Introduction
Donald Trump is well known for the unconventional business practice and eccentric nature. His leadership style portrays him as an unconventional leader. His personal brand development started early, when he branded all his real estates as “Trump”. His employees know him as a manager who would “hire and fire” anytime (Harwood par. 5). He is both powerful and eccentric leader who makes smart business decisions. Donald Trump has created wealth in the United States including the save America by Make America Great Again (MAGA) (Harwood par. 5). He has appeared in magazines, books, and hosted “The Apprentice” on NBC which have made him popular (Immelman and Griebi). The main question is whether he was trained to be a leader or he was born one. Former President Trump exhibits leadership characteristics and skills which have made him undisputable leader. The reason is that former President Trump entered into conflict with other nations in a bid to place the United States at its superpower position; therefore, he remains one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever had.
Trump is known to use the authoritative approach in laying information. In this tactic, people perceive it as a duty to follow authoritative figures (Ebrahim 8). The personality is based on the political behavior showcased in office by the president. The bravery and independence revealed that Donald Trump is ambitious or self-serving, gregarious or outgoing, and controlling or dominant (Ebrahim 10). Donald Trump has built-in authority which makes him an authoritative leader. However, Trump has been practicing this tactic to manage his great empire, which his father founded. In the concluded 2020 presidential elections, President Trump convinced his voters that he had won the elections since the start. His followers were sure no matter what outcomes, their preferred candidate, Donald Trump, had won the elections. Trump’s eccentric and charismatic character made people storm the Capitol building, which further led to insurrection at the Capitol.
Trump is an autocrat, a leader who wants his ideas to be accepted no matter the outcome. An autocratic leader decides on their own and makes changes without consultations (Gandolfi and Stone 265). In Trump’s leadership, autocracy can be seen via myriad factors such as the differences between him and vice president, and the cabinet ministers’ restructuring. His differences with Mike Pence were put into light during the 2020 elections when Pence accepted defeat, but Trump called him a “coward” (Harwood). Such leaders as Roosevelt and Muamar Gaddafi, are examples of leaders who carried broad-scale visions for their countries during hard times. This means that the president and his deputy engaged in a heated debate on the acceptance of the election outcomes (Harwood). President Trump was also not satisfied with the Pentagon chief who refused to use troops to stop protesters after George Floyd’s death.
Trump’s authoritative leadership style is seen in his efforts to influence the Arizona and Florida results. He was utilizing his authoritative power to uncertain the reality of his opponents. However, it cannot be argued that autocratic leaders make poor choices but stick to decisions that have lasting consequences. Trump is an outgoing individual who thrives by being at the center of social events, which make him popular. They are presented as being undisciplined and reacting impulsively when faced with mundane tasks (Immelman and Griebi 34). Some will argue that, as a president, Trump should not have used autocracy in leading the United States. It will, however, remain a fact that Trump’s style of leadership was pivotal to a country such as the United States, that is in compromised state with other nations admiring superpower position. The multiple disturbances experienced during his reign including China-U.S. trade wars and opposition against the construction of the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border were the ways of making America great again. Great leaders ought to be remembered by their actions which will remain as testimony of their leadership.
Annotated Bibliography
Al Khajeh, Ebrahim Hasan. “Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance.” Journal of Human Resources Management Research, vol. 2018, 2018, pp. 1-10.
In this human resource management journal, Al Khajeh offers an analysis of leadership style on organizational performance. The study focuses on the six major leadership styles, including charismatic, transformational, transactional, bureaucratic, autocratic, and democratic (Al Khajeh 1). It provides deep insights into leadership styles leaders who positively impact organizational performance. However, from the study, charismatic and transactional leadership styles negatively impact organizational performance since employees are neither granted opportunities nor freedom.
The researcher uses a mixed methodology that involves qualitative and quantitative research methods via primary and secondary data collection methods (Al Khajeh 1). A survey is used as the primary research method based on a survey questionnaire. The secondary part is completed using a systematic review of established literature. The researcher attributes charismatic, bureaucratic, and transactional leadership styles to failures in organizational performance. Al Khajeh emphasizes applying transformational, autocratic, or democratic leadership styles for a positive organizational performance (6). The author also adds that organizations should engage in a leadership style that builds the capabilities of people. This study will be significant for my topic as it discusses leadership styles in an organization. It will enhance my evaluation of Trump’s leadership style and performance of his government.
Gandolfi, Franco, and Seth Stone. “Leadership, Leadership Styles, and Servant Leadership.” Journal of Management Research, vol. 18, no. 4, 2018, pp. 261-269.
Gandolfi and Stone’s main objective is to show servant leadership’s potential as a desirable style for organizations across all types of industries in the 21st century. The study offers a great explanation of leadership’s importance with definitions for both leadership and leadership styles. According to this resource, servant leadership offers beat all other leadership styles. This study provides a historical context for servant leadership that explains why it has worked well in today’s organizations. The study offers examples of leadership styles employed on various occasions, such as the FIFA leadership and Brazil’s Olympic games (Gandolfi and Stone 265). The study critiques leadership in these events and how it led to success. Gandolfi and Stone critically evaluate servant leadership based on its dichotomous nature. The authors give preliminary research on servant leadership as it becomes difficult to note a servant leader. This study will be significant in my topic as it will help evaluate the philosophy and how Donald Trump engaged it.
