Rage: The Power Behind Donald Trump—and Jake Paul | Opinion

It's an interesting moment to think about male anger.

Writing an opinion piece that simply states former President Donald Trump is angry is pointless. While it's true, it lacks context.

Trump's anger goes beyond personal frustration—it's a significant force that has fueled his greatest successes and failures. Now, as a jury deliberates on Trump's fate in his hush money criminal trial, it's worth considering that he might have an analogue in Jake Paul.

Paul, for the uninitiated, is the same Jake Paul who is fighting Mike Tyson this summer—if the unthinkable happens and the fight doesn't get canceled.

While it might seem peculiar to draw parallels between a real estate mogul turned president of the United States and a YouTube sensation turned boxer, there are striking similarities in their paths to success.

Both Trump and Paul are masters of branding, thrive on controversy, and appear to be fueled by a deep-seated anger that propels them to continually push the boundaries of societal norms.

Trump, long before he decided that his destiny was to become president of the United States, forged a household name synonymous with wealth and opulence. "Trump" adorned skyscrapers, casinos, and even a first-generation reality TV show, "The Apprentice," where his larger-than-life persona cemented Trump's image as a formidable business mogul but also introduced and sold him to millions of Americans as a decisive, no-nonsense leader.

Paul rose to fame in a very different time—today's digital age. He carved out his niche on YouTube, a platform tailor-made for his brash and rebellious style. However, his journey into the limelight began even earlier with his role on Nickelodeon's "Bizaardvark, before the network severed the relationship. This show introduced him to a younger audience and established his presence in the entertainment industry.

Paul's subsequent transition to YouTube allowed him to fully exploit the platform's potential for self-promotion and audience engagement. His videos, often characterized by outrageous stunts and pranks, amassed millions, then billions, of views, catapulting him to internet stardom.

Like Trump, Paul deeply understands the transformative power of controversy and spectacle. His brand thrives on destroying boundaries, whether through his antics or his foray into professional boxing, where he has managed to draw massive audiences (and the money that follows) despite—or perhaps because of—his lack of traditional boxing credentials.

A crucial driver behind their respective rises to fame is an underlying anger that both men channel into their public personas.

For Trump, this anger often manifests in his rhetoric and policy stances. His campaign rallies are notorious for their incendiary language. Trump's anger is not just a personal trait but a political tool; it resonates with a significant portion of the electorate who feel marginalized and disillusioned by the political establishment. They have become his base.

Trump's ability to tap into this collective anger and present himself as a champion of the aggrieved has been instrumental in his political success. Ironically, no matter the result of his current criminal trial, the result will be exponential anger. If he loses, he will rain fire on the corrupt process that put him in the defendant's seat; if he wins, the anger will be worse and may propel him back to the White House.

Paul's anger, while less overtly political, is equally palpable. His disdain for the traditional pathways to success and his willingness to flout conventional norms have made him a global role model to a generation that is skeptical of established institutions and, parenthetically, doesn't watch traditional TV.

Paul's combative style, both in his social media presence and his boxing career, exudes an energetic anger that speaks to a widespread frustration among young people with what the world has become. Paul's young base wants to see him smash anything and everything, from the status quo to Mike Tyson's face.

Both men intentionally operate on the fringes of their respective domains, creating their own spaces where traditional rules don't apply. Trump's world was initially the glitzy and often morally ambiguous realm of casinos and reality television. His frequent appearances in the tabloids and his ownership of the Miss Universe pageant added to his mystique as a larger-than-life figure who not just existed but thrived on the social edge.

Similarly, Paul's realm is the Wild West of social media, where the lines between reality and performance art are beautifully blurred. His ventures into boxing and the accompanying hype amplify this image of living on the edge, constantly challenging the boundaries of what is acceptable.

The presence of prominent women in their lives further underscores their similarities. Ivana Trump, with her poised demeanor and enormous business acumen, was a crucial figure in Trump's brand. She often served as a bridge between Trump and more moderate or undecided segments of the population, softening his rougher edges and lending an air of legitimacy to his ventures.

Paul's current relationship with Jutta Leerdam, the Dutch champion speed skater, model, and social media influencer, plays a similar role. Leerdam's success and disciplined image provide a counterbalance to Paul's chaotic and controversial persona, adding depth to his brand and appealing to a broader audience. Maybe, just maybe, he has found the brand anchor that Ivana was for The Donald.

Ultimately, through their anger emerges their inevitable and incessant fight. It defines both Trump and Paul, yet also has the potential to destroy them. What could and should be enough never seems to be. Both men strive for what they see as some natural extension of the heights they have already scaled - to further defy the odds they have already crushed.

And this is where I get lost. Lost in the why of it all. The dynamics of their fame elude me. I get the desire to be polarizing and to elevate oneself beyond what anyone ever imagined you could do. But I'm also aware of the off button that always seems out of reach for Donald Trump and Jake Paul, the notion that, even just for once, this all might be enough.

But I'm not their audience. I get angry at times—probably just like you do. But it's not the architecture upon which I've built a life. It doesn't drive me through each day and find me either rage-tweeting or preparing to fight someone who bites off and spits out ears.

A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief strategy officer forAmplify. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Newsweek, Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, Abogados, Today's Esquire, TechCrunch, The Hill, BuzzFeed, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Yahoo!, ABA Journal,Law.com,The Boston Globe, and many other leading publications across the globe.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.