Has Donald Trump read Machiavelli?

When I listen to the views of politicians and business tycoons posturing as politicians, I wonder what will happen to the state of education in America, not just for immigrants but for all of us. Education is more than a degree; it's a life-changing event when it's done right. Yet, no one wants to help fund it. Maybe education is too threatening? Maybe it gives too much power to citizens who just might rise up and demand quality education for everyone. The sense of powerlessness in American society is being expressed in a very interesting way: Donald Trump.

I loved being a freshman in college because it was not only about getting a degree; it was also about getting familiar with great minds in world history, literature, and science, knowing they were dead but were once young like us. I had the good fortune of being in southern California, known for having some of the best schools in the nation at the time. Even at a community college outside of L.A.,  I loved attending classes, listening to diverse opinions, and having an opportunity to express my own views in 20-page essays. I was fascinated by poetry, fiction, and philosophy. Unfortunately, the academic year was plagued by class cancellations due to some political protest, boycott, or supporters of some movement, but if I could revisit that year, I'd spend less time at the beach, less time riding in cars, less time at Griffith Park Zoo. I would  never miss a class.

I was especially fascinated by world literature. After reading, The Prince, I  wondered whether Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was hero or villain, but back then it didn't matter. What mattered was the freedom of expression.Today, freedom of expression is a Constitutional right which we rarely exercise, and when it comes to great leaders, it appears impolite and arrogant. But then there is Donald Trump, who clearly hopes to be considered a great leader. Of course he must have read Machiavelli's, The Prince. What successful business leader has not? According to Machiavelli, politics has a morality of its own, one based on strategic maneuvers, one in which the end justifies the means.

When it comes to political strategies, one takeaway from this book, published five centuries ago, has relevance today:

• A prince will also be well thought of when he is a true friend, or an honest enemy; that is, when, without any hedging, he takes a stand for one side against the other. It is always better to do this than to stand on one's neutrality; because if two of your powerful neighbors come to blows, they are either such people that you have to fear the winner or they are not.  In either case, it will be better for you to assert yourself and wage open war; because in the first case, when you do not take sides, you are bound to be the prey of the winner, to the pleasure and satisfaction of the loser (61-62).

Donald Trump has done it again, demanded attention in the media for bold statements that border on the confrontational and seem to portray blind ignorance. We are appalled by what appears to be blatant disrespect for cultural diversity. Yet, he is gaining momentum in the political arena. Could it be Machiavelli is right after all these years and Donald Trump is bold enough to follow his lead? 

Reference:
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince, 2nd edition (1992, 1977). New York: WW. Norton & Company, Inc.
(c) mhjohnson (2015)