A hallmark of the Trump presidency and of Donald J. Trump, himself, has been a complete and utter lack of character. Gone are the days when Republicans actually cared about such a thing — when “Character Counts” served as an important slogan. Frighteningly illogical, dangerously unhinged, ruthlessly vindictive, and pathologically deceptive, it’s no wonder that Trump has considered Obama his nemesis since before taking office. Regardless of any shortcomings of Obama as a politician, no amount of Trump gaslighting and whataboutism can change the fact that he was a man of integrity whereas Trump has none.
Obama was a loving family man; Trump procreates with different women after grabbing them by the pussy. Obama displayed honor and respect; Trump is a ruthless cheat who thinks rules don’t apply to him. Obama was a devoted husband; Trump has been married three times (the latest to someone 24 years his junior). He’s also a chronic adulterer who secretly funneled campaign funds as hush money to a porn star he bonked while his trophy wife was pregnant. Obama was fun and could relate well to people of all ages; Trump is devoid of wit, socially inept, and too self-absorbed to show interest in others (including children, although reports of his physical attraction towards daughter, Ivanka, are downright creepy); Obama respected women; Trump regularly calls them “nasty”; he’s also a misogynistic predator with over two dozen women claiming sexual assault. Obama was compassionate and genuinely cared about people; Trump is a contemptuous, mean spirited bully who maligns, openly threatens, and castigates people who aren’t loyal; he also separates children from their parents at the border for political gain.
Obama was a man of truth; Trump is a documented pathological liar who has made more than 20,000 false or misleading claims since taking office. Obama was a statesman whom the world respected, and he won the Nobel Peace Prize; Trump is the quintessential ugly American and is viewed internationally as a buffoon and laughing stock. Obama was trustworthy; Trump is a flaming hypocrite who makes up excuses, falsely denies knowing people in his entourage when they face scrutiny, and repeatedly contradicts campaign promises (like banning transgenders from the military) or himself in previous tweets criticizing his predecessor. Obama was a scholar, an orator, an avid reader, and a man of intellect; Trump is painfully illiterate whose disjointed word salad lacks coherence no matter how brazenly he presents it, and he regularly watches Fox & Friends. Obama was a highly cultured man, appreciating jazz, classical music, and the arts; arguably the most uncultured US president in history, President Trump lacks decorum, gave airtime to Kanye West in the oval office, delivered a private White House tour to Ted Nugent, Sarah Palin and Kid Rock during which they mocked the national portrait of former first lady, Hillary Clinton, and hosted multiple visits of victorious sports teams by serving cheeseburgers and French fries.
Obama cared deeply about setting a good example by practicing nobility, consideration, and kindness; Trump cares about striking deals and making money. On the way, he has mocked basically everyone, from 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg after she was named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year,” to disabled reporter, Serge Kovaleski, suffering from arthrogryposis, to the Gold Star parents of slain Muslim soldier, Captain Humayun Khan, after they denounced Trump during the DNC, to the military, in general. Trump called George H. W. Bush a “loser” for being shot down during WWII, dismissed beliefs that John McCain was a war hero because he was captured (and spent five years as POW in Vietnam that Trump successfully avoided), and labeled those who died at war ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’. He even cancelled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris because he feared his hair would become disheveled — then fabricated excuses about how the helicopter couldn’t fly or the secret service refused to drive him. He also holds grudges — most notably with John McCain, vociferously disparaging him after his death with unfounded allegations, because McCain voted against Trump’s attempt to repeal Obamacare.
Obama was a man of ceremony and he honored tradition; Trump is a petty man who broke a 40-year tradition by refusing to unveil Obama’s portrait at the White House. Obama was very hard working; Trump has a notoriously poor work ethic and has already played 140 games on his private golf courses, far in excess of any of his predecessors, at a cost to taxpayers of over $141M. Obama cared about what was good and right for the country and the rest of the world; Trump is a malignant narcissist who drives US policy in his own interest in support of his lavish lifestyle while finagling the system to pay only $750 of federal income taxes despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars with his empire of companies.
