The Gangster Mentality of the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America

“If it gives you the power, why would you oppose it?” - Donald Trump (Pence)

Some Americans cheered in November–others mourned, like death had cloaked the country in a choking smog. Regardless of which side of the canyon the American voters might have placed themselves, there is no denying one thing; Trump is a rebel, a rule breaker. Some might say he is a mutineer, a traitor, a gangster. Donald Trump has come to defy everything that experienced political scientists know about American politics, in a way that only a gangster could. From New York businessman to political underdog to worldwide outcast to comeback king, Donald Trump has exercised an aura of power seen only in the likes of gangsters. Donald Trump, a powerful force in America for decades, has forever changed not only American politics, but also international dynamics. Donald Trump, a seemingly inexperienced businessman/celebrity, has now gone on to defeat some of our nation's most distinguished names in politics, such as Secretary Hiliary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris. Our nation’s soon to be 47th President, embodies many characteristics of a mob boss, which have come to define his checkered legacy. 

In his early years, Donald Trump was known as a businessman. Later, it became apparent that a majority of his businesses were illegal in one form or another, a trick many gangsters employed. He had some successful ventures such as Trump Tower, the Apprentice and many golf courses. He’s also had many failed ventures, such as Trump Vodka, Trump: The Game, Trump Airlines, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Trump Magazine, Trump Steaks, Trump University, and even Trump Ice (International Business Guide). Despite his many failed businesses, the name, Donald Trump, is perhaps one of the most recognized across the world–a fame gangsters seek. One of Trump’s most notable “scams” was Trump University. In its early days, Trump University held introductory classes for anyone to attend. The concepts of the seminars were to try and impart Trump’s “wisdom” in real estate. Participants were told that “...making money in real estate is virtually a sure thing, repaying the investment many times over, but only if they follow the Trump methods”. Their key message was that those “...who don’t get ahead, the ones who struggle to provide for their families, are those who should pounce on great opportunities like these” (Shireman). Through his “University”, Trump sought to make a cheap buck off of people who were facing desperation in their lives. The salespeople running the venture pressured people to pay outrageous sums of money in order to take part in what was a “get rich quick” scheme that did nothing of the sort. During the seminar, one participant had even complained that the salespeople had “request[ed] we increase our credit limits on our credit cards” (Boser et al.). Ultimately Trump University faced a multitude of lawsuits and investigations, which resulted in Trump having to pay a $25 million settlement to the “students” that he defrauded at his “University” (Boser et al.). As we found out later, this scam was just scraping the surface of Trump’s illegal actions. More recently, during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. As Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg detailed in his press release, 

Donald Trump is guilty of repeatedly and fraudulently falsifying business records in a scheme to conceal damaging information from American voters during the 2016 presidential election… In Manhattan, we follow the facts without fear or favor and have a solemn responsibility to ensure equal justice under the law regardless of the background, wealth or power of the accused. The integrity of our judicial system depends on upholding that principle (Bragg).

The damaging information that Trump and his associates sought to keep from American voters was a news story that he had a sexual encounter with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, which compounded on the Access Hollywood tape where Trump proclaimed on a hot mic, “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women, I just start kissing them, it’s like a magnet, just kiss, I don’t even wait, when you are a star they let you do it, you can do anything, grab them by the pussy, you can do anything” (Bragg). In a scheme to achieve power and secure the Presidency, he illegally paid off Stormy Daniels in order to cover up what would have been a very damaging story to his campaign. It’s a classic gangster move to cover up a story that would prove damaging to oneself or interests. Film has been an effective way to visualize many of the gangster attributes and can be used for character comparison effectively here. For instance, in the film Hoffa, Jimmy Hoffa, the well known Teamsters leader and gangster sent genitalia in a jar to a reporter that was going to run a negative story on him–as a way to intimidate and pressure the reporter into dropping the story (Hoffa). An additional component to Trump’s unethical dealings actually came while he was in the White House. During his time as the 45th President of the United States, Trump would frequently opt to stay at Trump Tower locations while on official White House business, which is a conflict of interest, meaning that the taxpayer funded Trump along with his entire team of advisors and Secret Service agents to stay at a hotel where Trump ended up pocketing the profits. In a report released by the Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, it is detailed that 

Then-President Trump turned the U.S. Secret Service into an ATM for his personal enrichment, frequently charging the agency room rates far above approved government per diem rates and far above the rates charged to hundreds of other private patrons when Secret Service agents were protecting members of the Trump family (Committee on Oversight and Accountability).

