Donald Trump has a lot in common with Jimmy Carter

Some similarities between Trump and Carter are obvious. Both are political outsiders who had little support from even their own political parties as they won unlikely victories during partisan times. They both tried to position themselves as "above politics" in their purported efforts to save their fellow citizens from the nefarious plans of the opposing party. Both of them tried hard to present themselves as both victims and heroes, often at the same time. They both tended to lean on hyperbole, making absurd statements to illustrate more prosaic points. Both were hard men to like, neither one was any good at public speaking, and both served as president during tumultuous times, while the American left was rapidly surging even further to the left.

There are some clear differences, as well. Trump was extraordinarily successful in many private ventures before his pursuit of a career in politics. It’s hard to imagine Jimmy Carter holding a job in anything outside of government (I mean, just try to imagine – you can’t – Mr. Carter was born a government employee - he's a principal of a small rural middle school or something...). Mr. Trump can seem arrogant and elitist at times, but one suspects that beneath it all he really loves America. Mr. Carter can seem down-to-earth at times, but one suspects that beneath it all he really hates America. So they could be very different, as well.

Both men had reputations as arrogant and difficult. Those who knew him best viewed Mr. Carter as an unpleasant narcissist. His own personal secretary said she never saw him smile away from the cameras, and he almost never said hello to her on his way past her desk. His friend and speech writer Patrick Anderson acknowledged that anyone who didn't have a personality conflict with Jimmy Carter, didn't have a personality.

Meanwhile, despite his bluster, those who know Mr. Trump best generally love him. He connects well even with people who would seem to have little in common with him. His ability to quickly befriend all sorts of people at NASCAR races or urban Mcdonald's or whatever is remarkable.

So his support among the working classes and minorities seems unlikely. Unless you've actually met him, apparently. A patient of mine who worked on a few of his projects told me, "I'm from Oklahoma. I don't like the whole loud-mouth New Yorker thing. And I HATE his politics. But I swear, you just can't help but love the guy. He loves people. All sorts of people. And he's as genuine as the day is long."

Gosh - is it possible that our media has misrepresented Trump as a person? Surely not...

Jimmy Carter didn't seem to like people. And nobody ever called him genuine. Reg Murphy, editor of the Atlanta Constitution during Carter’s years as governor, called Carter “one of the three or four phoniest men I ever met.”

So obviously, while I think they have certain things in common, there are significant differences between Trump and Carter.

On the other hand, there is one striking similarity that stands out to me:

I’m not sure I understand the ideology of either one. Mr. Carter presented himself as a pious Southern Baptist. He claimed that his political ideology arose organically from his caring personality and his devout Christianity. Thus, anyone who disagreed with him was attacking his religion or attacking him personally. He rarely debated policy – he engaged in the politics of personal destruction. Because to him, that’s all there was. What was the underlying ideology that governed his decision making? I'm really not sure.

Mr. Trump is a lifelong Democrat who governed in his first term as President as a conservative. What underlying ideology governs his decision-making? I’m not sure. Although I suspect that Mr. Trump's apparent love for people and love for America plays a role in his decision-making, just as Mr. Carter's apparent disdain for people and disdain for America played a role in his.

Both men are naturally combative, and much of their rhetoric can be simply categorized as "hitting back." They hit back, against whoever hits them, at whatever time, for whatever reason. No overriding ideology or philosophy in that, for either one.

What I'm trying to say is that I suspect that Mr. Carter and Mr. Trump are both making it up as they go along. Doing whatever makes sense to them at the time. Mr. Carter governed very differently at the end of his term than he did at the beginning. And I suspect that the second Trump term is likely to be different from the first.

Such flexibility can be an advantage in a political career. And it can even lead to good outcomes. At times. Perhaps.

If all the power is on the left, and Mr. Trump instinctively hits back from the right, over and over again, that can be very helpful. Regardless of what his motivations are. Just as Mr. Biden's lurching to the left was very unhelpful, regardless of his underlying mental state. Leftism is destructive. So hitting back against it is generally good.

I trust ideology more than I trust making it up as you go along. I wish Mr. Trump understood the evil of leftism and sought to undermine its philosophical underpinnings.

And perhaps he does.

But perhaps it doesn't matter. Perhaps he's just a right-wing Jimmy Carter. But because he's right-wing rather than left-wing, or perhaps simply because he genuinely likes people, his outcomes will be better than Mr. Carter's. In spite of himself.

I view both men as symptoms of the malaise of our republic. In better times, we never would have heard of either one. Their elevation to positions of power is a sign that America has a rather serious problem.

These are interesting times.

These are not interesting leaders.

Perhaps that's for the best.