When Donald J. Trump stormed onto the American political stage in 2016, some section of the world believed his no-nonsense rhetoric could never win hearts in a country long accustomed to political restraint.

Yet, against all odds, Trump’s unapologetic bluntness resonated with millions of Americans who were tired of “business as usual” in Washington.

In Ghana, a similar figure stands at a comparable crossroads, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the outspoken former Member of Parliament and flagbearer hopeful of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Whenever the name Kennedy Agyapong is mentioned, it resonates in the ears of some Ghanaians as “a harsh man,” “an arrogant man,” or “a disrespectful man”, labels often linked to his outspoken and confrontational style of addressing issues.

Like Trump, he divides opinion sharply. so, to some, he is too harsh, too abrasive, too unpredictable. To others, he is refreshingly bold, brutally honest, and exactly what a weary democracy needs.

Well, somewhere in 2023, Ken asked Ghanaians not to equate him to Trump, but Mr. Ken, permit me to do this last one before January 31.

The parallels ,of personality and politics

The two gentlemen built their reputations not from bureaucratic polish but from raw authenticity, I observed.

Trump was a businessman-turned-politician who traded political correctness for candour. Kennedy Agyapong, too, rose from entrepreneurial success before entering politics, wielding an unfiltered tongue that has both inspired and alarmed Ghanaians.

President Trump is known for making statements that often stir controversy, yet resonate positively with some segments of the public.

Similarly, Mr. Agyapong does the same. Recently he warned that “any vision for Ghana that starts with the IMF has already failed” opponents branded him unrealistic, meanwhile some section of the public interpret it as a bold declaration of economic sovereignty, a refusal to let Ghana’s destiny be dictated by external lenders.

Some of President Trump’s method are confrontation over conciliation. Did you remember his comment describing certain nations as “shithole countries” during immigration talks as reported by the Washington Post?

In last two weeks, he blasted the United Nations in his speech to the General Assembly, suggesting that the organization was either ignoring or exacerbating problems around the world that were being left to him to fix.

That is something world leaders would hardly say at such events, isn’t it?

Mr. Agyapong mirrors this spirit, isn't he? when he chastised his fellow NPP figures and scolded what he calls “talkers in suits”, insisting that Ghana needs “doers, not dreamers”

In this world, some have rich ideas and nothing to show for it. Others turn ideas into results and wealth. Ghana needs more doers, not dreamers in suits giving speeches.#DoersOverTalkers

— Ken O. Agyapong (@realKenAgyapong) June 23, 2025

Just after the 2024 elections, he rebuked poor performance of his own party in public, saying “you can’t lose over two million votes and be given another opportunity”, that is uncommon right?

These two men’s bluntness, though jarring, is deliberate. Their outspokenness feeds a larger populist narrative: that political correctness has paralysed leadership.

For disillusioned voters, such candour feels like truth-telling; for the establishment, it borders on heresy.

To me, despite all these actions of Donald Trump, his victory in the 2024 election underscored an enduring truth: voters often reward authenticity over decorum, that is the case in recent politics, I observed.

The more some people condemned his tone, the more his base rallied. His defiance became his badge of strength.

If Kennedy Agyapong secures the NPP’s flagbearer slot in January 2026, the 2028 general election could test whether Ghanaians are ready for a “Trumpian” political disruption, one led not by rhetorical diplomacy, but by blunt practicality.

The balance between fire and finesse

It is telling that Kennedy Agyapong himself recently promised a shift from rhetoric to results:

“The old Ken fought for you. The new Ken will build with you,” he said on his X.

You know me. You’ve heard me speak my mind for years. I’ve always spoken from the heart, sometimes with fire, because I love this country.

But I’ve also listened. And I’ve come to understand that the skills needed to expose a problem are different from the skills needed to solve…

— Ken O. Agyapong (@realKenAgyapong) September 14, 2025

President Trump’s words energised millions yet alienated millions more. Agyapong’s candour wins applause at the grassroots but unsettles moderates and elites alike.

Both must navigate the same paradox: that leadership in modern politics demands not just audacity, but agility.

A crossroads of leadership style

Kennedy Agyapong’s political future may thus become a litmus test for whether Ghana’s maturing democracy can embrace unvarnished speech without fear of volatility.

Like Trump, he personifies disruption, but perhaps in a distinctly Ghanaian idiom: a businessman who speaks his mind, unafraid of sacred cows, confident that honesty, however harsh, is a form of patriotism.

Whether that frankness propels him to the Jubilee House or pushes him to the political margins will depend on one thing, whether Ghanaians see in him the courage to build, not merely the boldness to speak.

In the end, both Donald Trump and Kennedy Agyapong remind us of an enduring truth in democratic politics.

Albert Kuzor, the author of this article, is a journalist with the Multimedia Group. The views expressed herein are solely his personal observations and research findings, and do not reflect or promote any political agenda. Albert.kuzor@myjoyonline.com