The report details how this is in direct violation of the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause, which speaks to how “...beyond a salary, the president may not receive any additional payments from federal or state governments” (Committee on Oversight and Accountability) which then President Trump was certainly in violation of by pocketing federal funds in what was clearly a conflict of interest. In a complete disregard for any ethics involved, Donald Trump sought to enrich himself and his family at the expense of the taxpayer. 

Throughout his time in business, and in politics, Donald Trump has always had a fascination with loyalty. The concept of loyalty is a crucial one to gangster culture. You never rat out another gangster. This is illustrated in the film Hoffa, where Jimmy Hoffa’s associate Bobby Ciaro was approached by agents from the federal government, seeking to get him to “give up” Hoffa to the government. Suffice to say, Cairo refused (Hoffa). When Donald Trump was first elected to the presidency in 2016, it was under the clout of possible Russian interference in our elections. As a result of this, Trump sought to violate the traditional distance between the White House and the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation by becoming familiar with then FBI Director, James Comey. James Comey became well known during that election cycle for opening an investigation into Secretary Hilliary Clinton, then the Democratic Party’s nominee for President for the use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Ultimately the investigation came up empty, but many speculate that it led to her loss. Once elected President, Trump invited James Comey to the White House to discuss his continuing in the role of FBI Director. Comey recounts in his book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership how President Trump repeatedly pressed him on the issue of loyalty. Comey replied how the President “...would always get honesty from [him]”. Trump responded simply, stating “That’s what I want, honest loyalty”. As Director Comey so eloquently highlighted in his book through his experience investigating a wide variety of matters: 

Ethical leaders never ask for loyalty. Those leading through fear—like a Cosa Nostra boss—require personal loyalty. Ethical leaders care deeply about those they lead, and offer them honesty and decency, commitment and their own sacrifice. They have a confidence that breeds humility. Ethical leaders know their own talent but fear their own limitations—to understand and reason, to see the world as it is and not as they wish it to be (Comey).

As we head into the next four years with Donald Trump as this nation's 47th President, we are seeing a reliance on personal loyalty and a complete disregard for qualifications as President-elect Trump nominates officials to fill roles in his cabinet. Thus far, the only common trend amongst all of the nominee’s has been a proven record of personal loyalty to no one but Donald Trump. Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to be his Secretary of Defense, a well known Fox News host who is an enthusiastic advocate of Trump’s. Trump nominated Marco Rubio, current Senator from Florida and hardcore Trump loyalist to be his Secretary of State. Trump nominated Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom have campaigned and donated massive sums to the Trump campaign to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency”. Trump also unsuccessfully nominated Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General, a man who has promised to fulfil Trump’s desire’s of retribution against his perceived political enemies. As Trump regain’s this country's highest office, he has placed a disturbing emphasis purely on personal loyalty and people who he knows will do his bidding. Only gangsters require the loyalty of those they work with. A true leader can unite people on more than loyalty. True leaders have ethics and compassion binding people to them. Gangsters lack this, and thus require personal loyalty or have to resort to employing family members in order for any measurable amount of success to be achieved. 

