In modern American history there have been two kinds of presidents. They can be described as cult of personality presidents and managers. Today, for the first time, we have back-to-back cult of personality presidents, a development that may have significant implications regarding what America wants from its commanders in chief. Before considering what this means, it’s important to understand how these two types of presidents differ.

I became aware of this difference between presidencies just after Donald Trump was elected. On of my cousins is a huge Trump fan and posted on Facebook a part of the wall in her apartment dedicated to the president filled with photos and memorabilia. At the time this struck me as somewhat odd, and even a bit disturbing. But then I remembered that during the previous eight years it was not odd at all to see photos and even large posters of Barack Obama in my friends’ apartments in Brooklyn.

In a nutshell, the cult of personality president is one whose picture you might find on household walls while they are in office. For those old enough, try this thought experiment. Imagine walking into a friend’s place in 1996 and seeing a big poster of Bill Clinton. One’s immediate reaction to this, no matter political affiliation, would most likely have been, “Dude, why do you have a picture of Bill Clinton on your wall?”