In wrestling, the outcomes of “fights” are predetermined. But the physical demands and skills are very real - wrestlers need genuine strength, focus, and timing to perform convincingly.

Similarly, Donald Trump’s wealth and business experience were real elements that formed the foundation of his public image, but they have been heavily dramatized and packaged for maximum theatrical effect.

Just as wrestlers adopt exaggerated personas and catchphrases, Trump developed his political character with signature phrases, dramatic gestures, and norms-defying taunts and insults.

While his business experience was real, his actual presidential management style - with high staff turnover, public feuds with appointees, conspiracy theories about the deep state - show a disconnect between the portrayed and actual executive capabilities.

Authenticity and transparency always served him as a cover for careful staging

A recent piece about the WWE concept notes: “The appeal wasn’t about who “won” or “lost” any more. It was about digging up the truth and deciphering it.”

That’s exactly what bothered me about Trump from the start. His phony promises to "tell it like it is", and the self-satisfied "I'll show you how the sausage is made" rhetoric. 

Sure, he would occasionally pull back the curtain on certain aspects of political influence-buying, but his claims of "draining the swamp" and exposing the system ran concurrently with most theatrical presidency in modern American history.