This isn’t going to be some sanctimonious hand-wringing column in which I implore President Trump to discover his better nature and apologize for his behavior concerning Ukraine. I expect him to do nothing of the sort. It is, instead, an exploration of a political question: What if Trump were capable of saying, “I’m sorry”?
As a result of his unorthodox political ascent, Trump’s refusal to ever apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing has come to be treated as a sort of superpower. Mortal politicians who are caught in a lie or misdeed tend to shift and squirm and risk coming off looking weak. Trump, on the other hand, has been able to exude a sense of confidence and project strength to his supporters by refusing to apologize. His tendency has been representative of a broader cultural trend, documented recently by the Atlantic’s Megan Garber, of backlash against apologies.
