The intersection of politics and personality
Why Hilary Clinton lost the 2016 election … and what about Mark Carney?
Jul 14, 2025
By any rational criteria, Hilary Clinton was far better qualified for the presidency than Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, but objective qualifications did not decide the race – it was their personalities.
If you’ve ever been accused of being secretive, you’re likely an introvert and Hilary had lots of secrets – her emails, Benghazi, etc. A lot of those secrets were part of her job as Secretary of State (and it’s good that a person in that position can keep their mouth shut) but it left her vulnerable.
In contrast, Donald Trump was an extrovert at the more extreme end. Extroverts get elected because they have a relaxed self assurance that draws people in. They sound like they know what they’re talking about and so people (the MAGA ones anyway) believe them.
Back in the early nineties I participated in a series of business workshops and one of them was about personnel management. The facilitator gave us a self administered personality test. Going in, my reaction was “No way can a self administered test yield useful results!’“ but it did Among the 4 channels of personality I scored 97% on the introversion scale. I had always known that I was shy and reserved but that 97% was a revelation. Overall the results of the test fit me to a ‘T’ – and that was the beginning of my interest in personality. There are now several personality tests that you can do online (most will give you a partial profile for free and urge you to pay for a more complete analysis). Over the years I have done several, all with similar results. I became hooked and I’ve been observing people’s personalities ever since.
One characteristic that I’ve observed that distinguishes between introverts and extroverts is how they process information. Extroverts do very little processing. When somebody whispered some outlandish theory in Trump’s ear (like injecting bleach into your arm to cure Covid) it promptly came out of his mouth with no thought of “Does this make sense?” “Is it safe?”
I’m an introvert and I’ve run for office 5 times at various levels. I’m an ideas person (which won’t surprise you if you’ve been reading these articles) and I think that many of these ideas would make Canada a better country.
But I was a lousy candidate. I hated door-to-door canvassing and I’m terrible at small talk. I can make a speech to a hundred people but I freeze up if I try to ‘work a room’ one conversation at a time. I would much rather be typing away on my computer and emailing my thoughts to you – no need for eye-contact. Feedback is still welcome but it’s delayed which gives time for thoughtfulness at both ends.
Introverts are constantly analyzing and planning ahead. Extroverts are more in-the-moment.
There are a few introverts who’ve made it in politics. Abraham Lincoln was one and so was Gandhi. Introverts constitute about 40% of the population so you definitely know a good number even though they aren’t obvious.
The reason they’re not obvious is because every introvert discovers pretty early that communication with others is essential if you want anything at all. Introverts develop coping mechanisms. They force themselves into situations which will seem sociable. Many actors are introverts and getting on stage as another persona is part of that coping. The same is true for many stand-up comedians – making self-deprecating jokes about themselves or their relatives is a way of saying “Look at Me, I’m like You”
But getting back to politics, Stephen Harper was an introvert and likely Lester Pearson, but most introverts work behind the scenes feeding ideas to the extroverts out front. The most successful politicians are the extroverts who have built a coterie of ideas people around them. Trump had Elon Musk in his circle for a few months and I’m pretty sure that Elon is an introvert – his outlandish behaviour at some of the Trump rallies was way over-the-top and seemed forced. Musk would have been looking for some sort of influence in return for his support but Trump’s ego was in the way. The break-up was predictable.
Is Mark Carney an introvert?
I’m still assessing Mark Carney. The press has been souring on him for a number of reasons. He ignores questions he doesn’t feel deserve an answer. The questions he does answer frequently come with long and detailed explanations which infuriates media types who are looking for pithy sound bites. He is willing to change his mind and won’t go out of his way to defend those changes – which some in the the press label as weakness or ‘caving-in’. These are all things that I as an introvert can relate to. When I make a decision that others don’t agree with – so be it – move on. That’s how introverts work.
I’m an environmentalist and I get regular emails from numerous environmental groups. Several are falling all over themselves attacking the recent legislation to facilitate nation building projects. In particular they say the government is going to trample indigenous rights and ignore the environment and in particular our climate change objectives. Lost in all the noise is Carney’s oft repeated list of criteria for approving such projects:
These include the extent to which the project can:
- Strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security;
- Provide economic or other benefits to Canada;
- Have a high likelihood of successful execution;
- Advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples; and
- Contribute to clean growth and to Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.
I think that any projects that can meet all those criteria should be fast tracked – there is nothing in that list which tramples anything. If an oil pipeline can meet all of those criteria and there are proponents willing to put up the money then let’s build it but I doubt that the investors will be there – sequestering carbon to meet those climate change objectives is too expensive. No more TMXs – no more government subsidies.
Central banking is a data-driven enterprise and I suspect that Carney has thought all this through. Rather than say “no pipelines” he has set out the criteria – let the ‘proponents’ back off on their own – that’s what killed Energy East. Introverts plan ahead.
Donald Trump is different kettle of fish – an unpredictable moving target. I expect there will be no trade deal by Aug 1 which is Trump’s new deadline. While Carney would like to get a deal quickly he knows that time is on our side. The US is a deeply divided country and even those who voted for him are waiting for the lower prices, good jobs and low inflation that he promised. Trump clearly wants to use the pain of tariffs to extract concessions, but we have plenty of cards to play. We have to play a long game and that’s where introverts excel. It will likely take some time but but if we remain united and firm we will get a good deal. The US needs our goods.
And where do the extroverts fit into the public picture?
The case of Donald Trump is extreme but the news is full of extroverts – especially television news. When a reporter does a man-on-the-street interview, the people who are willing to talk are usually extroverts and frequently they’re just repeating stuff from the echo chamber that surrounds almost any issue. Introverts like me will cross the road to avoid such an encounter. Even when television news interviews so-called experts there is rarely anything NEW in what they’re saying. The thoughtful perspectives that introverts might provide are largely missing.
Social media is also dominated by extroverts – ‘influencers’ who are looking to be seen and heard, people who want to be something bigger than they are.
Introverts think and write. If you want ideas, Substack is a good place to find them.
