Donald Trump’s combative leadership style, Machiavellian political instincts, narcissistic personality, and self-aggrandising ambition to “make America great again” is reminiscent of Ivan Vasilyevich IV, a colourful figure who rose to be the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. History remembers him as Ivan the Terrible, the leader who transformed Russia from a medieval State to an empire, was feared by its adversaries and revered by its allies, but at great and lasting political and economic cost to its people.

The two men, Ivan and Donald, separated by centuries and countries that today have vastly different political and economic systems, exhibit some common traits — unbridled ambition and a malevolent temperament; grabbing a country by the scruff of the neck and remaking it in keeping with their own vision of what strength, power, and ultimately dominance look like.

Strongmen of that ilk often rise to power on a populist reform agenda by appealing to the nationalistic ambitions and prejudices of ordinary people. Like Ivan the Terrible, Donald Trump has many admirable qualities that appeal to a significant number of his countrymen. The admiration starts with his bravado, most notably how he entered the high-stakes political arena. His passion to seek the nation’s highest office was ignited when attending an annual press corps dinner put on by the White House. Then President Barach Obama put on a comedic display at the expense of Trump, the private citizen, who was in attendance. Embarrassed by being made fun of by the president, it was as if in that moment Trump decided, “One day I am going to be the man standing behind the presidential seal giving the jokes and making others uncomfortable.” And so, against the odds, he made his memorable descent down the gold escalator on the way to becoming the 45th president of the United States.

US President Donald Trump.

Even more improbable was his return to the White House after failing to win consecutive terms. Twice impeached and indicted on 34 criminal charges, Trump, his foes and detractors banished or sent into early retirement, today sits as the 47th president of the United States. A feat never before achieved in American politics.

Within the first two weeks of his second term, Trump passed close to 100 executive orders, in the process proving that he is not bound by old paradigms, traditions, and conventions. His promises and good intentions are many. Same -sex marriage, no more; prohibition of prayer in federal and public spaces, no more; big government and bureaucratic waste, no more; foreign wars, no more; porous southern border, no more; America the ATM for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) no more; unfair trade practices that hurt America, no more; perpetual animosity and threat of nuclear Armageddon with Russia; no more.

But with the promises and good intentions there is also reason for fear and trepidation. The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement which Trump promotes incites nativist instincts that are undeniably isolationist, protectionist, hegemonistic, and racist. His motives are corrupt and self-serving, favouring relatives, friends, and a rising oligarchy. His approach to governance is autocratic and undemocratic in the arbitrary use of power. His morals are debased, there is no repentance or remorse for sins past or present. His blood is poisoned with unforgiveness and vengeance. His inability to learn from past mistakes or to admit when he is wrong incites silence among advisors. Probably most troubling, is his intolerance for ideas other than his own and those of the sycophants with whom he surrounds himself.

Do the plusses outweigh the minuses? In a democracy, the people will have their say. And so, they did in the just-concluded midterm elections. He was weighed in a balance and found wanting. In a landslide, the Democrats routed the Republicans, winning control of both houses of congress by handsome margins.

In the campaign leading up to the elections, Trump in a gross overestimation of his hold on the electorate, asked his supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot. The elections became a referendum on his leadership and the results a stinging repudiation of much of what he stands for.

For the two years remaining of his tenure in the White House, Trump will carry the ignoble image of a lame-duck president, having a bark worse than his bite. In his politically diminished state, at home Congress and the judiciary will discover renewed vigour in placing checks on the president. Abroad, leaders of countries that survive on American largesse, and who out of fear genuflect to his every whim, may regain their voice and self-respect in defending their country’s sovereignty.

Dr Henley Morgan is founder and executive chairman of the Trench Town-based social enterprise Agency for Inner-city Renewal (AIR), and author of My Trench Town Journey – Lessons in Social Entrepreneurship and Community Transformation for Policy Makers, Development Leaders, and Practitioners. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or hwardmorgan+articles@gmail.com.