Since his entry into the political arena when he stepped off the escalator in 2015, Donald Trump has always watched carefully to see who supports him and who wrongs him. Most importantly, he remembers who wrongs him. Much like a gangster, he seeks revenge against those who have vendettas against him, whether perceived or accurate. Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, again exemplifies this gangster trait as he had many vendettas levied against him during his time in the public eye. Then Senator Robert F Kennedy Sr was in charge of the congressional investigation into Hoffa’s dealings. Senator Kennedy at the time had even gone as far as saying that he would jump off the US Capitol Building if he did not get Hoffa convicted, in a clear indication that Kennedy had a strong vendetta against the notorious gangster (Hoffa). During his first campaign for the presidency, and subsequently in 2020 and 2024, Trump has treated the media who reported on him negatively as the enemy. For instance, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump referred to members of the press at a rally as "bloodsuckers" and even going so far as to say how for a potential assassin to reach him, they would have to "...shoot through the fake news - and I don't mind that so much" (Trump). During his campaign he also repeatedly spoke ill of the special prosecutor appointed to investigate his role in obstructing the 2020 Presidential Election. He frequently referred to the investigation as a “witch hunt”, and has referenced the special prosecutor as “Deranged Jack Smith” (Trump, ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump’s Statement…). The fight to hold Trump accountable, who seemingly avoids all justice and accountability has been a long and brutal one. One of Trump’s most shocking infractions as President was his efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. On January 6th 2021, Trump encouraged his supporters to storm the United States Capitol to stop the certification of then President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' victory in the 2020 election. In what was perhaps one of the most disgraceful derelictions of duty by an American President in history, the United States came unbelievably close to a constitutional crisis that would have resulted in the disenfranchisement of over 80 million American voters who cast their vote for President Biden and Vice President Harris. In the years that followed after the January 6th attack, the United States House of Representatives formed a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack, chaired by Congressman Bernie Thompson, a Democrat and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican. During his 2024 campaign, Trump escalated his rhetoric against Liz Cheney when she started campaigning for Kamala Harris by suggesting that  “...with nine barrels shooting at her…let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face” (Associated Press). In his second term as President, Trump has promised retribution against those who he perceives as his political enemies. This includes members of the media that paint him in a negative light, government officials that have sought to hold him accountable and even the Biden family. Donald Trump marketed himself to voters as their “retribution” and the American electorate should not be surprised when this nation's soon to be 47th President seeks to resolve these vendettas. 

Throughout his time in the public eye the past decade as a commanding force in American politics, Donald Trump has displayed a form of macho masculinity that can be clearly observed in gangster culture. For instance, Jimmy Hoffa and his associate Bobby Ciaro in the film, Hoffa, are very well respected by all who come across them, and it’s through their employment of a macho-masculinity personality that they are able to achieve this. The obsession with being “masculine” and appearing powerful in the face of adversity is a trait that is greatly sought after in gangster culture. During Trump’s first run for the Presidency in 2016, he debated Secretary Hilliary Clinton several times and it has be discussed a multitude of times in post-debate analysis that “...the male candidate, Trump, adopted the masculine communicative structure and the female candidate, Clinton, adopted the feminine communicative structure” (Grebelsky-Lichtman and Katz). During the debate, Trump could be seen as overtly masculine with his facial expressions and his aggressive hand gestures, often hovering in the background, or towering over Clinton. In the 2024 debates when Donald Trump debated Vice President Kamala Harris, the cards were flipped. In the opening seconds of the debate, the Vice President confidently strode across the entire stage to shake his hand in what could only be described as a masculine gesture. As a result of Harris’ win in the debate, Trump refused to debate Kamala Harris further, fearing that it would cause damage to his campaign. In his other interactions with women, Trump has frequently employed derogatory language towards women, often referring to them as “nasty” and of course in the infamous Hollywood access tape, he stated that “...you can do anything, grab them by the pussy…” (Bragg). It’s this overtly masculine, inflated sense of superiority that has come to define Trump and the Trump era of gender complexities. An additional component to masculinity in the Trump era arose during the height of the 2024 Presidential campaign. When an assassination attempt was made on Trump’s life, he famously rose from the ground, face covered in blood with his fist raised high in the air. This image, just weeks before the Republican and Democratic National Conventions came to dominate the news cycle. It painted Trump as this political martyr with unparalleled strength, having survived an attempt on his life. With a bipartisan outpouring of support that arose from the altercation, Trump certainly seemed to come out victorious on top. Much like a gangster, there is nothing unparalleled than surviving something horrific and coming out on top. Despite the 2024 campaign serving as a comeback for Donald Trump, he is not without a tarnished record of electoral wins. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election having won the most votes of any presidential ticket in American history. As a result of a loss to a man that Trump frequently referred to as “Sleepy Joe”, he has still refused to concede his loss four years ago and refused to attend President Biden’s inauguration, for fear of appearing weak against a man that he painted as inferior to himself. 

