Comparing Political Leaders: Obama vs. Trump

            Introduction

            One of the popular topics in political psychology is the effects of personality traits and leadership style on the decision-making of a leader. Here, it is argued that the personality of a leader influences their leadership style more than any other factor. The two interact to shape the decisions of a leader. Scholars have argued that the personality type of a potential leader can be used to predict the policies and executive decisions they will make once they are in a leadership position (Huddy et al. 2013, 425). In the United States, the   President is the most powerful leader and one whose decisions can have significant impacts on the lives of many people. While the president does not have absolute power, their control within their parties, which gives them leverage over the opposition. From a psychological perspective, comparing two political leaders by relating their personality traits to their leadership style, decision-making, and policy choices can be used as an analytical tool in political science (Huddy et al. 2013, 426). For academic purposes, a demonstration of the interaction between these areas can lead to a better understanding of political psychology and its significance in political science. This essay compares two American presidents of the 21^st century; Obama and Trump, whose differing characteristics provide an excellent case study example because of their leadership styles and decision-making. Besides, this essay will provide a brief comparison between two iconic leaders from overseas; Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The comparison of Mandela and Gandhi will provide a wider scope to the topic and conceptual foundations of this topic.

Background

Obama and Trump are two of the most iconic presidents in the United States, each for a different reason. The relationship between the two is even more significant in the context of this paper because of their direct association; Trump succeeded Obama as the president of the United States. These two leaders give us a classic case of leaders whose personality traits differ as do their leadership styles. Through the analysis that will be conducted in this paper, we will be able to demonstrate how the personality traits of a leader shape their leadership, policies, and many other aspects of leadership. The underlying attributes of these two leaders, such as their family background and life stories, help to explain their personalities as adults, and the resulting impacts on their political careers. In the case of Mandela and Gandhi, the personality traits of these leaders have a lot in common, which will be revealed later in this essay. The choice to compare two leaders with a similar personality and character traits will be significant in demonstrating how leaders with similar personality traits also exhibit similarities in leadership styles and decision-making. When comparing these two sets of leaders, we will consider how their policies, actions, or decisions reflect their personality traits.

Obama Trump Personality Types

Obama’s personality type is classified by many psychologists as ENFJ (Melcher 2012). A person with this personality type is a natural-born leader who is passionate and charismatic. In a leadership position, this type of personality enables one to have a natural ability to have an influence on others. People with this type of personality are said to be firm believers in people, always willing to defend justice and equality, and committed to the greater good (Melcher 2012). In this regard, such personalities enjoy guiding others to excel and become better versions of themselves. Another characteristic of people with this personality type is that they are idealists in the formulation and implementation of their vision. Such people inspire growth and catalyze others to have the same level. The policies of Obama and his actions outside of his presidential duties say a lot about his personality type. In other words, the personality type of Obama is reflected in his policies and actions in the American society and beyond.

On the other hand, Trump has a personality type referred to as ESTJ. People with this personality type have many characteristics, but some of the most common is their sense of extraversion, temperament, and high expectations. These personalities tend to want to be on top of things and are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure their goals are achieved. In the case of Trump, the classification of his personality becomes quite complex because he exhibits extroverted and narcissistic characteristics (McAdams 2016). This is seen in his pursuit of dominance, enthusiasm on matters that he deems important, and his dedication to the achievement of his targets as opposes to those that serve a common good. Through his policies, we can see how his personality traits are expressed.

Obama vs. Trump Policies

            Both president Obama and Trump have had a significant impact on the trade policies of the United States in recent years. Obama’s Trans-Pacific Trade Pact is perhaps one of the economic policies that showcase his personality. When Obama took over from Bush, the economy was at its worst after the global recession. His move to create a pact that would have a mutual benefit on the United States and China shows his commitment to the greater good (Granville 2015). His idealistic approach shows that he wanted everyone to benefit from the policy, regardless of their differences before that point in time. This reflects the personality trait that makes him want everyone to benefit. In other words, this personality trait enables him to prevent his personality from coming between his responsibility to preserve and protect the welfare of the people he serves. In this case, Obama did not care whether or not China was benefiting so much from the pact, but focused on the fact that the United States and its people were getting a fair share of opportunities and benefits from the pact.

