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Near the end of his presidency, President Ronald Reagan was having his standard farewell interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw. During the recording, Brokaw asked Reagan a great question: Was there anything Reagan did during his time in Hollywood that helped him become a better person as president?
Zipper thought for a while and finally replied, “I don’t know how anyone could do this job without being an actor.” There was great wisdom in what Reagan said.
Shakespeare was right. “All the world’s a stage.” All the world’s greatest leaders knew about presentations. Think about it.
Former President Trump took a defiant stance following an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Julius Caesar wore the best armor. Napoleon insisted that he and his men be well-uniformed. George Washington understood that dressing was part of leadership. When he appeared before his men, he always wore his best clothes, his horse was brushed, and his leathers well-groomed. He spoke very little in public, but that only strengthened his aura. When he went to the Constitutional Convention, he always wore his best uniform. So did Robert E. Lee. When he went to surrender to General Grant, the Confederate leader wore his best uniform.
Reagan’s enduring message to Republicans in the 2024 race
Sun Tzu once said, “A victorious warrior first wins the battle before beginning the fight.” What he means is that victorious warriors gain a psychological advantage before engaging their enemies. And presentation plays a big role in that advantage.
Dressing appropriately is part of leadership. Abraham Lincoln was no fan of fashion, but the old woodcutter understood that his rough style suited him. It was what the people wanted, and it was part of his authenticity.
The internet is full of stories about leadership and presentations, which are forgotten by today’s intelligentsia. Donald Trump has his own style, and that’s the key. His rallies are highly entertaining and informative. He commands attention. It’s clear that he enjoys being on stage.
In that sense, Trump may be the most exciting president in modern history. Everything is unique, from his hairstyle to his ubiquitous red hats to his rallies. None of it is accidental. Trump has always understood the importance of not only being a leader, but also being seen as a leader. Donald Trump in a Speedo swimsuit doesn’t suit him. John F. Kennedy in a swimsuit did suit him. In fact, John F. Kennedy was one of the lucky men who always looked “leader-like” when he was dressed. He was manly and in control.
Lincoln’s advice on success remains true today
Perhaps no moment demonstrated Trump’s leadership more profoundly than when, shortly after the assassination attempt, he rose to his feet in front of the audience, raised his fist and defiantly yelled, “Fight!”
Juxtapose this with her current far-left opponent: Kamala Harris’ campaign has nothing iconic or memorable. Her campaign posters are perhaps some of the most bland ever conceived, with static white text on a drab blue background.
Harris has desperately tried to invent phrases like “coconut gang” and “kids.” They even went so far as to steal her rural American flair by sticking her campaign logo on a camo hat and calling it a day. Just the other day she tried a Southern accent, which of course backfired. Her presentation seems too forced, too insincere. Hypocritical.
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Americans crave authenticity, and they can spot a fake. Kamala Harris, the California coastal elite in a camo hat, is not the real deal. It didn’t work when then-candidate Elizabeth Warren tried to livestream with a beer in hand. It didn’t work when Barack Obama got the White House to release photos of himself at a shooting range. And it definitely didn’t work when Michael Dukakis rode in a tank in 1988.
Socialist Tim Waltz is even worse. He cries out to be a fraud! The cognitive dissonance between the trappings of mainstream America and the ideology of the far-left ivory tower elite makes him inauthentic to millions of Americans. He is not a cliché. He is much worse.
Even Democrats agree that no president in modern history has created as iconic a look as Ronald Reagan. From his California ranches to his cowboy boots to his legendary Stetson hat, Reagan looked and felt exactly how a conservative should look: bold, classic, distinctive and quintessentially American.
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For this and thousands of other reasons, Reagan is now considered one of our nation’s four greatest presidents. But what about Biden? People have already forgotten about him and his presidency. In other words, he will be consigned to the dustbin of history where all disastrous presidents belong. His lack of presentation and leadership has relegated him to the list of failed presidents.
And Shakespeare was right: “The play is the thing!”
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