Weird Socionics-Related Musings on the U.S. Presidents

Musing #1: There’s One U.S. President on Mount Rushmore for Each Socionics Quadra

Could it be that, of the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore, each one belongs to a different Socionics quadra, with all four quadras being represented? Let me explain this hypothesis:

• Thomas Jefferson – LII (Alpha) – Jefferson was a quirky fellow who was not always considered well-versed in social situations. He dreamed of an “Empire of Liberty,” but struggled/grappled with the means of its realization. Jefferson wanted the country to be a rural, agrarian farmers’ utopia (which sounds kinda Delta, but I suppose could fit Alpha as well).
• Theodore Roosevelt – SLE (Beta) – With more energy than a nuclear reactor, Theodore Roosevelt was impossibly active and valued ideological purity more than personal relationships. Aggressive, narcissistic, borderline-psychopathic, and impulsive, he had a tendency to alienate those around him with his fanatical ideological zeal.
• Abraham Lincoln – ESI (Gamma) – Often mistyped as an EII because of his folksy origins in a log cabin, ESI fits Abraham Lincoln far better. Morality-minded, yet tough, Lincoln is actually in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was the holder of a patent. Deeply melancholic, yet decisive, he was not afraid to (rightfully) violate the Constitution to do the right thing and defeat the Confederate States, which he oversaw the use of destructive “total war” tactics against. A believer in proto-Wilsonian foreign policy and in turning the United States into an industrial/manufacturing juggernaut, Lincoln represents the values of the industrialized, capitalistic, enterprising, pragmatic, forward-thinking, moralistic, Democratic, Gamma North against the Beta/Delta Aristocratic values of the South.
• George Washington – LSE (Delta) – An Aristocratic Southerner, George Washington was a conservative man, in the “classical conservative” sense of opposing radical change to socio-economic hierarchies. He stepped away from power after two terms as U.S. President to live a relatively simple life as a plantation-owner.

Musing #2: Many/Most of the Country’s Most Progressive Presidents Were… Gamma?

While the word “reactionary” isn’t often used to describe Gammas, they’re almost always stereotyped as cutthroat anarcho-capitalists and right-wing neoliberals. However, many/most of the United States’ most progressive (some verging on being social democratic) Presidents appear to be Gamma.

• Abraham Lincoln – ESI (Gamma) – His personality and outlook were described earlier, and he not only worked to end slavery in the country, but also passed major legislation like the Homestead Acts, the Morrill Land-Grant Act, and the Pacific Railroad Act to strengthen things like infrastructure and education in the nation.
• Woodrow Wilson – ESI (Gamma) – Yes, he was racist (probably not as racist as die-hard White supremacist Theodore Roosevelt, though), but Wilson was highly progressive in just about every other facet of politics. Approaching matters with the demeanor of a strict schoolmaster, he’s responsible for the innumerable reforms of the New Freedom, which included too many laws to list here. While highly idealistic in the realm of foreign policy, he was not afraid to back up his moralism with military force, intervening many times in Latin America and helping the United States enter World War I and the Russian Civil War. He was an intellectual and academic, but probably preferred the rough-and-tumble of improving the world via politics.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – SEE (Gamma) – Known for being a master manipulator of people with a chaotic organizational/management style, FDR knew what he wanted and knew how to get it, but in a charming, charismatic, personable way. His New Deal and attempted Second Bill of Rights are famous examples of American liberalism, verging on social democracy. He’s often mistyped as an EIE, due to ability to rally the nation around the war effort during World War II, but I feel that SEE fits better. He was no ideologue, instead pragmatically throwing ideas at the wall to see what would stick. His New Deal was no grand plan, just practical experimentation to see what would save the day and restore the country’s faith in its democratic and capitalistic institutions.
• Harry S. Truman – ESI (Gamma) – A real scrapper who gave his enemies Hell, Harry S. Truman was arguably the most social democratic President in U.S. history, proposing a far-reaching Fair Deal for post-war prosperity, sustainability, equality, and welfare (he also unsuccessfully tried to nationalize the steel industry). He even called for universal health care on two occasions (1945 and 1949), but this failed both times. Tough-as-nails and moralistic, he was a real fighter who railed against fascism, communism, and conservatism. Like FDR, he was no ideologue, though he practiced a devout Wilsonian foreign policy.
• Lyndon B. Johnson – SEE (Gamma) – While his reputation is often mired by serving as President during the arguable peak of the Vietnam War, LBJ forcefully put his Great Society/War on Poverty policies into place. Coarse and domineering, he was an expert at reading others and coercing them to vote his way. A proto-edgelord, he knew how to properly push people’s buttons. He had a way with foul language and could be self-centered, but was deeply empathetic and craved opportunities to improve people’s lives.

Musing #3: Donald Trump Isn’t SEE, He’s SLE

I’m not really sure where the Donald-Trump-is-an-SEE thing came from, but it’s clear that Trump couldn’t Fi his way out of a paper bag. It doesn’t matter how Fi is defined, he’s just bad at it:

• Fi as personal relationships – It seems like everybody who knows Trump on a personal level hates his guts, with supporters who know him on a personal level clinging to him because he’s their meal ticket. He’s been married thrice (divorced twice) and accidentally makes widows of soldiers killed in military action cry (and not in a “good” way).
• Fi as moral awareness – Obviously, he’s never thought of anything in moral terms in his life.
• Fi as awareness of one’s likes/dislikes – Sure, Trump has some things that he’s consistent on (who doesn’t?), but he flip-flops unpredictably on most issues and relies on others' inputs for his “conscience.”
• Fi as aspiration to goodness of character – Has anybody in human history been more of a sleazeball and been absolutely unrepentant and proud of it?
• Fi as empathy – While I don’t think that Trump is on the autism spectrum proper, he sometimes makes me wonder, whether it be from his poor management of personal relationships or his socially-inappropriate rantings and fixations.
• Fi as interpersonal loyalty – Trump talks a big game about interpersonal loyalty, but what he really means is “complete submission to him.” He doesn’t see it as a two-way street.

Trump seems highly collectivistic/tribalistic in a Beta sort of way. He talks a big game about furthering the interests of his group – straight, White Americans – at the expense of other groups. Okay, he mainly dog-whistles it, but I think my point still stands. He lacks the individualism of Gamma. Also, he’s a terrible businessman (didn’t he bankrupt a casino, or something borderline-impossible like that?). Some say he’s too dumb to be an SLE, and thus must be an SEE, but I find this line of reasoning suspect. He’s totally a Beta, cult leader-subtype.

Well, that’s all for now. Thoughts? Comments? Questions?