ABSTRACT
Donald Trump is the first elected United States President with no prior government service. During the 2016 campaign he was more interested in branding his opponents than being informed on the issues. He would make policy statements then reverse himself. His few attempts at detailed policy proposals often resulted in dramatic revisions. The number of false and misleading statements he made during the campaign were rigorously tracked by news outlets. Trump seemed ignorant of the Constitution. Many former Republican foreign policy officials questioned his capacity to competently conduct foreign affairs. It was both his competency and his character that led many observers to question his candidacy. Yet when dust came to dust, 46 percent of the those who voted for President did so for Trump, and he won the Electoral College. His campaign showed that being informed and interested in the details of government were not necessarily what drew much of the electorate to support a presidential candidate.
