Trump has not adopted a single political theory. He has not purely embraced imperialism or isolationism, nationalism or expansionism. He has not fully ushered in oligarchy, monarchy, or theocracy. He’s not plainly monopolistic, corporatistic, or technocratic.
And a wide range of political theories show up in Trump’s vocabulary: invasion, deregulation, resettlement, mass deportation, manifest destiny, America first, annexation, ownership. Trump’s politics are built around sampling. Like sampling music or a box of assorted chocolates, Trump takes bites of very different political theories to suit his tastes at a given time.
This post offers samplism as a political theory, along with author-invented definitions and characteristics.
Definitions
Samplism is a shifting set of social, economic, and political beliefs and practices that borrow elements of many political theories to achieve personally important outcomes.
Samplist means someone who practices or believes in samplism.
Samplistic describes a belief, action, outcome, or other thing that relates to samplism.
Samplist Motivations are Personal and Changeable
Each political theory is generally linked to a unifying motivation. Freedom motivates democracy. A commitment to surrendering personal interests when they conflict with party interests motivates communism. And so on.
However, samplist motivations are rarely unifying because they are highly personal and changeable. A small business owner might favor small government and a reduction in regulation but also improved public schools. The business owner wants different outcomes in the same major policy area (regulation) and could champion different approaches to different types of regulation. Like a surgeon with a scalpel.
A political leader may want governmental profit, which aligns with the small business owner’s desire for fewer industry regulations. But public schools are investments in the future. Their profits are speculative and difficult to quantify. Cutting away all regulations is a shortcut to immediate profit on paper.
As a political leader, Trump appears to be motivated by business-like outcomes of profit and power in some actions, revenge and retribution in others, and legacy-building in still others. Often, he clears the way with a machete rather than a surgeon’s precision.
Is Sampling Inherently Bad?
No. Sampling could be a productive way to take the best ideas and leave the worst behind. Sampling can prevent rigid patterns and explore new ideas. It can help use the proper tool for each task.
However, well-used sampling requires personal motivations to be curbed by existing law, governmental structure, and a balance of interests among people within a community.
Aligned versus Skewed Samplism
In aligned samplism behavior aligns toward a balance of interests within the context of existing law and community. Personal motivations are one consideration among many. Laws are changed to reflect rebalanced interests.
In skewed samplism behavior skews toward the individual. Personal motivations outweigh all other considerations, including existing law and community. Laws are optional when they are a barrier to personal desire.
Perhaps all people in a utopia would be aligned samplists. That is, people would use a multitude of tools to collaborate, build consensus, and seek balance. In the world as it exists, leaders who adopt skewed samplism create chaos, delegitimizing any law, structure, or person who disagrees.
Is Samplism the same as Dictatorship?
Skewed samplism may sample dictatorship. Where a dictator seeks absolute power as an outcome, a skewed samplist might seek absolute power over specific topics as a means to another personal outcome.
A dictator may use force, fraud, or the military to gain or keep power. Trump has shown a certain willingness to use these tactics, but they aren’t default. A dictator intimidates, suppresses liberties, and uses propaganda to maintain power and support. Trump uses each of these tools in distinct quantity and quality. For example, Trump declares a restatement of the Article II right to bear arms, a right that many dictators would diminish. Yet, he also suppresses liberties of migrants and other people on a selective basis.
Pillars of Samplism
There are four pillars of samplism: motivation, attitude, approach, and tools.
- Motivation means a leader’s reason for acting, or their personally desired outcome.
- Attitude means a leader’s stance toward other stakeholders.
- Approach means the way a leader thinks about, manages, and interacts with information, government, access, problems, and scope (IGAPS).
- Tools means the specific elements of differing political theories used to achieve outcomes.
Aligned samplism and skewed samplism apply different characteristics to these four pillars.
Characteristics of Aligned Samplism
- Motivation is a starting point. A leader identifies initial problems based on personally desired outcomes but then collaborates.
- Attitude of community balance. The leader works with others throughout the community at large to triage problems based on impact and urgency.
- Approaches to IGAPS thoughtfully.
- Information. Is transparent and collaborative.
- Government. Collaborates with governmental branches and within legal bounds.
- Access. Ensures right-sized access to information, physical presence, decision-making, security, and facts.
- Problems. Translates complex issues into plain language.
- Scope. Is surgical with change.
- Selects tools for efficiency and effectiveness. From different political theories, the leader selects a tool expected to be most efficiently effective in the situation and uses the right-sized tool for good-faith negotiation.
Characteristics of Skewed Samplism
- Motivation begins and ends with self interest. A leader identifies and acts on problems based on short-term, personally desired outcomes.
- Attitude of dominance and short-term gains. The leader ignores considerations of all other stakeholders.
- Approaches IGAPS to concentrate power.
- Information. Dominates the news but problematic facts are denied, discredited, or destroyed.
- Government. Delegitimizes or eliminates competing powers.
- Access. Revokes or denies access to information, physical presence, decision-making, security, and facts.
- Problems. Oversimplifies to avoid nuance, embraces sound bytes, and ignores or disparages disagreement.
- Scope. Uses a machete not a scalpel.
- Selects tools for biggest impression. From different political theories, the leader selects the tools expected to make the biggest impression and uses a tool bigger than needed to manage downward negotiation.
An additional characteristic of skewed samplism is heightened risk tolerance. The skewed samplist leader will skirt, change, or ignore the rules, setting limits, if at all, where perceived short-term risk exceeds perceived short-term reward.
Why It Matters
Using too many political theories to describe Trump leads to three unhelpful results:
- People stop listening.
- Trump and supporters point to behaviors that don’t fit a precise political theory.
- Opposition fractures and loses focus.
By acknowledging that Trump is a skewed samplist, we agree in advance that not every action fits neatly into an isolationist, imperialist, or fill-in-the-blank box. We agree that not every Trump action is unconstitutional, damaging, or based in a sinister political theory.
That leaves more space to name an negative action, identify the element of a political theory used as a tool, and show how the action and tool are damaging, dangerous, or unlawful.
Clear thinking is a pathway to effective opposition.
This post provides opinion related to politics and law but does not give legal advice or counsel. If you need legal help, contact a local licensed attorney or your state bar association.