What are some actual reasons why people think Donald Trump would be a bad president, not including his appearance/wealth?

In answer to Quora question: "What are some actual reasons why people think Donald Trump would be a bad president, not including his appearance/wealth?"

It's simple: Trump lacks the appropriate skills and qualifications. For example:

1) His view of reality is not factually grounded. It is not possible to make good decisions if 75% of what he says is a misrepresentation or distortion of fact (see 75 percent of Donald Trump's statements have been lies, fact-checkers prove), even if he only believes 50% of what comes out of his mouth.

2) He's a bully. In his rhetoric, demeanor, stated policy choices, etc. Trump clearly enjoys putting other people down and keeping them there in both the workplace and on the campaign trail.

3) He is ignorant. We've had ignorant presidents before (Ford, Reagan, George W. Bush, etc.) but Trump's significant lack of knowledge puts him in a special category. Just do a search on "Trump ignorant" to see how many people - foreign and domestic - observe this quality in him.

4) He's an authoritarian quasi-fascist. The main tenets of his ideology (as far as it can be identified at all) are nationalism/exceptionalism, racism, sexism, hatred, egotism and a boastful arrogance powered by the Dunning Kruger effect. Frankly he doesn't appear bright or educated enough to fully comprehend fascism, let alone operationalize it, but he promotes all of its least attractive qualities.

5) We've seen this type of leadership before in recent history, and it didn't end well. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito and their ilk have all shared many of Trump's traits. Should we perhaps learn from this...?

Examples of Trump's behavior in these areas are...well, all over the Internet.

Comment from Michael Williams: "T Collins - you seem educated, well-informed. So my question is this - and take it as a voter wanting to learn more - do you seriously think Stalin, Hitler, etc comparisons are legitimate and fair? I listen to the man talk everyday, and to me, he seems like a populist. Is that a foreshadow sign of authoritarian governing? It's not like his ideas are exact opposite from every candidate...I am losing the place where he is so different on the issues. I understand his demeanor is strong, but isn't that what we want in a meeting with Putin? Ol Jeb cant even talk without a stutter. Look forward to your response...I just want to become more educated."


How someone comports themselves in front of a camera has very little to do with how they would lead, and charismatic rhetoric won't work well in addressing the real complexities of global statesmanship. We can examine Trump's many failed businesses, his strong propensity to lie, his neofascist rhetoric (racism, nationalism, populism, hate-speech, encouragement of violence, etc.), and the fact that his own office is filled with pictures of himself (even on his desk), and quickly recognize the same megalomania and narcissism that infected other quite dangerous leaders in the past - to wit Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In this sense, the comparison is quite fair. And this sort of populist bullying is not new in the U.S. either - don't forget Senator McCarthy. My point is we have seen all this before. History is quite clearly on the verge of repeating itself. And yes, I agree that Putin is also a megalomaniac, but I don't think that warrants a neofascist response - containment need not be aggressive or totalitarian to be firm.

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