When caught, a gangster never turns on his fellow associates. The concept of an omerta is a noble one in gangster culture. So well known that many authors, such as Mario Puzo, who wrote the Godfather trilogy touched on principals such as omerta. It’s a code of silence where even when faced with great adversity and pressure, you never cooperate with any outsiders or any people of authority. This ideal was certainly on full display during the US House of Representatives Investigation into the January 6th attack. As members of the committee brought witnesses in to testify what they saw happen behind the scenes that day, they faced a tremendous amount of pressure from Trump and his associates to not talk to committee members in order to safeguard those at the very highest of the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. One such witness to the committee, Casidy Hutchenson was the principal aid to Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows and thus witnessed many alarming behind the scenes events occur. There was significant concern about her cooperation with the committee being leaked and even Hutchinson herself acknowledged this, stating to the committee’s chief legal council that she was “...about to get fucking nuked” (Cheney). Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney highlighted in her book Oath and Honor that Hutchenson “...meant the Trump team would soon learn what she had done - and attempt to destroy her and her reputation. Her instinct proved to be correct” (Cheney). In the lead up to Congress’ legally required, but purely ceremonial duties on January 6th to certify the electoral college results, Donald Trump and his allies engaged in an unprecedented effort to pressure other officials to comply with his demands to overturn the results of a free and fair election. Ultimately, these officials did not bend and fall in line to the omerta Trump sought to force. One notable instance of this was with Brad Raffensburger, the Secretary of State in Georgia, a crucial swing state. Trump famously called Raffensburger, asking him “...to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have because we won the state” (Darnell). The pressure levied against our duly elected officials in order to do Trump’s bidding was enormous. Regardless, they stood up for the rule of law and accountability rather than keeping Trump’s dealings hidden from public view. 

Some may argue that Trump’s actions during his first presidency do not reflect qualities seen in a mob boss. Many see that during his time as our nation's 45th President, Donald Trump made significant progress on a lot of conservative actions and goals. Trump instituted one of the largest tax cuts for corporations in history, which Trump himself referred to as “...bigger than the Reagan tax cut.  Bigger than any tax cut…” (Trump, Remarks by President Trump at the Tax Cuts for Florida…). Trump also had a notable track record with his judicial appointments. During his first administration, he appointed 226 judges to the federal appeals court and 3 justices to the United States Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. He has appointed the most justices to the Supreme Court since Ronald Regean (Gramlich). Regardless of Trump’s shortcomings, his first administration proved to be productive in instituting policies that a large swath of Americans wanted. He additionally had many qualified, experienced, professionals in his first administration enacting his agenda. Many people argue and hope that Donald Trump’s second term as our President will more closely mirror his first. They believe that his track record during his first term demonstrates that his second will prove to be beneficial for America as a whole. However there is evidence that many of the policies and legislation enacted by the first Trump administration benefited only select people; namely wealthy individuals, corporations and special interests.  

