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You may have heard that the Trump
presidential campaign is sponsoring contests in which the winner
will have the opportunity to have dinner with Mr. Trump or coffee
with his daughter Ivanka, at which time the winner may offer his or
her ideas with respect to the campaign and the future of the U.S.
With the number of people entering the contest, calculations
indicate the chances of winning to be slight, thus I decided to
imagine what I might say if ever I had the opportunity to sit down
to a relaxing tea with Mr. Trump and discuss some of the essential
components of leadership.
First and foremost, I would note that there are enough disasters
which occur naturally, such as floods, tornados, tsunamis, disease
et cetera, therefore humans should endeavor not to create more by
fighting with each other and a leader should promote genial
relations among all nations.
“So long as mankind shall continue to lavish more praise upon its
destroyers than upon its benefactors, war shall remain the chief
pursuit of ambitious minds” wrote the English historian Edward
Gibbons (1734-1794) in his respected work The History of the Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Whether a war has been won or lost may seem obvious; quantifying
what tragedies may have been avoided in times of peace, and
therefore how much praise to lavish on a benefactor, may seem less
so. Yet remembering that Winston Churchill most strenuously believed
that WWII could have been avoided and afterwards wrote in The
Gathering Stormof his suggestion that the war be called ‘“The
Unnecessary War.” There never was a war more easy to stop…’gives us
insight into the enormity of not only tragedy which must be avoided,
but of human energy, intellect and spirit which can be put to more
productive and joyous purpose.
I would also like to tell Mr. Trump about The City Club of
Cleveland, one of the oldest free speech forums in the U.S., with
the uncommon feature of unscreened, unscripted questions being asked
of the speakers directly by audience members. With the U.S. being so
divided in opinion at this this time, forums such as this provide an
opportunity for people with diverse viewpoints to come together in
mutual respect, even if they disagree and can serve as a model for
the nation. Recently, one such forum was held on a beautiful day in
Public Square where people of all ages gathered, including children
on a school field trip.
Another issue which I would like to discuss with Mr. Trump which
has been a source of controversy is the tone of the campaign. This
appears to have given rise to what is now referred to as “Secret
Trump Supporters,” i.e., those who agree with his positions but
prefer a more cordial tone. Having spoken to a number of such
supporters, many have expressed the viewpoint that a cordial tone
will not compromise the strength of the message, but rather will
facilitate conversations with others, and will result in the need
for less fundraising, which has the added benefit of demonstrating
that ideas, not money, are the best influence in a democratic
election.
Perhaps Mr. Trump is already listening to these supporters, as it
appears that his new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway promotes a
focus on message delivered in a thoughtful manner. I don’t know Ms.
Conway, but hope that she will guide and advise the campaign as in
the words of The Earl of Lytton (1831-1891) who wrote: “It is a
wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuit or avocation, to
secure an adviser in a sensible woman. In woman there is at once a
suitable delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which
are rarely combined to an equal degree in a man. A woman, if she be
really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your character,
honor, repute. She will seldom counsel you to do a shabby thing, for
a woman friend always desires to be proud of you.”
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