Let’s talk politics: Plato vs. Harry S. Truman talk Trump – Part II. by Theodore K. Nasos

Plato: (stroking his beard thoughtfully) Mr. Truman, I find myself fascinated by this Trump character. Tell me, what manner of dialectical discourse did he engage in to ascend to power? Surely, he must have engaged the polis in Socratic dialogue to uncover the truth.

Truman: (laughing) Oh, Plato, he wouldn’t know a Socratic dialogue if it hit him in the face. His style was... let’s call it the “Caps Lock Monologue.” You’d ask a question, and he’d yell, “WRONG!” and move on.

Plato: (raising an eyebrow) Fascinating. So, he eschewed logic in favor of volume. Was his rhetoric at least compelling?

Truman: (shrugging) If you call telling people, “I have the best words,” compelling, then sure. He had the vocabulary of a fishmonger but the confidence of Zeus.

Plato: (leaning forward) Confidence without wisdom is a dangerous trait. Tell me, how did he persuade the people to follow him? Surely he promised them a vision of the Good?

Truman: Vision of the Good? More like a vision of... himself. He had rallies where he’d talk for hours about, well, Donald Trump. “I’m the best president, the most successful businessman, the smartest guy.” It was like the Oracle of Delphi, except the Oracle only talked about real estate deals.

Plato: (incredulous) The Oracle spoke in riddles to guide seekers toward wisdom! Are you telling me this man spoke only to exalt himself?

Truman: Bingo. He had this thing called “Trump University.” Claimed it would teach people the secrets to success. Turns out, the only lesson was how to write checks... to him.

Plato: (horrified) A sophist, then! Charging people for the semblance of wisdom without its substance. This is an insult to the very concept of education.

Truman: You think that’s bad? He called himself a “stable genius.” Stable! I wouldn’t trust him to stable a donkey.

Plato: (trying to suppress laughter) A self-declared genius who evades the pursuit of truth... He would not fare well in my Academy, I fear.

Truman: (grinning) He wouldn’t even find your Academy. He’d probably mistake it for a golf course and try to buy it.

Plato: (laughing) Ah, and then what? Transform it into a monument to himself? Perhaps a golden statue in his likeness?

Truman: Close. He actually built a golden statue of himself for one of his rallies. People took pictures with it, like it was some kind of sacred idol. I bet if you asked, he’d call it the “Trump of Ages.”

Plato: (appalled) A golden idol? The people of your time have forgotten the lessons of the ancients. Did Moses not destroy the Golden Calf to teach humility before the divine?

Truman: Oh, Plato, Trump would’ve tried to sell tickets to watch Moses smash the calf. “Greatest demolition event in history. Better than the pyramids!”

Plato: (groaning) Truly, this man embodies hubris. Did no one question his rule?

Truman: Plenty did. He just labeled them as “haters” or said they were jealous. And he had a phrase for everything: “Fake news!” It was his shield against any criticism.

Plato: (narrowing his eyes) Fake news? The man creates his own reality and denounces all contradiction? A tyrant of perception! Did the poets not warn you of this?

Truman: They did, but Trump preferred reality TV to poetry. If Homer had been around, Trump would’ve tried to turn The Iliad into a competition show. “Who Wants to Be a Hero?”

Plato: (snickering despite himself) “Who Wants to Be a Hero?” That sounds like a comedy of errors. What was his stance on governance? Did he seek to establish a just polis?

Truman: Justice wasn’t really his thing. He was more interested in loyalty. To him. If someone disagreed with him, he’d fire them. Ran the White House like one of his TV shows.

Plato: (sighing deeply) So he surrounded himself with sycophants. A court of flatterers, not philosophers. And what became of your polis under his rule?

Truman: Oh, it got messy. Let’s just say he didn’t leave things better than he found them. He sparked chaos, mistrust, and division. But hey, he did keep the comedians in business.

Plato: (leaning back in his chair) Perhaps that is the one redeeming quality of his rule: the laughter he inspired. As Aristophanes said, the ridiculous can sometimes teach us more than the sublime.

Truman: (laughing) That’s one way to look at it. Still, I wouldn’t wish him on your time, Plato. He’d call your dialogues “boring” and rename your Republic “Trumpopolis.”

Plato: (grimacing) Then I shall remain in the realm of Forms, content that I was spared such absurdity. But tell me, Mr. Truman, is there hope for your people? Do they remember the pursuit of wisdom?

Truman: (pausing) There’s always hope, Plato. Sometimes it takes a figure like Trump to remind people of what they value. Justice, truth, humility—they shine brighter when contrasted against, well, the opposite.

Plato: (nodding solemnly) Then perhaps his rule was not in vain. Even shadows serve to highlight the light.

Truman: (grinning) Spoken like a true philosopher. Now, how about we go grab a drink and keep making fun of him?

Plato: (smiling) Only if it’s wine, Mr. Truman. And I shall toast to wisdom and the end of tyranny.

Truman: (laughing) And I’ll toast to never seeing “Trump Caverns” on my way to the afterlife.

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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.