Trump's Tone Problem

Sanity Check with Dan Schnur · Oct 3, 2026 · 2m

Every candidate, every officeholder, every leader talks in a certain way when they are just being themselves — when they’re not thinking about how they sound, but when they’re just comfortable. They give off a certain aspect and a certain demeanor.

In Trump’s demeanor, under almost all circumstances, if you like him, is confidence. If you dislike him, is arrogance. And what drives Trump’s confidence slash arrogance is an innate belief that he understands politics and government better than people who’ve been in politics and government for a long time.

Now, in the late 20th century, American…