On the other hand, Trump’s acts to reverse the effects of the pact tell us a lot about his character and how it informs his decisions (Tankersley and Bradsher 2018). As a personality type who is fixated on dominance and supremacy, Trump’s move to impose tariffs on Chinese goods re perfectly aligned to his character of impulsiveness. The fact that Trump did not involve China in decision-making or any other diplomatic form shows his lack of people skills. In other words, he doesn’t care much about the welfare of other people. Besides, the impulsiveness of Trump limits his foresight with regard to the repercussions of his actions. For instance, it is questionable whether Trump considered the many ways that China could respond in retaliation.

The Trade policies of the United States are a great example of the differences between Obama and Trump’s personality types and their impact on leadership and decision-making. On the same notes, the actions of the two presidents reveal how their backgrounds could have influenced the development of their personalities. Obama was the child of an international student from Kenya and a teenage mother. His experiences growing up can be used to explain his passion for the creation of policies such as Obamacare, which would benefit low-income communities and families in the United States (Béland 2018). On the other hand, Trump was the son of a business mogul and grew surrounded by fame and riches. His ambition and dedication to the implementation of his ideas can be traced to the high expectations he feels has been placed upon him. For instance, his insistence on building the wall is a testament to the fact that he has never known what it is like to be poor. As a result, he doesn’t take serious issues that affect the lower-middle-class, which is supported by his move to repeal Obamacare.

Mandela and Gandhi

            Both Mandela and Gandhi share common personality traits such as humility, compassion, and kindness. Both leaders have been idolized throughout history as not only great leaders but also great humans who sacrificed their personal prestige, comfort, and prosperity to serve the greater good. These two leaders focused on the improvement of the societies around them, without taking the credit or making it about themselves. From the leadership practices of these two leaders, we can see how similar personality traits lead to leaders having similar leadership styles and decision-making.

Conclusion

The personality traits of leaders discussed in this paper shows how the background of a person influences the development of their personalities. This is explicitly evident in the compassion and idealism traits of Obama and the narcissistic and self-centered traits of Trump. The policies of these leaders also reflect their personality traits, which shows that the personality type of a person influences their decisions in a position of leadership. The character traits of Mandela and Gandhi also show a clear relationship between personality traits and leadership philosophies. Here, the two leaders who share similar character traits exhibit similarities in their approaches to leadership. From the two sets of leaders, we get a clear demonstration of the significance of political psychology in the analysis of leadership practices and decisions. From this understanding, we can be able to predict the potential actions of potential leaders.

Bibliography

Béland, Daniel, Philip Rocco, and Alex Waddan. “Obamacare in the Trump Era: Where are We Now, and Where Are We Going?.” The Political Quarterly 89, no. 4 (2018): 687-694.

Granville, Kevin. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal Explained.” New York Times 11 (2015).

Huddy, Leonie, David O. Sears, and Jack S. Levy, eds. The Oxford handbook of political psychology. Oxford University Press, 2013.

McAdams, Dan. 2016. “The Mind Of Donald Trump.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/.

Melcher, Michael. 2012. “ENTJ Romney vs. ENFJ Obama: Who Will Win the Personality Type Smackdown?”. Huffpost.Com. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/entj-romney-vs-enfj-obama_b_1891074?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIEPL8rjd5cVQtrivDAhE0-NrUnKVnp1foVLrZWrXqVuTpVhfMzjsaGuvJ8C_qEETcnonELNd0Wk7d-084KjIZTMk2htm7pO4gJQn1VlmV_AD68-5tEBflthqcAyLw_pKvVIJcrRxvJMrJM7Ut0JZLdB1wBeaSqwygjNs2t5b22D.

Tankersley, Jim, and Keith Bradsher. “Trump hits China with tariffs on $200 billion in goods, escalating trade war.” New York Times 17 (2018).