Plato: (adjusting his cloak) My dear Mr. Truman, you hail from a time of great turmoil and decisions of moral gravity. Tell me, who is this Trump I’ve heard whispers of in your future? A philosopher-king, I presume?
Truman: (chuckling) Philosopher-king? More like a marketer-king. He’s a real estate tycoon turned television personality turned president.
Plato: A leader? Chosen for his virtue and wisdom, I imagine.
Truman: (snorts) Chosen for his... something, Plato. His wisdom is, let’s say, unconventional.
Plato: (curious) Pray, elaborate. What are his great works? His treatises on justice or the good life?
Truman: (grinning) His “treatises” are more like tweets. Short proclamations of questionable insight. He once wrote, “I’m like, really smart.”
Plato: (horrified) He declared his own intelligence? How utterly undialectical! Intelligence must be demonstrated through dialogue, reflection, and the pursuit of truth—not self-assertion.
Truman: That’s the thing, Plato. His "truth" is whatever suits him that day. He’s said, “Truth isn’t truth,” when it didn’t fit his narrative.
Plato: (placing his hand on his forehead) By Zeus! A man who denies the essence of reality leads your polis? Surely this is a jest.
Truman: Afraid not, old friend. He convinced millions that his personal wealth was proof of his ability to lead.
Plato: Wealth? The lowest form of good! Did I not write in The Republic that rulers must eschew wealth to govern justly?
Truman: Well, Plato, in his eyes, governing isn’t about justice. It’s about winning. He’s the kind of guy who’d try to win at a game of shadows on the cave wall.
Plato: (leaning forward) Wait, wait... are you saying he would prefer illusions over truth? Did the prisoners escape the cave only to fall into his clutches?
Truman: You got it. He’d probably sell tickets to the cave, call it “Trump Caverns,” and slap his name on the shadows.
Plato: (aghast) The Forms weep. But surely your system of checks and balances would contain such a man?
Truman: (pausing) About that... He had a knack for dodging accountability. He called any criticism “fake news” and refused to accept the authority of others. He claimed, “I alone can fix it.”
Plato: (incredulous) I alone can fix it? The polis is a collective endeavor! Leadership must come through the dialectical engagement of all citizens. Did no one refute his hubris?
Truman: Oh, plenty tried. He just... yelled over them. A master of the ad hominem attack, that one.
Plato: Ad hominem? A sophist! Tell me, did he at least have some great victories for your people?
Truman: (scratches his head) Well, he built a wall—or tried to. Claimed it would keep invaders out, but the whole idea fell apart. People just... went around it.
Plato: (sarcastically) Ah, the solution to tyranny: a large, ineffective barrier! A true monument to his wisdom.
Truman: You’re catching on. He also had a peculiar love for gilded things. Gold-plated everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to plate the White House.
Plato: (laughing) Gold! A sign of superficiality and vanity. Why not dedicate his efforts to fostering virtue among the citizens? Did he have a plan for educating the youth in the pursuit of the Good?
Truman: (snorts) His plan for the youth was a reality show called “The Apprentice.” He’d fire people for sport.
Plato: (mouth agape) Fire them? This is not governance; this is chaos! Did he possess no Platonic ideals at all?
Truman: He probably thought Platonic meant “boring” or “not worth it.” Let me tell you, Plato, if you told him about your Theory of Forms, he’d ask how much money he could make selling “Forms” as NFTs.
Plato: (glaring) NFTs? What devilry is this?
Truman: Let’s just say, it’s more shadows on the cave wall.
Plato: (sighs) Mr. Truman, I must confess, this Trump figure sounds less like a leader and more like a cautionary tale—a lesson in what happens when a polis forgets the pursuit of virtue.
Truman: You’re not wrong. But hey, at least we can laugh about it now.
Plato: Laugh? Nay, Mr. Truman, I feel compelled to descend from the heavens and run for office myself.
Truman: (grinning) If you do, make sure to have a Twitter account. That’s the only way to rule these days.
Plato: (rolling his eyes) Very well. “@PlatoPhilosophy” it is. My first decree: the Cave shall remain locked, and all shadows extinguished.
Truman: Good luck, pal. You’re gonna need it.
Plato: (standing) If Donald Trump can do it, then surely Plato can too. After all, I’m like, really smart.
Truman: (laughing) Now that’s the spirit!
Plato, born 428/427 BC, Athens, Greece and died 348/347, Athens. He was an ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates (c. 470–399 BC), teacher of Aristotle (384–322 BC), and founder of the Academy. He is best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence and is one of the major figures of Classical antiquity.
Harry S. Truman, born May 8, 1884, Lamar, Missouri, U.S. and died December 26, 1972, Kansas City, Missouri. He was the 33rd president of the United States (1945–53), who led his country through the final stages of World War II and through the early years of the Cold War, vigorously opposing Soviet expansionism in Europe and sending U.S. forces to turn back a communist invasion of South Korea.
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