Why Trump Never Apologizes

by Rod D. Martin
August 15, 2016

You may have noticed that Donald Trump never apologizes for anything. Ever. Even when he probably ought to.

Now in point of fact, we know "never" isn't really true, even though we don't see this. People who've known him for years say he's actually pretty mild-mannered and personable. We also know that when he famously cheated on his first wife -- in what became one of the bigger tabloid scandals of modern times -- he was eventually able to reconcile with his devastated children. It is reported that Donald Jr. didn't speak to his father for over a year. That wasn't overcome without a pretty hefty mea culpa.

Still, for the purposes of this campaign, Trump doesn't apologize. And it's worth thinking about why the Donald Trump persona, as opposed to the Donald Trump person, might take that tack.

It's worth remembering that before Bill Clinton, politicians almost never apologized. Never. It was a monstrously big deal if they ever did, and in the not-yet-Clintoniz…