“One of the most shocking and unprecedented features of the Trump presidency is Trump’s refusal to adopt a moral language for leadership, McAdams says, which stems directly from his failure to create a moral story for his own life. “He sees the U.S. as a force in the world, but not a moral force,” McAdams writes. “Unlike any U.S. president for the past 100 years, Trump does not even feign interest in championing such hallowed American values as respect for human rights or opposition to tyranny. He is purely transactional.”