Global Profiles - Donald Trump
The disruptor who redefined American power.
Donald Trump works within a US cultural framework that prizes individualism, assertiveness, and short-term achievement.
In a nation where boldness is admired and hierarchy is distrusted, Trump’s leadership style taps into deep cultural values: self-made success, emotional persuasion, and public performance. He ignores formalities, bypasses institutions, and speaks directly to the people—an approach that resonates with those who view conventional politics as elitist or ineffective.
Trump also displays patterns of behavior consistent with narcissistic and antisocial tendencies, manifested in impulsivity, lack of empathy, and an obsession with domination. These traits are not just personality quirks; they shaped policy, destabilized norms, and created what they described as a “sociopolitical emergency.”
His habitual dishonesty further deepens the concern. According to the Washington Post, Trump made over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his first term. Fact-checkers at NPR, PolitiFact, and Reuters have consistently documented his use of fabricated statistics, conspiracy theories, and racially charged misinformation, even using misattributed images from the Congo to support false claims about “white genocide” in South Africa.
Trump’s power does not come from consensus but confrontation. In cultures that value harmony or rules-based governance, this looks reckless. But in the US, where personal freedom, charisma, and dominance are often equated with strength, Trump’s refusal to conform reads not as chaos but as control. His leadership is a mirror of the cultural contradictions inside America itself: a nation built on laws but obsessed with strongmen.
Understanding Trump is not about taking sides. It’s about recognizing the cultural, psychological, and systemic conditions that made his presidency not only possible but inevitable.
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS PROFILE
Power Distance (Hofstede):
The United States has a relatively low power distance culture—authority is questioned, leadership is expected to be earned, and access to power is considered a right, not a privilege.
Trump flipped this on its head. His leadership embraced dominance and hierarchy while claiming to represent the common man. This contradiction appealed to voters disillusioned with elites but eager for strength. Trump’s performative control, whether over staff, media, or allies, clashed with institutional norms but resonated with those who wanted a leader who “takes charge” rather than explains.
Individualism vs. Collectivism (Hofstede):
The US ranks as one of the most individualistic societies globally. Trump embodies this to an extreme; his language is filled with superlatives (“I alone can fix it”), and his policies often frame national interest as a zero-sum contest. His America First doctrine reflected deep-rooted cultural preferences for self-reliance, isolationism, and transactional relationships. Trump didn't change American culture, he exaggerated it.
Short-Term Orientation (Hofstede):
US culture favors short-term achievement over long-term planning, prioritizing quarterly wins, personal gain, and immediate impact. Trump amplified this mindset with constant campaign-style rallies, impulsive decision-making, and a focus on headline victories over institutional continuity. Withdrawal from international agreements and shifting policies on a whim were not anomalies, they were consistent with a culture that rewards bold disruption over careful reform.
High-Context vs. Low-Context Communication (Hall):
Trump’s communication style is low-context, blunt, repetitive, and emotionally charged. This mirrors American communication norms but strips them of nuance. His language is intentionally accessible, with simple words, a dramatic tone, and constant repetition. But beneath that simplicity is a complex manipulation of meaning.
Universalism vs. Particularism (Trompenaars):
American political culture is rooted in universalism: rules, laws, and principles are applied equally. Trump, however, governed from a particularist perspective: loyalty mattered more than rules, relationships over institutions. Allies were rewarded regardless of merit; critics were punished regardless of process. This approach eroded trust in impartial systems and introduced a volatile, loyalty-based ethic into government.
Masculinity vs. Femininity (Hofstede):
The US scores high in masculinity, favoring assertiveness, competition, and achievement. Trump embodies this cultural dimension aggressively. His emphasis on winning, toughness, domination, and binary framing (winners vs. losers, strength vs. weakness) elevated masculinity from a cultural trait to a governing principle. Emotional vulnerability, cooperation, or empathy were dismissed as weakness, both in his opponents and within his administration.
HORNBY’S ARCHETYPE PROFILE
The Visionary (North): Trump sees himself as a visionary. He believes he alone can “fix” the nation. But he seems incapable of following through with his vision, frequently flip-flopping on policies and implementation. His leadership narrative is rooted in destiny, disruption, and transformation. He speaks in absolutes, frames politics as an existential battle, and positions himself as the savior.
The Rule Imposer (Blue): Trump demands loyalty and punishes dissent. He reshapes institutions to reflect personal power, not procedural order. This archetype explains his emphasis on strongman governance, the use of executive orders, and breaking rules that constrain him. His version of “law and order” serves the leader, not the law.
The Creative Soul (Yellow, Distorted—The Performer): Trump embodies the shadow form of Yellow. Instead of nurturing creativity and emotional resonance, he turns governance into performance. His public appearances resemble stagecraft, repetitive slogans, crowd manipulation, and mythmaking. His identity is maintained through attention, and his “truth” is shaped by narrative control, not reality. In this distorted Yellow, inspiration becomes propaganda, and expression becomes spectacle.
Together, these archetypes explain not only Trump’s appeal but the destabilizing impact of his leadership. His rule is not rooted in continuity but in constant upheaval, guided by personal desires, enforced through loyalty, and sustained by performance.
UNDERSTANDING TRUMP
Trump’s leadership cannot be separated from his self-image: a dealmaker, a fighter, and an avatar of American success. Raised in a high-pressure, dominance-driven family business, Trump inherited not only wealth but a worldview grounded in zero-sum competition. He views negotiation as combat, loyalty as currency, and reputation as armor.