Regardless of the controversial public opinion that has surrounded Trump for years, which under normal circumstances would have crushed any other candidate, Trump has persevered. In the 2024 election, Trump won the popular vote, granted by a slim margin, but he did win a majority of the votes cast, despite every effort by the Biden and Harris campaigns to prove why Trump was dangerous. Trump has developed what can only be described as a cult-like following with his supporters that can see no wrong in him. The average Trump voter views him as their savior to their problems. They believe that his supposed business experience proves that he will manage the economy and the federal government well. The belief is also widespread amongst his supporters that the 2020 Presidential election was unfairly stolen from them, despite every effort to prove that this is a deeply dangerous and factually incorrect idea. Regardless, it proved to be an effective tactic for Trump’s campaign to mobilize voters on their side. The average Trump voter could concede that he is a gangster, but they are more inclined to believe that this is a good thing. His supporters view his illegal and unethical business practices, obsession with loyalty, constant vendetta’s being held against his perceived enemies, an overindulgence in machismo, and the pressured code of silence placed on his associates either as to his advantage or they aren’t dealbreakers. Despite the fact that millions of Americans view his behavior and actions as self-serving, we as humans tend to romanticize the “rebel mentality” that has categorized gangsters and outlaws for so long. Will history romanticize Trump like we’ve romanticized other gangsters? Only time will tell.  Donald Trump launched his political career on the idea that he was a political outsider that would “drain the swamp” of Washington DC and if there’s anything that a gangster is, it’s an outsider. 

Works Cited

Associated Press. “Trump Says Liz Cheney Might Not Be Such a “War Hawk” If She Had Guns Pointed at Her.” YouTube, 1 Nov. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=47_XcdW7A7A.

Boser, Ulrich, et al. “Trump University: A Look at an Enduring Education Scandal.” Center for American Progress, 30 Mar. 2017, www.americanprogress.org/article/trump-university-look-enduring-education-scandal/.

Bragg, Alvin. “D.A. Bragg Announces 34-Count Felony Trial Conviction of Donald J. Trump.” Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, 30 May 2024, manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-34-count-felony-trial-conviction-of-donald-j-trump/.

Cheney, Liz. Oath and Honor. Little, Brown and Company, 5 Dec. 2023.

Comey, James. A Higher Loyalty. Flatiron Books, 17 Apr. 2018.

Committee on Oversight and Accountability. “Oversight Democrats’ New Report Proves Trump Used His D.C. Hotel to Take Unconstitutional Domestic Emoluments, Fleecing the Taxpayers.” The Committee on Oversight and Accountability Democrats, 18 Oct. 2024, oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-releases/oversight-democrats-new-report-proves-trump-used-his-dc-hotel-take.

Darnell, Tim. Read: Full Transcript of Donald Trump’s Call to Brad Raffensperger. 15 Feb. 2023, www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/02/15/read-full-transcript-donald-trumps-call-brad-raffensperger/.

Gramlich, John. “How Trump Compares with Other Recent Presidents in Appointing Federal Judges.” Pew Research Center, 13 Jan. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/01/13/how-trump-compares-with-other-recent-presidents-in-appointing-federal-judges/.

Grebelsky-Lichtman, Tsfira, and Roy Katz. “When a Man Debates a Woman: Trump vs. Clinton in the First Mixed Gender Presidential Debates.” Journal of gender studies 28.6 (2019): 699–719. Web.

Hoffa. Directed by Danny DeVito, 20th Century Studios, 25 Dec. 1992.

International Business Guide. “A Guide to Donald Trump’s Business Career - International Business Degree Guide.” International Business Degree Guide, 2015, internationalbusinessguide.org/trump-business-career/.

Pence, Mike. So Help Me God. Simon and Schuster, 15 Nov. 2022.

Shireman, Robert. “Selling the American Dream: What the Trump University Scam Teaches Us about Predatory Colleges.” Social research 85.4 (2018): 767–794. Web.

Trump, Donald. ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump’s Statement on the Witch Hunt Indictment by Deranged Jack Smith. 2024, www.donaldjtrump.com/news/51a3dcb5-d9e5-423e-9e31-0c4d3b779f74.

---. Remarks by President Trump at the Tax Cuts for Florida Small Businesses Roundtable | Hialeah, FL. Florida Small Businesses Roundtable.

---. Donald Trump Holds a Campaign Rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania .