Against Romantic Authenticity

Authenticity is an escape from the limits of the self, not an embrace of them.

Written by Bo Winegard.

After Gavin Newsom began parodying Donald Trump’s singular social media style, J.D. Vance offered an explanation for why such imitation would never succeed. Trump’s political genius, he argued, lay in his unfiltered authenticity. “It ignores the fundamental political genius of President Trump’s political success, which is that he’s authentic,” Vance said. “He just is who he is. You’ve got to be yourself. Don’t be a crazy person. Be authentic.”

Supporters and critics of Trump agree. Unlike the polished candidates stage-managed by consultants, Trump seems unconstrained, incapable of being scripted or controlled. Other politicians come across as dull and predictable; Trump is raw, volatile, and exciting, a blast of novelty and apparent freedom in the otherwise staid pageant of modern politics. Whereas other politicians often look and sound like mechanical dolls, Trump is utterly unpremeditated. One never knows what he might say.