Who was the greatest showman ever? Phineas T. Barnum said he was because he was an artist in self-promotion. He conned people with the truth wrapped in exaggerations and outright lies. Suckers were pulled into his world of deceit every time he made a proclamation of major and minor importance. Barnum was a narcissus who did everything he could to get media coverage of himself. People during his time did not have the advantage of science and fact checking media we do today.

I suggest we have an even greater narcissistic showman as our current President. He has an innate emotional requirement to puff up his ego by conning and lying. Instead of sitting in the oval office and working, he goes out to the front gate every day to parade himself back and forth in front of a gaggle of journalists and cameras. He creates a crisis, fumbles with it, and declares only he could have fixed the problem. Often the problem was solved during a previous administration and he only took credit.

Most of the problems he is in today are because of his paranoia and ego. People he appoints are temporary so they don’t have to be confirmed–allowable for one year–and must be completely beholden to him. They must not only do their job, but must protect him, and cater to his massive ego. Failure to do the last two will cost them their job. Many of the latest leakers and whistleblowers are his appointees who must be tired of his flagrant breaking of laws and his boasting of it.

Perhaps his fifteen minutes of fame as a disruptive President will end up a footnote in future American history books. To the rest of the world he already is.