Donald Trump and the seven habits of highly defective people

| 12:02 pm EST February 26, 2018
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For anyone in business, or even high school, it’s likely you’ve heard of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. One of his famous quotes is “When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it.” Whether or not you believe in his philosophy it’s important to recognize the importance of empathy.

I believe that the more empathetic a person is, the better they are able to understand life and all the things that come with it. All legitimate presidents in my lifetime have had dogs, while Donald Trump, breaking from the long tradition that helps to make presidents appear human, has never owned a pet. From Ronald Reagan’s Rex, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, to Barack Obama’s Bo and Sunny, Portuguese Water Dogs, the leader of the free world has always had a dog, a loving companion to help during difficult times. Yet Trump, the first since William McKinley to occupy the White House without a dog (although McKinley had other pets), has shown his disdain for dogs his entire life.

While married to his first wife, Ivana, Trump refused to even associate with a poodle she brought home, telling her he would not have one in his house. At one point early in Trump’s administration, after being pushed to act “presidential,” a goldendoodle named Patton was discussed as being First Pet in the White House, but Trump shot down that proposal.

Perhaps Donald Trump has some unknown reason for his loathing of pets, but to this day any explanation has not been presented. Through the actions, words, and tweets one thing is clearly obvious – Donald Trump lacks the compassion to appreciate anything but himself, and that lack of empathy is evident with the fact he’s never loved a dog.