Ghazal Aswad, Noor. “Exploring Charismatic Leadership: A comparative Analysis of the Rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Presidential Studies Quarterly, vol. 49, no.1, 2019, pp. 56-74.
In this quarterly presidential study, Ghazal Aswad explores charismatic leadership via a comparative analysis of Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric and that of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The researcher uses the DICTION 7.0 content analysis to analyze speeches from both presidential candidates. Based on the findings, Trump’s speeches manifested hyperbolic crisis rhetoric due to his intolerable nature (Ghazal 64). Trump’s communication rhetoric was impactful in creating hermeneutic praxis leading to collective memory and national nostalgia. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is presented as having egalitarian rhetoric constructing stereotypical gender expectations and her position in an incumbent party (Ghazal 69). This resource questions the role of charismatic rhetoric in influencing the appeal and electability potential of the 2016 presidential elections. It will be a significant source for my topic as it focuses on leadership style leading to electability potential.
Harwood, John. “Analysis: Trump Is Handling His Election Loss like Every Other Setback. It Can’t Work.” CNN.
In this article, Harwood does an analysis on how Trump handled his election loss by comparing it with 201 landslide wins. The author analyzes president Trump from his background and how he has been managing to deal with the disturbing issues. He gives various scenarios that depict his actions to avoid arising problems. For instance, when the United States Justice department sued his family on the basis of racial discrimination, Trump laid a claim on defamation and managed to settle the case (Harwood). When Trump wanted flattering publicity, he exaggerated his wealth and posed as a wealthy person boasting to reporters on his romantic exploits. Trump would also find money to hedge economy when his business ventures failed due to bankruptcy laws. He has managed to keep tax collectors at bay, dodged creditors, and stiffed contractors.
When he eyed for politics, to settle allegations of fraud by Trump university students, he wrote checks to silence a film actress they had a relationship. During the 2016 elections, the modern republican Party was estranged from facts and reason becoming a bother to Trump. To maneuver this, he made lies that President Obama was not an American citizen, and claimed to build a wall on the United States-Mexico border to protect Americans from illegal immigrants. Trump’s win over his opponent, Hillary Clinton, turned to be his high point in politics. That is how he managed to hold his followers even after the 2020 presidential loss. Trump’s convincing power is high in that shortly after the election, he would influence his voters to storm in Capital Building causing insurrection (Harwood). This resource is essential as it lays the personality of Trump who is a go-getter and an introvert. This is a good personal attribute as it helps one to avoid instances of lose while simultaneously holding to their “truth.”
Immelman, Aubrey, and Anne Marie Griebi. “The Personality Profile and Leadership Style of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Office.” Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology: 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting, Berlin, 2020. College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, 2020, pp. 1-71. DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU.
In this 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology in Berlin, Germany, Immelman and Griebi presented a paper analyzing the personality profile and leadership style of Donald Trump. The authors highlighted results of an indirect assessment from a conceptual perspective of the personality of Donald Trump. The personality is based on the political behavior revealed in office by the president. The personality patterns revealed that Donald Trump is ambitious or self-serving, gregarious or outgoing, and controlling or dominant. Immelman and Griebi note that there has been suspicion or distrust tendencies throughout Trump in office.
This study also lays out characteristics of ambitious individuals, which include self-assured, bold, and competitive. Such leaders are portrayed as those who assume leadership roles, expect their special qualities to be recognized, and act as if entitled (Immelman and Griebi 25). In the paper, the scholars analyze dominant individuals’ characters as those who enjoy the power to lead others while evoking obedience and respect. Such individuals are also tough, sentimental, and make good or effective leaders. An outgoing individual is described as thriving by being at the center of social events, becoming popular, and trusting their social abilities. As such, they are presented as being undisciplined and react impulsively when faced with mundane tasks (Immelman and Griebi 34). This study presents ideas in chronological order about the leadership style of former president Donald Trump. It will be a significant resource in my topic as it touches on the former United States president’s character traits.
Works Cited
Al Khajeh, Ebrahim Hasan. “Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance.” Journal of Human Resources Management Research, vol. 2018, 2018, pp. 1-10.
Gandolfi, Franco, and Seth Stone. “Leadership, Leadership Styles, and Servant Leadership.” Journal of Management Research, vol. 18, no. 4, 2018 pp. 261-269.
Ghazal Aswad, Noor. “Exploring Charismatic Leadership: A comparative Analysis of the Rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Presidential Studies Quarterly, vol. 49, no.1, 2019, pp. 56-74.
Harwood, John. “Analysis: Trump Is Handling His Election Loss like Every Other Setback. It Can’t Work.” CNN, 2020.
Immelman, Aubrey, and Anne Marie Griebi. “The Personality Profile and Leadership Style of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Office.” Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology: 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting, Berlin, 2020. College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, 2020, pp. 1-71. DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. Web.