The Performative Presidency

04/10/25 12:42
Screenshot 2025-10-04 at 12.46.52 PMOctober 4, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 38) - John F. Kennedy is considered to be the first television president - although one can argue that his predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was the first to really embrace what was then a relatively new medium. One can also argue that no president benefitted as much from the medium as the current occupant of the White House. Donald Trump’s appearance on The Apprentice softened the edges of the Manhattan vulgarian and helped propel him to the presidency.



The key is understanding Donald Trump is knowing that he’s not so much interested in governing as he is in being seen as a strong leader on television. To put it another way, he doesn’t want to be president as much as he wants to be seen as president on TV. And because he is media savvy, Trump has also embraced social media at a much higher level than any of his predecessors. One could call it the “Twitter Presidency” if Elon Musk hadn’t changed its name and ruined the platform. So Trump invented his own form of Twitter, Truth Social. (Ironically, his posts on that platform are neither truthful nor sociable.)



It is more appropriate to think of this cacophony of chaos as a Performative Presidency. It’s all about the performance. He announces new policies and initiatives on Truth Social and in his encounters with journalists. As for the details, he lets someone else figure that out. An example was yesterday’s big Gaza announcement. Trump said the Israeli hostages will be freed, but admitted that those details have yet to be worked out. One would think that when it comes to the Middle East, you’d want to have all of the ducks in a row before making promises you may not be able to fulfill. That’s also why he will say some bombastic and often obscene things for the cameras. Felon 47 thinks it makes him look strong and invincible. Trump doesn’t understand when his words do not match his actions, it exposes him for the weak wimp that he really is. That’s why some may call this the TACO Presidency, as in “Trump Always Chickens Out.”




To Trump, leadership is a performative art. And there’s some truth to that. Leadership requires clear, unambiguous and motivational language. Solid communication is the key. Dwight Eisenhower, who I consider one of this nation’s greatest leaders, understood this. Both as Supreme Allied Commander during the Second World War and later as the 34th President, Ike understood the value of unambiguous and quiet leadership. Historian Fred Greenstein has referred to Eisenhower’s two terms in the White House as The Hidden Hand Presidency. Much of what Ike did - and he did a lot more than most presidents - was out of the sight of reporters. In so many ways, Ike is the antithesis of President Bone Spur. Ike rarely raised his voice. Trump’s knob is stuck at full volume.



The danger, of course, is that while Trump doesn’t pay attention to the details, his evil minions like Steven Miller, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Russ. Vought, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. do. These unelected ideologues are shaping - some would say they are dismantling - the federal government without regard to congressional oversight or the laws of the land. As Trump gets older, more feeble and fragile and his dementia (and incontinence) accelerates, the peril for American Democracy increases.




Barring his death, resignation or impeachment, we are stuck with three more years of Trump’s Performative Presidency. However, if Democrats can get their act together, they can seize both the House and the Senate in next year’s midterm elections. That, in turn, will have the effect of neutering an already impotent president. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.