Charisma is something that has long puzzled me. I was already thinking of writing about this topic, when I saw Farron Cousins say that Trump is charismatic, even though Cousins can’t stand him. This is one of the few things I have seen Cousins say that I semi-disagree with. Actually, I would agree with it if we qualify it as saying that Trump is charismatic in the perception of his cult-like, MAGA base.

I found an article which discusses the diverging perceptions of Trump’s “charisma” or lack thereof. This article, by Melissa Pandika, makes it clear that “charisma” is really something that is “in the eye of the beholder,” according to research. An example that I always think of, is that Adolf Hitler was charismatic to Nazis, while revolting to the rest of us, but actually, Trump makes just as good an example of the specificity of “charisma” (which is why I am putting this word in quotes). Pandika also discusses the “charismatic” properties of other prominent U.S. politicians, some of whom – including Kamala Harris — score higher than Trump on a scale of charismatic language ([What makes someone charismatic? Experts break it down](https://www.mic.com/…/what-makes-someone-charismatic…).

The article discusses five factors which tend to make people think of someone else as being “charismatic.” The really significant fact about these personal characteristics, is that they tend to overlap with the characteristics of conmen, which I also recently discussed, although many “charismatic” people are of the good kind, not “conmen.”

1. Opposing the status quo;

2. Courageousness and breaking convention;

3. Optimism;

4. Conveying strong emotions;

5. Tending to use metaphors, stories and anecdotes.

Note that Trump displays all 5 of these qualities in abundance. However, in a case such as Trump’s (and many others) these traits can be interpreted as those of a con-person. Con-people are bold, defy conventions, show unwarranted confidence (thus the name), tend to be slap-happy purveyors of unwarranted superlatives, and manipulate people through the use of detailed, long-winded, and ultimately nonsensical or misleading stories. This is how we get ‘bad charisma,” that is, charisma that is used to con people, and manipulate them into giving the communicator what he, or she, wants.

People with “good charisma” are principled, and want to change society for the better, about which they feel very strongly. They feel that they can make a positive contribution to societal change, and use their experience and wisdom to convey their ideas, often using stories. Looking at “charisma” this way, it’s easy to see how there are two sides to charisma, with completely opposite effects.

A key element in determining who finds a person charismatic, as opposed to uninteresting, or even revolting, as many of us find Trump to be, is that if identification. The author of the article, Melissa Pandika, admits that she strongly identifies with Kamala Harris, for example, as a daughter of immigrants from India herself who grew up in the San Francisco bay area. As a California progressive, I also identify fairly well with Kamala Harris, although not in every respect.

Trump’s MAGA base consists of people who identify with him somehow, which seems strange, given that he is a child of privilege and they are mostly rural, white folk with not much education or money. However, they identify with the way that he speaks to them – the way that he hates the same people that they do, and has the same kinds of grievances that they do. They are basically people who are susceptible to his big con, which they mistake for bold truth-telling and competence. This motivates them and translates into their perception of him being ‘charismatic.”

Ultimately, though, Trump is only “charismatic” to his base, and not in a good way. Indeed, we could call it a fake kind of charisma, as compared to the true charisma of someone like Bernie Sanders or Martin Luther King, Jr., to give a couple of counterexamples. Indeed, Trump is a polarizing figure, and that is intentional, while people who are truly charismatic in a good way, tend to be unifying, or at least, try to be.