I have waged an extraordinarily minor campaign against Donald Trump as a nominee and as a candidate. I say “waged” very loosely, because I did not make it a point to oppose him, but I honestly believed a Trump presidency would be disastrous. I was troubled by his character, inexperience, temperament, and policies. As an evangelical, I feared the impact our public association with Trump (more than 80% of evangelicals appeared to have voted for him) would have on our Christian witness to the American culture at large. None of those things have changed. The fact Trump won does not erase my concerns. As my president, Trump deserves my honor and respect and I will do my best to display those at every opportunity (more on those in a later post).

I have a set of basic beliefs about politics. They are sometimes idealistic and they are an amalgam of my faith, disposition, background, and studies. Those things, and probably others, shaped my thoughts about Trump and his fitness for office.

I am always interested to see if my beliefs fit reality. Does the world work in the manner I think it does? Are my beliefs supported or are they just hopes? Granted, some of my beliefs are not easily tested, but others are. Donald Trump provides a unique opportunity to see how my concerns mesh with what actually takes place. I understand the Trump Administration is unique. There will never be another Trump Administration. So, while it will be unwise to generalize from what happens with Trump to every other presidency or leader, Trump provides a spectacular test case for what I think.

Hence, I have a series of Trumpotheses, “testable” statements we should be able to revisit over the next four or eight years.

H1: Experience Matters. Leaders with practical experience in their field perform better than those without such experience.

Donald Trump strides into the White House with essentially zero political preparation to be President. Nearly every other President brought to the office different degrees of extensive political experience. I have feared his inexperience would be most destructive in foreign policy, where presidential power is more unbridled.

H2: Character Matters. Leaders with strong character (defined as truthfulness, integrity, fairness, and consistency) are better leaders than those without such character.

This one is especially interesting. Some of our nation’s most effective presidents have had less than sterling character. Others have had sterling character while being very poor presidents. Also, of course, character is multifaceted and has public and private components. A president, for instance, may be privately honest and scrupulous, while being a public liar. The reverse could also be true. I would still evaluate such people as having poor character because I think a public and private consistency is an important element of actual integrity. Another wrinkle, of course, is in how we define “better” leaders. A leader could be outstanding in pursuit of their own interests and power, but the leadership could be destructive in other ways. Here, I am thinking “better” in pursuit of policies and ideas designed for the betterment of the nation. I might disagree on whether or not they are, in fact, “good,” but would be willing to admit a difference of opinion.

Donald Trump’s character has been questionable. Does that matter as he pursues his policies?

H3: Inserting a “celebrity” into the Oval Office will have a negative, corrosive influence on our culture and our politics.

Presidents since at least Kennedy have been courting the celebrity of the White House. They have used or benefitted from vehicles and images as varied as Camelot, Laugh-In, The Tonight Show, Bedtime for Bonzo, MTV, ESPN, and Slow Jams with Jimmy Fallon. Trump is more a product of celebrity than any previous candidate, including Ronald Reagan. While Regan used his previous career as an actor effectively, he also served as a two-term governor of California, and was a persistent political figure for more than fifteen years before he became president. Some time elapsed between Reagan’s acting heyday and his pursuit of office. Trump is different. He more directly utilized his very recent celebrity status (he was on The Apprentice just last year, I think) to build political power.

I have believed this will degrade the presidency and our political culture, creating a “new normal” that will have long-ranging consequences. This one may be very hard to judge in just four or eight years.

H4: Advisors are less important than ultimate decision makers. Though excellent advisors can minimize problems, flawed decision-makers exercise a noticeable, negative influence on the organizations they run.

One of the great hopes of those who held their noses and voted for Trump is that his confidantes will be able to make up for his deficiencies. Mike Pence, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, and others have been seen as character or policy buffers between Trump and the power he wields. I have largely disdained such thinking because I see the presidency as uniquely potent and influential, and Trump as someone who largely does as he wants, thereby expecting those around him to carry out his own wishes. I could be wrong on all of those fronts or I could be right. We will see.

I am sure there are others we could come up with, but that is my list. I want to say, sincerely, that I am not posting these as simply an opportunity to revisit my qualms with Trump. I will give Donald Trump an honest opportunity to surprise me. I truly hope he is an excellent president because our country needs excellent leadership. I post them as a way to hold myself accountable and as a way to evaluate Donald Trump as he moves forward into the most powerful position in the world.