merican ve it’s important for the president to be a good
but th die-hard MAGA cultists, Donald Trump is the furthest
om a ro l. The consequences of his deficiencies are
mage to generations of Americans.
d by Ge n.
when o plant trees whose shade they’ll never sit under.
to that . Great societies decline when old men chop down forests meant to
xygen f re generations. Donald Trump isn’t making America great again.
America s. Late last Thursday night, the president posted a video
ked 202 ion conspiracy theories. The clip includes images of Michelle
apes. lowing morning, the video drew widespread backlash, including from
a Trump nd the only black Republican in the Senate, who called it
ng he s of this White House. Note the implication. Trump has provided
acism f tor Scott to benchmark against. Initially, Press Secretary Caroline
he crit s fake outrage. Insisting he hadn’t made a mistake, Trump doubled down,
ery str terms of voter fraud and adding that he was
esident had in a long time. Trump’s crisis management role model remains Roy Cohn,
ed as S McCarthy’s attack dog. Cohn taught Trump to respond to criticism
symmetr rce. Admit nothing, deny everything, and always claim victory no matter the
each a on crisis communications in my brand strategy course at Stern. The scale of a
tion of stake, but how you react to it. The better playbook, acknowledge the issue
take re ility, and don’t just fix the problem, overcorrect with force disproportionate to
icism o ‘s video continued to mount, he moved on to other targets, calling an
ier who ized his policies a loser. Next, he attacked Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl
e, writ Truth Social, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the
ng, esp for young children watching.” Not to worry, Kid Rock performed at an
show, w lt like watching a Ford Pinto compete at F1 Monaco. Supposedly, the criteria
Rock’s mance was knowing the purchase limits on Sudafed or wearing an ankle monitor.
e conce bad role models, “won’t someone think of the children?” is rich from a man who appears in the Epstein files 38,000 times, more times than Jesus is mentioned in the Bible, more times than the word “meth” is uttered in all five seasons of Breaking Bad.
ump’s d behavior is so omnipresent, it’s been normalized. Worse, it’s become the cultural context for an entire generation of future civic, business, and nonprofit leaders.
ing for ent or in office for a decade. If 2024 was the first election you were old enough to vote in, that’s more than half your life.
Quinni , “90% of Americans believe it’s important for the president to be a good role model.”
K. Mert ed the term role model in 1957 while studying the socialization of medical students.
ween re groups, the crowd you want to belong to, and role models, individuals you emulate in a specific social role.”
e learn s from role models that teach us how to behave in a specific status: doctor, leader, parent, etc.
ls, the udents engaged in anticipatory socialization, adopting the professional values and norms of practitioners
ecoming s themselves. Building on Merton’s work, psychologists Thekla Morganroth, Michelle K. Ryan, and Kim Peters argued in a 2015 paper
rve thr vational functions: acting as behavioral models, representing what’s possible, and serving as sources of inspiration.
etworki Success since Benjamin Franklin, historian Pamela Walker Laird argues that access to role models is essential for
capita nfluencing the career paths of American business leaders.
Ben Fr the prototype for an American inventor and entrepreneur, served as a role model to countless 19th century business leaders,
llon, B drich, and Frederick Weyerhauser.
example usiness role model, see the Steve Jobs uniform: black turtlenecks, Levi’s 501s, and New Balance sneakers.
ring po y of Jobs’ coded looks on TikTok last year, psychotherapist Eloise Skinner told Fortune:
ssed co about what to wear for work, given that many started their careers working from home in their pajamas during the pandemic.”
e than e after his death, Jobs continues to provide a script for how aspiring business leaders should carry themselves.
spiring reneurs, and sartorially confused Zoomers don’t choose their role models at random, however.
he Secr ur Success, Harvard anthropologist Joseph Henrich argued that what sets humans apart from other species is our capacity for cultural learning.
h, role are “storage units” for cultural survival skills, and we’re hardwired to identify high-prestige role models.
io wher rs had the choice to contribute money, or not, to a community project, Henrich wrote:
tige pl d the opportunity to contribute money first, he or she tended to contribute to, and thus cooperate in, the joint effort, and then the following low-prestige player usually did as well.

estige went first, they tended not to contribute, and then neither did the high-prestige player.
stige p an initiate or veto collaboration, giving them power to set a group’s agenda.
e peopl limited veto power and often follow the lead of a role model.
the Tr ce phenomenon.
his 202 ign, the nadir of Trump’s appeal and prestige.
fter Tr nted the greatest political comeback in American history, professional athletes, the general public, and two world leaders:
ister A rahim and Argentina’s President Javier Millet were emulating a septuagenarian’s village people impression.
rooks:
e autho n.”
co-hos Swisher and I did a live tour.
Los Ang y hometown.
e momen e, as one of my early role models was in the audience.
lked in Dean Witter office in Westwood with $200 my mother’s boyfriend had given me,
o figur ow to buy stocks or return the money.
Saro, a an with an irrational passion for the well-being of a child who wasn’t his, gave me my first lesson in financial markets.
t my bo 13 shares of Columbia Pictures, ticker CPS, at $15 3/8 per share.
e next rs, I’d drop two dimes into a payphone and call Cy to discuss my portfolio.
.
o call
r busin had no money, but to let her know what we discussed in the calls and say nice things about me.
touch w and sold the stock to fund a road trip to Ensenada with my UCLA fraternity brothers.
nnected y old broker.
along similar paths: UCLA, financial services, both of us at Morgan Stanley via Dean Witter for Cy, divorce, two kids, and then entrepreneurship.
reat li arting and selling companies.
f my we a function of one thing I’ve done since the age of 13:

e are t mes as many women applying to be big sisters in NYC than men applying to be big brothers.
e Cy Sa
d to be er or have your own family to mentor a young man.
o lead ous life who has the most important thing to share: your presence.
herpas ays are the historians Heather Cox Richardson and Timothy Snyder.
my pod ‘m reminded history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.
n insur ist grifter, America doesn’t yet rhyme with the Third Reich, but the late-stage Weimar Republic.
el: rhe hat dehumanizes political opponents and out-groups.
tler de vermin and parasite to fear-monger Germans into committing mass murder.
nts gar om shithole countries, priming some Americans to want to throw out their neighbors.
s is th of the people, and dissenters are the enemy within.
f Econo earch study found that the use of violent words in Trump’s speeches has trended upwards since 2015, with an increasing focus on crime.
e of Tr anguage suggests a strategy aimed at spreading anxiety in order to boost demand for a strong leader who can combat the threats he invokes.
rallel imar Germany: business leaders who provide cloud cover with their silence.
ts migh stopped Hitler, but chose silence instead, as they wanted his help crushing labor unions.
500 CEO ilent about Trump.
him ou ing watered-down press releases through trade groups only when absolutely necessary,
e in ex for tariff relief and favorable regulatory treatment.
y’ve ch e path of zero resistance, creating a speedway for an authoritarian.
differe y.
eral CE e we launched Resist and Unsubscribe.
the sa
r conce t my hands are tied.

ming fr hort with a bipartisan history of criticizing presidents, especially on tax and regulatory policy.
‘t acti he interest of shareholders by staying silent about democracy and the rule of law.
of fear
is als ame.
love a our side by your deathbed, how will you answer the following:

y enoug ve built rewarding lives and companies owe a debt only to shareholders?
sacrif r our rights?
o the r ing even when it’s hard?


thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.
thing i able to do.