When Trump announced he was running for President, I knew very little about him. I never watched The Apprentice, hadn't read any of his books, hadn't followed his career -- he was just another billionaire, known for tacky displays of wealth (his gold-plated penthouse, for gawd's sake!) and for being married to a supermodel wife after having divorced two previous wives.

My concern about him grew when I heard him say he'd "bomb the shit out of ISIS" -- not because I wanted ISIS out there in the world doing horrible things, but because it sounded like something a war-mongering neocon would say on the campaign trail.

I started doing research on the man and the first things that started improving my estimation of him were the clear indications that he actually had empathy for others, including "the little people." Trump's public persona is often crass, brash, insensitive, almost buffoon-like; a larger-than-life Winner! who, one would naturally assume, cares more about coming out on top than about his fellow human beings. But as those on this board know, that persona is a tool Trump uses, a mask that allowed a decent person to hugely succeed in a tough and corrupt world. Decent, gentle, sensitive types -- no matter how strong; think Jesus or Gandhi, for instance -- don't create multi-billion-dollar real estate empires or massively succeed in ANY area where fighting the Mob is a prerequisite for success.

Such a person would need an alternate personality -- one that is colder, and tough, brave, tireless, and very, very smart.

Whenever I see Trump or Melania interacting with "normal", non-famous people, I am struck by how decent and emotionally healthy they seem. They are kind without being artificially correct. They both somehow transcend their station in life; the protective/defensive wall of Celebrity, Wealth, and Power disappears and genuine humanity shines through in their faces, body language, and actions.

Trump's political actions and his words inspire my belief in him and my support, but his humanity and decency are even more important. Perhaps I'm being fooled by good acting -- I am fallible, after all -- but it would take a LOT to change my mind about Trump at this point.