What a Strong Leader Actually Looks Like
The question of who is the stronger leader could decide the election. The vice president needs to keep making the case that Donald Trump is a weak man.
This week we learned that Donald Trump secretly gave Vladimir Putin COVID testing machines in 2020. This happened while few Americans could access tests and the death toll was rising. More than just another betrayal of his country, this provided more proof (as if we needed more) of Trump’s adoration of the Russian dictator and his abject weakness as a leader.
I detailed some of that in August— “The Charade of ‘America First’”—after Trump attacked President Biden and congratulated Putin for his “great deal” that led to the release of Americans and other hostages held in Russian prisons. We should note that he gave those COVID machines to his pal Putin without expecting in return, say, the release of Americans from Russian prisons.
This post could be my long litany of all Trump’s abominable violations on behalf of Putin. But it strikes me as more useful to share what Vice President Kamala Harris has been saying—about Trump’s kowtowing to Putin in particular, his pathetic attraction to dictators and how it illustrates his essential weakness.
This question about what it means to be a strong leader is a critical one. Despite the reality of his slavish need to befriend dictators and fear of the will of the people, Trump continues to be seen as a stronger leader in overall polling (48 to 45 percent in the new Times/Sienna poll).
Interestingly, the gender gap on this issue of who is a stronger leader is significant: Harris leads 52 to 41 percent with women, while Trump leads 57 to 37 percent among men. This remains a real challenge—and a key opportunity—for the vice president to change this perception. It could decide the outcome of the election.
Let’s look first at Harris’ interview this week with Howard Stern, who has an audience of about 10 million weekly listeners that is three-quarters male. Notice how she framed the issue.
“Ultimately,” she said, “I do believe that this is an election that is about strength versus weakness, and weakness as projected by someone who puts himself in front of the American people and does not have the strength to stand in defense of their needs, their dreams, their desires, the work that must happen to make sure that we are a secure nation.”
Then she got more specific when asked about author Bob Woodward’s reporting that Trump sent COVID tests to Putin. “Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator,” Harris said. “He admires strong men and he gets played by them, because he thinks that they’re his friends and they are manipulating him full time—and manipulating him by flattery and with favor.”
She went on: “Think about this person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an adversary when the American people are dying by the hundreds every day and in need of relief…And this guy, who is president of the United States, is sending them to Russia to a murderous dictator for his personal use.”
In the vice president’s interview with Bill Whitaker on 60 Minutes, aired on Monday, she returned to the question of leadership: “I believe that the people of America want a leader who is not trying to divide us and demean. I believe that the American people recognize that the true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down. It’s based on who you lift up.”
Harris also highlighted her differences with Trump over Ukraine. “Right now, we are supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression,” she said. “Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now. He talks about, oh, he can end it on day one. You know what that is? It’s about surrender.”
(Note, by the way, that Trump, who refused to sit down for a 60 Minutes interview because he would be fact-checked, has spent the days since Harris’ interview aired attacking her. That’s what a weak man does.)
But let’s rewind to her tough-as-nails acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. I was honestly surprised by how much she focused on national security and the need for strength, but it underscored her awareness that this issue of presidential leadership is central—both for Americans and the world.
“I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong-Un, who are rooting for Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors,” she said. “They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable—because he wants to be an autocrat.”
“As President,” she continued with gravity and stunning intensity, “I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and where the United States of America belongs.”
This was about communicating her readiness to assume the presidency. “America, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and our values abroad,” she said, adding, “As Commander-in-Chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families. And I will always honor—and never disparage—their service and their sacrifice.”
But it was during her debate with Trump a month ago that she took on the issue of strength versus weakness most directly. “I have traveled the world as vice president of the United States. And world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump,” Harris said to his face. “I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you. And they say you're a disgrace.”
She was not done. She was determined to puncture the facade of Donald Trump the strong man. She took her time to lay it out:
It is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy. It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself. It is well known that he said of Putin that he can do whatever the hell he wants and go into Ukraine. It is well known when that he said when Russia went into Ukraine it was brilliant. It is well known he exchanged love letters with Kim Jong-Un. And it is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear, they can manipulate you with flattery and favors. And that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with have told me you are a disgrace.
This issue should be obvious. This is not complicated.
A strong leader does not need to scapegoat the most vulnerable among us to succeed. A strong leader does not incite violence and stoke fear to gain attention and support. A strong leader does not bow down to dictators or claim they believe in “America First” while prioritizing the desires of Russia’s murderous boss. A strong leader is not endlessly dependent on the public’s adoration to feed their bottomless pit of need.
I hope between now and Nov. 5 Kamala Harris will continue to assert this issue and the stark differences between her and her increasingly desperate opponent. There is still ground to make up among men and women who are drawn by traditional (and often toxic) notions of strength.
If she does—if she succeeds in puncturing Trump’s fabricated picture of strength and convinces uncertain voters that she has what it takes to be a strong and compassionate commander-in-chief—her prospects for a big victory will continue to rise.
One other note: Last night in Pittsburgh, former President Barack Obama weighed in on this topic of strength, speaking directly to men. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, I’ve noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think Trump’s behavior of bullying and putting people down is a sign of strength,” he said. “And I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is. It never has been.”
Then he laid out his case for Kamala Harris: “Real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining. Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient. Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves. That is what we should want for our daughters and for our sons, and that is what I want to see in a president of the United States of America.”
Thank you, Barack.
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I am an old lady who grew up in a family headed by a bully. It was a daily litany of put-downs. It was a daily litany of threats. It was a caldron of toxic masculinity.
I never respected trump because he is obviously cut from that same cloth. He mocks others. He spews hatred and contempt. He foments violence with his demagoguery.
Speaking for myself only, I an NOT going back! I am voting for civility. I am voting for inclusion. I am voting for equality. I am voting for decency. Only one party’s candidates offer that: the Democrats. Harris/Walz have my vote.
That this is even up for question is mind-bending. And infuriating.