The most obvious observation about Donald Trump is one rarely made: He is not a gentleman. “Not a gentleman” is a designation and reproach he richly deserves but has not received. And why is that? “Gentleman” is no longer a standard we enforce or even a term we use. The outstanding person in this election is Donald Trump, in that he attracts the most attention, but the outstanding fact is the voters behind him who excuse Mr. Trump for his ungentlemanly behavior.
This is Machiavelli in a nutshell. But Machiavelli said that one should either caress or eliminate a rival, never merely insult him. With an insult, you leave the rival alive to seek revenge. Yet Mr. Trump does not fear the revenge of John McCain or Mitt Romney or their Republican supporters. He “tells it like it is,” meaning that he is bold enough to say what he likes about his rivals and enemies. He is free; the rest of us are afraid, but we have the admiration of the timid for one who is fearless, he believes.
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