Donald Trump = Charismatic Leader?

It is undeniable that Donald Trump has come a lot farther in his run for the presidency than most would have predicted. He is frequently considered to make incendiary remarks that increasingly rile his supporters to violence. His comments about women, Megyn Kelly comes to mind, have been disparaging and his plan to make Mexico build a wall has caused outrage on both sides of the border. Moreover, the never-before-seen violence at his rallies has put his supporters and protestors on edge. The question remains: how has remained a serious contender?

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Franz (2012) states that perceived power plays a large role in influencing others. Of concern here is that people can sway a group despite not having the most information or being the best decision makers. Trump has retained large support despite continuously providing misinformation to the American public. This is in part to Trump's ability to move between transformational and transactional leadership.

According to Franz (2012, p 239), transformational leadership relies on "charisma, being inspiring, being intellectually stimulating, and the ability to work with individuals." While some may scoff at Trump having these characteristics, it's safe to say that he does--at least with certain demographics. His business successes are certainly inspirational to some and he can be a charismatic speaker. As far as intellectually stimulating? His supporters have been identified as those who primarily didn't go to college, feel politically voiceless, want to keep outsiders out, and live in areas with racial resentment. For those in this demographic, his rallies can be seen as stimulating.

Franz (2012) says that transactional leadership is related to rewards, management, and performing action. McGregor (2002) goes a step farther and says that transactional leaders are "Theory X" managers who assume that workers are lazy and require a reward/punishment system to achieve. As an example, Trump's immigration policy would paint him as a transactional leader. According to him, most Mexican immigrants are criminals and not only do they need to be deported, Mexico should build a wall. This form of transaction punishes those who come into the country illegally under current laws as opposed to working for a solution to ease current restraints. Conversely, this could be a reward for those who vote for him. If folks in his demographic already live in areas with racial tension, this could be the answer for which they are looking.

Despite the numerous concerns that Trump's politics bring up, the most concerning would that Franz (2012) states that charismatic leaders can come with drawbacks. Franz (2012, p 240) quotes Conger and Kanungo as saying that charismatic leaders "may be authoritarian and narcissistic, have a high need for power, disregard legitimate authority, and seek unquestioning obedience." If current trends continue and Trump is elected president, we may have more to worry about than his racist and sexist remarks.