To my considerable surprise, I am coming to believe that there may still be hope for Donald Trump. The moment this seemingly absurd idea first struck me was during his recent thirty-minute meeting with President Obama.
The Donald actually looked awed and subdued in the Presidential presence, as if this were a role he had not prepared for. His attitude towards the man he had called the worst Chief Executive in American history was reflecting remarkable signs of deference.
It was if Trump had been handed a role he had not prepared for--that of a world leader. I used the word "role" advisedly. In theatrical terms, to my mind, Trump has always been more like an actor rather than a playwright. Except perhaps in the case of his sexual drives, he performs the character activities of whatever a situation demands. In the past, he has mostly played the bully and the braggart. Today, and probably to his surprise as much as our own, he is being expected to play the role of a chief executive.
Judging by his recent tweets and behavior, he has begun to take this role more seriously. Getting rid of Chris Christie as Chief of his transition team, praising the protests he had initially condemned, suggesting that he might "alter" rather reject, these are Presidential gestures rather than those of an ideologue.
Of course, the question is who in the administration is going to hand Donald Trump his lines and determine his character. The presence of Gingrich and Giuliani behind the scenes if admittedly not very promising. But if his advisors will try to determine the theme of this script, it is just likely that Trump might be eying a loftier role than that of small-town avenger.
I admit this is a lot of speculation to based on one thirty-minute meeting, but in these dark days, all of us trying to find some roses.