The Audacity of a Trailblazer

By James Banakis

August 8, 2025

There’s a delightful Irish story about two young boys who come upon a high wall in an orchard, and while they considered ending their journey, one of the boys grabs the other boys’ hat and tosses it over the wall. The hat disappearing ended a debate that ensued.

They were obliged to follow it. Throwing a hat over the wall implies that, in the face of an obstruction standing between you and your goal, the first step is to act rapidly, and courageously.  It becomes a promise you make to yourself doing what’s required. Consequently, what was once viewed as impossible becomes possible. President Kennedy used this story to lead the country into the new frontier of space travel.

I’ve always remembered it because it resonates with every kid who has spent a summer day exploring the neighborhood with his buddies. Everything was an adventure new and exciting but scary too.

When you really break down the hat flinging story, it’s how we first convince others to trust and follow us. Conversely, it’s how we first put our trust in someone other than our parents or reject it.

It’s our baptism into the wonderful world of politics.  The father of political science was Aristotle. He viewed politics as a natural extension of human survival. He believed that humans were “political animals” by nature. He has always been one of my favorite philosophers because so many of his viewpoints can be applied to business.

Aristotle determined that the role of the leader is to create the environment in which all associates of an organization could fulfill their own potential. I think he would have enjoyed the story of the boy’s predicament at the wall. In any gathering of humans there are the leaders and there are the followers.

The leaders are the risktakers, the hat flingers, and among the followers are the ones telling everyone why a plan is not going to work, usually without offering an alternative. To me this best describes the situation we’re in politically today both domestically and internationally.

As I collect my thoughts on politics this morning, my Alexa machine just told me that it’s 5:07a.m. What’s on my mind this morning?  I am thinking about one of the always astute observations from Victor Davis Hanson.

Whenever I discuss President Trump with anybody the reaction is rapid and intense. It ranges from admiration and support to disgust and revulsion.  I get it. There is, it seems no middle ground. Thus, it has always been with consequential figures throughout history.

Their presence in the world is so large that they are underestimated, even reviled by their distractors.  The Trump enemies will hate to hear this, but he is changing the Presidency and international relations for the better, forever. The entire world is in the midst of a revolution.

The old methods of diplomacy and political subterfuge are being laid on the trash heap of history. Most just don’t realize it yet. Revolutions begin with a spark. It might be someone who has had enough and stands a to speak out at a city council meeting or at the back of a ticket counter line.

The stimulus of revolution is widespread discontent fueled by rudderless, selfish, ineffective, woke leadership, leadership without accountability. Enter Donald Trump who like the Howard Beale character in the 1976 film “Network,” was mad as Hell and was not going to take it anymore. Trump boorishly elbowed out of his way all the opposition.

We all, whether we were entertained or put off, waited for him to burn out and return to “The Apprentice.” After all he wasn’t following the dignified rules of political etiquette. This however was not a time for politeness. The public stood up and took notice.

Discussing his insightful book, “The Soul of Battle,” Victor Davis Hanson compared Donald Trump to General Patton. Patton’s decisive, unconventional, aggressive and blunt strengths were invaluable in war, but were not always suitable once the war was won.

Like Trump, Patton thrived on chaos and confrontation. Hanson likens this type of leadership to a Greek tragedy. Once the protagonist’s role to play in a certain time and place is satisfied, they may no longer have a usefulness in society.

Accordingly, once that type of hero leader is successful, he rides off into the sunset or simply disappears. Which is perfect for President Trump who will be termed out in three years. That gives him enough time at his current pace to fundamentally change the Presidency and the country in a historic manner. The last president to change the very essence of the presidency, was John Kennedy. The way he held a press conference, his beautiful stylish wife, the way he delivered Theodore Sorenson’s crafted speeches on television.

His wit and charm became the template for all who have since run for that office. Most of Kennedy’s changes were more images and less substance.  Trump’s changes will be more profound, authentic, and lasting. The old rule book has been demolished. He’s nearly eighty years old and he’s in constant motion.

A few days ago, he was on the roof of the White House taking questions from the press. Like me, you may have noticed that Trump doesn’t give formal Presidential addresses from the Oval Office.

Speeches which in the past have been crafted and agonized over by 5 or 6 speech writers. Trump’s speeches are all like the opening address George C. Scott gives in the Movie, “Patton.” They’re blunt, graphic, full of flattery, mockery, encouragement, and a cry to follow him or get the hell out of the way. The setting usually is at one of his rallies, or at a podium in the East Room surrounded by American flags. Again, like Patton’s address.

Professor Hanson also likens Trump’s determined break-neck pace during his first 6 months to Patton’s 3rd army’s full blast attack from Normandy to the Rhine River.  Hanson refers to this leadership style as audacity.  Keeping the opposition confused, and in complete disarray. The leader in this case Trump is the tip of the spear. His administration follows to implement his agendas. He demonstrates every day, whether you agree with his policies or not that he was born to lead.  The press, because of Trump, is in the process of changing forever.  Newspapers and network news are becoming a thing of the past.

Today, most concerned Americans receive their news and analysis from internet sites like you’re doing right now on John Kass News. Presidential press conferences had morphed from presidents taking a few pre-agreed upon questions from friendly reporters to Trump’s 90 minute plus marathon information confrontations. He continues to take all questions until the reporters give up in exhaustion.

At the end of the opening sequence of the movie, “Patton,” Patton looks out over the audience and says, “Ok you son of a bitches, now you know how I feel.” This to me is the same posture that Trump has at the end of his dealing with the press. Good luck to someone like Kamala Harris having to follow that performance.

Lastly, Trump has a lifetime of executive business experience at the highest level. He is a graduate of the Wharton school of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, along with fellow alumnae, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet among other leaders. He’s a builder who has had winners and losers like most successful businesspersons. Anyone who has ever run successful businesses will tell you that occasional failures are part of the evolution of business acumen.

It teaches one to embrace risk and learn how to win. Like Patton in the opening speech pointing out that Americans, love a winner, and hate losing. Again, good luck to anyone running for president who tells us like Obama, that our best days are behind us. Good luck shaming Americans or trying to fundamentally change our national character. Good luck to any candidate who runs having never met a payroll. Trump has made all this a requirement.

Most people don’t like change. They rebel against it unless they can clearly see the benefit it brings. For that reason, when great leaders prepare to act or make changes, they take people through a progression to get them prepared for it. For the past decade Trump has done this, and we are living through it in real time.  Usually, I’m entertained but mildly skeptical of Trump’s boastful forecasts. During one of his always engaging rallies President Trump once forewarned the audience.

 “We’re going to win. We’re going to win so much. We’re going to win at trade; we’re going to win at the border. We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning, you’re going to come to me and go ‘Please, please, we can’t win anymore.’. You’ll say ‘Please, Mr. President, we beg you sir, we don’t want to win anymore. It’s too much. It’s not fair to everybody else. And I’m going to say, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re going to keep winning, winning, winning, we’re going to make America great again.”

I’ll be damned, if he’s not in the process of making it all happen, just as he said it would. It’s just like the Third Army charging across the Rhine. Does anyone care to guess what type of hat Trump threw over the proverbial wall obliging us to follow?  Give Up?

-30-

Jimmy Banakis is a life-long restaurateur.  He was an honorary batboy for the White Sox in 1964. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Chicago-Kent Law School.  He claims the kitchen is the room he’s most comfortable in anywhere in the world. He published an extremely limited-edition family cookbook. He’s a father and grandfather, and lives in Downers Grove Il.

The post The Audacity of a Trailblazer appeared first on John Kass.