His personal mythology, of rising above critics, beating the establishment, and dominating every arena, resonates with a segment of the US electorate that feels forgotten and disrespected. Trump doesn’t just speak for these voters; he embodies their resistance to elites, rules, and perceived cultural decline.
Culturally, Trump thrives in a system that rewards spectacle, tolerates contradiction, and blurs the line between celebrity and power. His rise wasn’t an aberration; it was a symptom of broader American trends, media saturation, institutional mistrust, and the valorization of individual will over collective good.
To understand Trump is to understand a culture that produces strongmen not despite democracy, but through it.
SIGNATURE TACTICS
Media Mastery and Spectacle:
Trump controls the narrative by dominating media cycles through constant provocation. He manufactures controversy to remain in the spotlight, knowing that coverage, positive or negative, amplifies his influence. Press conferences become performances, tweets become policy signals, and rallies replace traditional governance as tools of emotional mobilization.
Direct-to-Base Communication:
He bypasses traditional institutions, party gatekeepers, and even staff, speaking directly to supporters through social media and mass rallies. This tactic reinforces his outsider image and undermines institutional checks. It also builds parasocial bonds that render fact-checking and criticism ineffective.
Loyalty Over Expertise:
Trump consistently elevates loyalty above qualification. Cabinet appointments, endorsements, and firings are dictated by personal allegiance, not competence. This tactic consolidates control but erodes institutional functionality.
Rule Reinterpretation:
Trump reinterprets rules to suit himself, whether it’s redefining executive power, declaring election results illegitimate, or casting the press as “enemies of the people.” This tactic allows him to erode boundaries without appearing lawless to his base.
Crisis as Opportunity:
Trump uses crises, real or manufactured, to justify expanded authority and to discredit opponents. Immigration surges, protests, or pandemics become pretexts for martial rhetoric and executive action, reinforcing his image as a wartime leader, even in peacetime.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (SECOND TERM)
Formation of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Launched as a high-profile initiative to streamline government operations, DOGE has garnered attention for its branding but little praise for its performance. Critics argue the agency is more symbolic than effective, focusing on PR rather than substantive reform. (Source: Government Executive, Politico)
Unfulfilled Foreign Policy Promises: Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” of his return to office, yet no concrete plan or diplomatic strategy has materialized. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings Institution)
No New Trade Deals: Despite pledging swift and superior trade agreements, Trump’s second term has produced no new bilateral or multilateral deals. Efforts to revisit existing pacts have stalled amid protectionist rhetoric and a lack of diplomatic traction. (Source: USTR, Financial Times)
Continued Institutional Erosion: His second term has accelerated the politicization of federal agencies and public distrust in electoral processes. Attempts to expand executive control and target civil servants have raised alarms across watchdog groups. (Source: Brennan Center for Justice, Reuters)
Persistent Legal and Governance Distractions: Trump’s presidency remains overshadowed by multiple ongoing legal battles, which consume public attention and complicate governance. These include federal and state criminal indictments that continue to polarize the electorate. (Source: AP, NPR, US Department of Justice)
Inflammatory Rhetoric and Social Division: Rhetorical attacks on migrants, minority groups, and political opponents have intensified. His language continues to inspire both fervent loyalty and widespread condemnation, heightening social fragmentation. (Source: Southern Poverty Law Center, The Atlantic)
Despite these challenges, Trump maintains a solid core of support that interprets institutional resistance as proof of his outsider authenticity. His accomplishments are framed more in terms of disruption than policy success—he dismantles, redefines, and reorients, rather than governs.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH TRUMP
Appeal to Strength, Not Sympathy: Trump responds to messaging framed around dominance, success, and winning. Avoid language that emphasizes compromise or vulnerability, he interprets these as signs of weakness.
Simplify and Dramatize: Complex policy arguments are less effective than bold, vivid statements. Trump favors emotionally charged, black-and-white narratives that reinforce loyalty and control the narrative.
Personalize the Pitch: Trump views relationships transactionally. Communications should include direct personal benefit, potential for public praise, or avenues for political gain. Abstract principles carry little weight without personal incentives.
Avoid Moralizing: Moral criticism is often deflected or reframed as a political attack. Effective opposition comes from exposing inconsistencies in performance, credibility, or loyalty, not from appealing to ethics.
Frame Opposition as Weak, Not Wrong: Trump engages through conflict. The most effective critiques don’t shame or argue policy; they undermine his image of control. Frame him as ineffective, losing, or abandoned, and the message is more likely to provoke a reaction.
WHY IT MATTERS GLOBALLY
Trump doesn’t just disrupt America, he destabilizes the world order. His transactional, isolationist approach weakened long-standing alliances, undermined multilateral institutions, and emboldened authoritarian leaders. When he questions NATO, praises strongmen, and threatens to abandon treaty obligations, the world listens and recalibrates, often away from the US.
Global actors no longer assume American consistency or credibility. From Paris to Pyongyang, Trump signaled that US foreign policy is no longer values-based but loyalty-based and volatile. This reshapes global security calculations, empowers regional powers like China and Russia, and accelerates a shift toward multipolarity. Which weakens American global influence
Trump’s cultural style, his emphasis on domination, personal loyalty, and public spectacle, is now a political export. Leaders from Brazil to Hungary to the Philippines adopted Trumpian tactics.
The danger isn’t just Trump himself. It’s the cultural model he normalized: power without accountability, truth as performance, and democracy as theater. If left unchecked, this model could become the dominant form of global leadership and the end of the age of liberal democracy.