Gravitas

INTRODUCTION

Donald Trump prepares to enter the stage at the National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, following his arraignment in Miami. He had entered a not guilty plea to 37 counts related to allegations that he kept hundreds of classified documents after his term of office expired.¹

Back in New Jersey, the gathered throng are at a fever pitch when a loud, deep voice announces (a presupposition that is a stretch, at best): ‘Ladies and gentlemen. The next President of the United States!’ The audience, coaxed by a core of vocal leaders, are transfixed as they chant together ‘USA! USA! USA!’ Trump finally enters, stops in the middle of the doorway, and gestures with his arms open wide and hands facing forwards. Behind him, the flags of the nation provide a superb photographic opportunity.

Whether you like Trump or not is a personal opinion (this is certainly not a book about politics!), but it is undeniable that when he is on stage, the whole event is choreographed around his delivery. He is able to profoundly influence those in his audience, having received an astounding 67.87 million votes in 2020, nearly five million more than in 2016.² And while his theatrics are unusual in today's political and leadership world, their overwhelming impact fascinates (or infuriates) an audience across the globe (despite the somewhat confusing and unclear speeches he often makes alongside his delivery!).

The long and the short of it … Trump has some form of gravitas. The question about ...