Perceptions of strength are critical in elections, so it's surprising that strength and weakness in politicians is written around more than about. At this moment in history, Trump is newly elected to a second term, ascendant, wielding powers no previous president dared claim. His opponents are in disarray, largely helpless to stop him. To suggest that he is weak in any way must deal with the reality that the entire Republican Party now cowers in fear before him. and as he dismantles government agencies and slashes funding for scientific research, that fear of his wrath is quickly spreading beyond Party, beyond government, penetrating deep into the fabric of the nation. He wields his disruptive powers on the world stage as well, using tariffs and whatever threats he has at his disposal to bend other nations to his will.
Amidst this aggressive wielding of power, how can Trump be portrayed as weak? While he forcefully imposes his will on his Party, the government, and even the arts, seeking revenge upon his enemies wherever they may be, this wielding of power hides a man who is on the run, from truth, from tough issues like climate change and fiscal responsibility, from consequence for his criminal actions. Merciless towards others, he claims himself exempt from basic standards of conduct and comity. Though seemingly thick-skinned, unfazed by fierce criticism and public mockery few of us could bear or survive, he has no tolerance for contrary opinion that might test his intellect, firing anyone who dares question his actions. His strength depends on making others weaker. As with other members of his Party, he stands only because he is coddled and propped up by a rightwing propaganda machine that is hard on others, soft on self. In these ways, he and his Party are decidedly weak and insecure.
Strength, then, is a matter of perception. A Democratic Party seeking to shift the public's perception of strength would repeatedly cast Trump's actions as those of a weak man. Otherwise, come the next election, people who run from tough issues and are propped up by propaganda, who stridently demand accountability in others but not themselves, will again be falsely viewed by the electorate as strong.
In researching this topic, I encountered a few other takes on strength and weakness.
Various angles have been used in the past to portray Trump as weak. Back in 2020, one commentator at Politico declared Trump an "authoritarian weakman" because he didn't exploit the pandemic to consolidate his power. Four years plotting his comback while gaining more experience with stymying the judicial system, certainly renders that critique obsolete.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention touched on perceptions of strength. Republican former Rep. Adma Kinzinger characterized Trump as a "weak man pretending to be strong." Another speaker described Kamala Harris's empathy as her strength.
Another commentator, Ezra Klein, said in February that "Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president," meaning that a stronger leader would achieve his ends through legislation rather than executive orders. Time has shown that he can get the legislation he wants, to back up his executive orders.
Kamala Harris offered this attempt to make the word stick, in a facebook post:
Donald Trump is weak.
He seeks flattery from dictators: Weak.
He has demeaned America's military: Weak.
He has called for terminating the Constitution: Weak.
In each election, Democrats have seemed to me to be swimming upstream. The political current flowing against them has long taken the form of misperceptions of foundational values like strength, economic vitality, freedom, and opportunity. Democratic values like justice, fairness, and compassion are important, but the Democratic Party also needs to take ownership of values falsely claimed by Republicans.
How to change the current? From what I remember of Obama's presidency, he periodically delivered long, thoughtful speeches on this or that pressing topic, and then seemed to think his job was done. A political tide is not shifted by saying something only once, no matter how well. Weakening the Republican false claim to foundational values requires repetitive messaging, taking each Republican action or inaction as additional proof of unworthiness--as an opportunity to say "There they go again." Only then does the drum beat begin to be heard and perceptions begin to shift.
So much is changing in the political landscape, as a democracy's battle of ideas becomes eclipsed by a battle for raw power. The expanding bubble of misinformation into which many voters are being drawn brings into question the extent to which good messaging can reach those it seeks to sway. But as increasingly aggressive gerrymandering threatens to further tip the scales against Democrats, the importance of reclaiming foundational values like strength become all the more important.
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