In the way I have viewed them, Donald Trump and Muhammad Ali are polar opposites. I detest one and I idolize the other. Guess which is which.
I just finished reading a fine book called “Blood Brothers” by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith. It’s about the relationship between Ali and Malcolm X. As I read, I kept noticing something I had never thought about before – the similarities between the Champ and the Chump. It led me to wondering if the mystery of Trump’s popularity might be better understood by comparing it to why Ali was so adored.
The most obvious similar trait is that of being self-promoting blowhards. One says “Only I can fix it.” The other says, “I am the greatest.” Now, Ali’s egotistical explosions may well have been put-ons. I doubt that Trump’s are. But, for all the world, they both epitomize self-love. To many, oppressed minorities, this characteristic in Ali gave them someone who could finally express pride in who they were. To them, this part of the Ali character was irresistible. It gave them a vicarious strength that they otherwise had been denied. So might be the case with Trump. To his base, he is their spokesman. To people who have felt ignored (and he repeatedly reinforces to them how ignored they have been), he represents reinforcement that they count – that they are being listened to. To me, many of these people shouldn’t be listened to, but that’s precisely the point.
And that leads to another of the similarities – both Ali and Trump appeal most to the extremes. Ali now is seen as an icon, but that was not the way it always was, not by a long shot. He was as despised by his detractors as he was adored by his followers. His affiliation with the Black Muslims was viewed as next door to treason. Even the most liberal political columnists, like Jimmy Breslin, wrote scathing articles about him. That opposition fervor fed corresponding emotion in his supporters on the other side. There were very few people who were apathetic about Muhammad Ali. Obviously, this is also true of Trump. You love him or you hate him..
And how about the ability to entertain? Ali was fascinating. Even if you didn’t watch his fights, his pre-fight interviews and talk show appearances were spell-binding. When he was prevented from boxing, and after he retired, he appeared in movies and even on Broadway. Trump, similarly, is a creation of the entertainment world. Sure, he puts his name on a lot of buildings, but that name would be worthless if he had not constantly forced his orange visage into our eyeballs through any form of media he could find. Most famously, of course, he pretended to be a genius businessman in “The Apprentice.” This was just practice for pretending to be a competent Commander-in-Chief in his grandest thespian effort. Even we Trump-haters can’t help watching him and reading about him. Can’t stop ourselves. It’s like trying to avert your eyes from a fireworks display.
You might say, “Yes, these two guys have similarities, but Ali was actually great at what he did. He became Heavyweight Champion of the World. Trump sucks at what he does.” But, is that really true? Yes, Ali really made a success of himself and he earned it, but Trump, after all, did become the President of the United States. That ain’t chpped liver and it seems like a pretty decent thing to tell your classmates at the next High School Reunion (even though, unlike Ali, he achieved his success by lying and cheating).
If I’m right about all this, then the Champ and the Chump appeal to people for a lot of similar reasons. But, there is one dissimilarity that is even more important. It is one thing if being an egotistical loudmouth, divisive, entertainer explains the popularity of a boxer. It is quite another when it forms the basis of support for the most powerful man in the world.
We were right 