“Punk is an attitude!“
When I was young- punk is an attitude – was muttered when comparing what was thought to be real punk versus punk the fashion. Punk as an attitude – is irreverent,anti-authority, DIY, and is willing to stand up for what it believes in.
Growing up in the 80’s and since, Trump was always been around. For most of my life I did not like him and wondered why others were so intrigued. He received outsized attention in the tabloids, on talk shows, and reality TV. To his credit, he has become more than a brand, he has achieved infamy. Infamy is next level branding! He didn’t do it by being likable, the opposite, he was never what anybody ever wanted him to be. He was a hustler, a product of the anything goes era of 1970s-80s New York City. He turned a million dollars into a business empire. He took risks and built things that became profitable by providing an extremely high-level of service. Each success was used to finance the next, while fronting his personal PR machine… and look where it got him. In business, people appreciate a no nonsense approach. It is a necessity to work at high-levels. In politics and in government, however, people seek to be comforted and conform narratives, largly myth, lore, and lies. Our Nations’ once venerable institutions have been corrupted, they are institutionally corrupt, but the workforce is fat and happy, so don’t rock the boat. The level of conformity within the government bureaucracy today is next level. Trump comes from an industry where people are expected to accomplish tasks in allotted time. The government workforce is primarily concerned with position, prestige, and pay (materialism). Trump style rubs the DC blob, the ultra-conformists to the status-quo the wrong way. He threatens their grift.
While Trump’s approach in business was valued, that same approach in politics is viewed as disruptive and crude. As much as it pains me to say it, Trump embodies the attitude of Punk!