I am going to offer a word of hope in something that none of us can guarantee will occur.
It’s been said that the presidency either shapes the individual or the individual shapes the presidency.
My sincere hope as we head toward the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States that the former takes place.
How will that present itself? Let’s start with the president-elect’s use of Twitter to make policy statements, to answer critics or to rattle the cages of foreign leaders.
We cannot know how the new president will conduct himself once he takes the oath. Trump has demonstrated time and again a reluctance to adhere to established norms as it relates to transitioning from private citizens to the most public of officials.
He says he’ll dial back the use of Twitter as a communications tool. I hope he does. For that matter, I hope he eliminates it and speaks with more reflection, nuance and decorum than he has shown through these Twitter tirades that come usually early in the morning.
ItĀ has beenĀ said that here in Texas, Rick Perry remade the governor’s office. He turned a traditionally weak office into a more powerful venue. Perry served as governor longer than anyone in Texas history and left a virtually indelible mark on the office through the myriad appointments he made to the state’s highest courts and its many boards and commissions.
Donald Trump will get to make a similar mark on the presidency through his own appointments. He’ll get to select a U.S. Supreme Court nominee, probably soon. I hopeĀ that he tilts more toward a centrist appointment, which might beĀ yet anotherĀ indicator of the office shaping the individual who occupies it.
Will the next president bow to the office or will he seek to remake it in his own image?
I’ll keep hoping for the first thing to occur … and soon!