It’s a well-known fact—pretty much everyone realizes—that Donald J. Trump has a rather sizable ego. In fact, he’s in a long-term, very public relationship with it. This dynamic is, perhaps, the most enduring one in his life.
This is not entirely surprising. I’ve managed investments for wealthy individuals for four decades, and let me tell you, they all have egos. You need one to succeed. Some people choose to hide behind PR firms, adopting a modest persona, while they casually promote themselves through what I call the “classic humble brag.”
Trump, though, is all about being upfront. Some find his approach refreshing—he even put it in the brochure. Others speculate he uses this boldness to provoke his opponents, and then there are those who think this ego could ultimately lead to his downfall.
Personally, I’ve always given him some leeway here. His ego came first, fully formed and ready to take center stage, almost like it was wearing its own branded hat right from the get-go. He built an entire brand around it—everything became “Trump”: towers, steaks, hotels, and even a university dedicated to advanced self-promotion and real estate flipping.
As for his descriptions, he doesn’t do understated. Instead, he inflates everything like it’s an over-the-top balloon. A crowd of people? It’s never just large; it’s always the largest crowd ever. His hair? That’s not just hair. It’s practically its own geopolitical entity. If you aren’t a fan, well, it also comes with a witty pun: Hell Toupée. You can almost picture it leaning forward, as if it’s rushing to meet destiny.
And that tan? Don’t be fooled; it’s really a quirky mix of orange shades engaging in some kind of ceasefire.
We now have social media, which was seemingly designed to give his ego more room to flourish.
Family members? They aren’t just relatives; they’re like exclusive product extensions. His sons become spokespeople, while his daughter steps up as a senior advisor. The family name isn’t merely a surname anymore; it’s a trademark that’s ready to litigate.
I’ve felt the brunt of his ego personally. During his first term, I found myself barred from a White House briefing for being part of a Georgetown board. Apparently, one of his staffers dug up a remark I made on a show: “Trump looks like a lookout for a massage parlor in Staten Island.”
World leaders, like Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, have learned how to work with him. At the U.N. last week, when Nawrocki suggested a U.S. military base in Poland be named “Fort Trump,” Trump responded eagerly, “OK, you had me at ‘Fort Trump.’”
Yet this same ego is a big reason we’re not likely to exit the conflict with Iran anytime soon. Trump despises the idea of not having won; losing is just not in his vocabulary. He talks about unconditional surrender, but, honestly, he hasn’t clarified who needs to surrender. The situation has stretched on for so long that neither he nor the Ayatollah can probably remember who was supposed to make the next move.
People seem to either love him or hate him, but it’s clear that hardly anyone can look away from this drama. That’s perhaps his real superpower—far beyond the deals or the rallies or even that distinctive hair. It’s his capacity to spark a nationwide debate about one man’s opinion of himself.
When it comes to his decisions, they’re usually, well, directionally correct. I could see voting for him again; the Democrats seem adrift at times. It’s the policies, not just personalities, that matter. He fulfilled many of his campaign promises—whether it was tightening border security, delving into controversial policies, or even pushing for energy exploration. He brought crime rates down and bolstered military morale.
Now, with Trump, you always need to keep a close eye on the numbers. If they contradict him, those numbers are just deemed “losers.”
An inflated ego can hinder one’s ability to accept feedback, admit errors, or grow. It brings out the sycophants, and that’s the real concern here: no one seems to ever say “No” to him.
When he dismissed major liberal news outlets from the press room, White House doctors had to keep him entertained by showing him old clips of his own broadcasts.
He seems to desire everything to bear his name—even the new NFL stadium for the Washington Commanders. But don’t we already have an Orange Bowl?
The proposed Arch de Trump in D.C. is moving forward. Given his fondness for McDonald’s, maybe the motto should be “Over 8 Million Deported.”
