Yes, but I wouldn't want to have a beer with him...
Being your own worst enemy isn’t the end of the world. However, if trusted friends or colleagues finally had enough of your shit and told you this—know that it came from a good place and heed the advice. It’s pretty easy to course correct, except for politicians it appears.
I am not a fan of Mr. Trump personally, but I had benefited from his policies enough to give him a lot of leash for a long time. After all, he isn’t the only arrogant, controlling bully in Washington, DC. Yet, he seems to be the Energizer Bunny of pissing people off. It appears the dude can’t help himself.
During an Uber ride in Costa Rica a couple of years ago, my driver asked me what I thought about Señor Trump.
“I wouldn’t want to have a beer with him,” I said.
“Would you have a beer with me?”
“Absolutely.”
The young man smiled at me. Since he was driving me to the airport, we scheduled our beer for a future visit. He was dumbfounded I could support the policies and not like the person implementing them.
“Do you like your current president?” I asked him.
“Yes, very much.”
“Do you like his policies?”
‘Oh, no. They’re terrible,” he said.
We burst out laughing, the irony of the exchange crystal clear despite my remedial Spanish.
I limit my time around sociopaths. They come in all levels of intensity. Some are bearable, like Mr. Trump in 2016. Two of the best employers I worked for were this personality type and I never doubted for a minute they wanted the best for me. But, you need to judge them through the prism of their body of work. Trump cut taxes, put everyone to work, made the U.S. energy independent, and eased regulations on business. What’s not to like? Well… most of the rest, it seems.
We all knew his unceasing diatribes against political and media enemies would ultimately come with consequences. I did not see a fully weaponized justice system coming. My bad. This scares me more than anything Mr. Trump has done. He had plenty of time to not be his own worst enemy, but, sadly, he doubled down in lieu of a course correct.
Even though Trump seems sharper and less dodgy than his friend in the White House, I believe the country wants someone younger from both political parties. I tend to agree with them. Pass the torch and stop being your own worst enemy.