I’ve never run for president, nor do I have any interest in being president. But if I did, I would ask myself why I wanted to be president. Would it be for the fame or the adulation of millions? Would it be to hear supporters cheering my name, hanging off of my every word?
Would it be for the power? Becoming commander in chief of the most powerful military in the history of man? Able to wipe any country or any man off the face of the earth at the snap of a finger. Or would it be for the pomp and circumstance of hearing “Hail to the Chief?”
Is it to fill an emotional vacuum? A need to be loved and to make up for a deep insecurity? A feeling of inadequacy perpetually unsatisfied?
Or would it be an attempt to leave the world a little better off? Would it be to lift up my fellow Americans, the ones who voted for me as well as the ones who didn’t?
“Why are you running for president?” is the ultimate question that every candidate should ask themselves. Far too few do. Far too many run for the most selfish of all reasons, not to lose. The result of which is the desire to win at all costs.
A win-at-all-costs mentality is what leads politicians like Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to abandon their principles and contort their beliefs. Trump supported a woman’s right to choose until political expediency demanded that he didn’t. It led Harvard-educated DeSantis to take intellectually dishonest stances on issues that, deep down, I’m sure he knows are manufactured crises. All in an attempt to win over voters. Both more than willing to use their office for personal gain and the well-connected around them. Trading quid pro quos like IOUs with a presidential stamp on them.
The question “Why are you running for president?” will tell you everything you need to know about whether a candidate is fit for office. Are they running not to lose or are they running because they’d rather lose on their feet than win at the feet of scorched-earth politics? Fear of losing will make a candidate say and do crazy things. We’ve all seen candidates who say and do things that we strongly suspect they don’t believe, just to hear the cheer of the crowd. But rarely do we see a candidate who is perfectly fine with the idea of losing. One who recognizes that no one can fully comprehend or appreciate the burden that comes with becoming president of the United States. It’s a job that requires the self-awareness to acknowledge that anyone who craves the position should never have it.
History remembers very little about good presidents, a tad more about great presidents and every blunder and misstep of the ones who failed to capture the moment. It’s not hard to name a president whose presidency was marred by scandal. It’s not hard to name a president who said they’d put the voters first and then made it all about themselves. It’s not hard to name a president who didn’t do their homework or wasn’t able to be disciplined enough to not allow for distractions. It’s the most powerful job in the world for a reason, which is why more candidates should ask themselves, “Why do you want to be president?”
Many will give cookie-cutter answers that they know will appeal to their base. Many will tell a carefully practiced story that sounds nice in a campaign ad. But few will actually dive deep and answer the question of why they actually want to become president. Because, like President Biden, they’d know that being president is more than giving speeches and kissing babies while the cameras are watching. If they asked themselves, they’d know that being president meant making difficult decisions that the public will only know about if things go wrong. If they asked themselves why they wanted to be president, they would know that it takes the kind of person who is okay with doing what’s right, even when it won’t end in applause. I have at times critiqued the decisions of President Biden, but I can say without a doubt that he leads with his head and his heart. Of that, I can never be critical.
Being president and being presidential are two different things. You can win the presidential election, move into the White House, even run for reelection, and never spend a single day actually being presidential. Being presidential requires grace, a bit of humility and an understanding of the pitfalls of those who came before you. History doesn’t just repeat itself, it’s an endless loop that has taken down the unstudied. Every president gets knocked down, but the great ones figure out why and learn from their mistakes.
The American people need more candidates willing to ask themselves why they want to be president. Is it to exploit our differences and score political points or is it to pass legislation that improves lives? When tragedy occurs, will they stroke the flames of division, causing violence and instability, or will they speak to the soul of a nation about a better path forward?
When it comes time to step aside, will they do so graciously or will they threaten the tenets of the democracy they swore to protect? These are the questions that are at the foundation of our democratic experiment.
Every candidate should take a look in the mirror and honestly ask themselves why they want to be president. If they did, I expect many would not run.
Michael Starr Hopkins is a founding partner at Northern Starr Strategies.