Donald Trump Masters the Art of the Unexpected

Robert B. Zoellick

Robert B. Zoellick was lead U.S. negotiator in the Two-plus-Four process of German unification. He served as U.S. trade representative and U.S. deputy secretary of state during Republican administrations, as well as president of the World Bank. He is a former AICGS Trustee.

As Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches, people around the world are struggling to understand the inhabitants of the newest Trump Tower, the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.

To comprehend the novel scene, they should view Mr Trump as an independent, not as a Republican. Other celebrity billionaires have tried to compete with America’s political party duopoly; Mr Trump succeeded by taking over the Republican nomination. As an independent, he is not bound by party ideologies or past positions. He has nominated a number of Democrats and cross-party financial contributors to top posts. His leadership will depend on preserving the bond, by tweet and in person, with his army of supporters.

The article originally appeared in the Financial Times on January 17, 2017. Continue reading here.