President Donald Trump could beat his Democratic rival Joe Biden in the upcoming election, according to personality expert Mike Rosenberg.
In his recently published book, "Personality Wins: Who Will Take the White House and How We Know", Rosenberg provides four personalities, developed according to the communication style a person uses. They include Eagle (dominant and results-oriented), Parrot (energetic and attention-seeking), Owl (logical), and Dove (compassionate).
President Trump has been characterised as an Eagle, while the former vice president, Rosenberg said, went all the way from charismatic Parrot to more of a Dove.
"Ever since, the energetic, bigger personalities of Eagles and Parrots have beaten the more reserved, soft-spoken Doves and Owls every time they've gone head to head", Rosenberg said.
He provides a set of examples of how these personalities have consistently won US elections, starting from Parrot Bill Clinton to Eagle Trump in 2016, who defeated Owl Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama's personality, however, was the one Rosenberg had difficulty defining. He eventually identified him as an Eagle/Dove, meaning he seems all calm and peaceful, but is dominant on the inside.
"American voters clearly have a personality bias. They apparently prefer assertive, dominant and enthusiastic presidents over calm, analytical and policy-driven leaders", Rosenberg writes in the book.
Speaking on Biden, the expert said he has always been a typical Parrot, saying right away what comes in his head. But his campaign, in a bid to "slow him down" and ensure he makes less "gaffes", has chosen a "questionable strategy".
"It seems to me that the Democrats have doubled down on Biden's inner Dove in this campaign. Look at how he talks about 'the soul of the nation' — he's trying to set up a contrast to Trump's blunt directness", Rosenberg said.
He pointed out that voters will question if they can trust Biden, so that want to see some "toughness" along with his empathy.
However, Rosenberg stressed that overusing his Eagle personality could also cost Trump the election.
“If you overuse your personality, it can become a weakness. Trump's personality won him the 2016 election as a charismatic leader. But it could cost him reelection in 2020 because he pushed it into the red zone."
Rosenberg apparently is referring to the intensified spats between the two candidates, such as when Trump has challenged Biden's cognitive abilities, claiming he has dementia. According to the expert's personality theory, it could undermine the POTUS's own chances of re-election.
According to a poll conducted by PewResearch, Trump is mostly characterised by the American voters as "energetic" and "courageous", while Biden's main traits are "empathetic" and "even-tempered". Another study published in August indicated that most of Biden's supporters cited his "opposition to Trump" as the main reason for support, not his personality in the first place. Trump's supporters, instead, appreciated his leadership or performance as a candidate.