willingness, to portray a positive public image. He is a man who, like Lyndon Johnson, surrenders his pride and many of his convictions to get something done. That's not sexy leadership, but leadership nonetheless, or at a minimum effective management and an undying spirit.

As a result, it's interesting to consider what our country could achieve if Obama and Trump had worked together and used a combination of their better attributes. Obama could inspire the nation with his words and his vision, and Trump could take this vision and implement it quickly and pragmatically, building consensus through his adaptive "dealings" with the entire Congress.Admittedly, any "dynamic duo" of Obama and Trump is a far-fetched idea. However, it is interesting to consider how the collaboration of different leadership styles could help address the current, divisive political climate on Capitol Hill. Should new Administrations consider Cabinet appointees based on how their varying skills, personalities, and leadership styles could be collectively used to govern more effectively?

Matt Helfrich

Harleysville, PA

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