1. Building a Theory of Donald Trump and His Presidency

This chapter addresses the issues of what it takes, theoretically and evidentiarily, to develop a viable theory of the psychology of the Trump presidency. This book addresses the literature on presidents, presidential leadership, political time, and the motivations of Trump voters to name a few areas. However, the real literature that is the focus of this book is Trump himself—the man, his development, his thinking and his actions. Is it is possible to find Trump patterns in a kaleidoscopic presidency, doing so while he is still in office, the essential dual nature of his presidency, discerning and analyzing the “real” Trump presidency beyond caricature and setting out Trump’s ultimate presidential ambitions—The Politics of American Restoration. We argue that it is and explain why.