Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Trump as a Greek tragedy

The more I watch the early moves of President-elect Donald Trump, the more I feel he is a Greek tragic figure, more for the country than for himself.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09:  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol September 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people gathered for the rally, organized by the Tea Party Patriots, which featured conservative pundits and politicians.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol September 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people gathered for the rally, organized by the Tea Party Patriots, which featured conservative pundits and politicians. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol September 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people gathered for the rally, organized by the Tea Party Patriots, which featured conservative pundits and politicians. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

 

 

The more I watch the early moves of President-elect Donald Trump, the more I feel he is a Greek tragic figure, more for the country than for himself.

Yes, I expect him to fail, and hard. But I also think he is just an interim figure as the pendulum swings around. That is, he isn’t a Putin, he is a Kerensky or a Neville Chamberlain.

Who follows him? I have no idea, of course. But I have the gut feeling, for the first time in my life, that it is going to get ugly. This isn’t a matter of left or right. It is a matter of millions of Americans who are going to be unhappy as Trump fails to keep his promises, and politics lurching in reaction to a failed reactionary.

Image credits: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images; LOUVRE/Wikimedia Commons

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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