I have reflected on the loneliness of presidential leadership and on the difference between pursuing office to be liked and using it to make change. These thoughts build on my broader reflections about political leadership in political leadership insights.
On 2026-07-01, I described asking an unnamed historian who became a national leader how it feels to hold power. His answer was “A very lonely role.” I said his experience as a historian and national leader shapes how he sees war, democracy, and the world’s future; the teaser did not name him or the country, and said the material was coming soon.
In another teaser on 2026-07-01, I contrasted people who chase the top job to be liked with an unnamed historian-turned-president who decided early that the point was to change the country, not to please the room. I noted that this could mean accepting the loneliest version of the job; the post did not identify the president or describe specific actions.
On 2026-07-03, when asked what surprised me most about meeting a sitting president, I said the job looks lonely up close: it brings hard calls every day, with no one really to share the weight with. I argued that real change needs a plan and the nerve to disappoint people while carrying it out; wanting change and doing the work are not the same. My moral was that people who change things want the top job to be useful, not merely to be liked.