Yet the praise didn't end there. Pence went on to hold up Trump as an example when he talked about the importance of humility in leaders. "Our president, he leads by asking questions and he listens," Pence told the students, sharing the story of a meeting with tech executives during the transition, when he said Trump asked questions and listened to the executives for much of two hours. "And I believe that reflects the kind of humility that will enhance your ability to be a leader."

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Trump may be many things, but humble is not one of them. Even for anyone who may hold up "The Art of the Deal" as a brilliant guide to business or who believes a man who says "I alone can fix it" embodies American democratic leadership, it defies reality to think of Trump as a leader who reflects humility. The president brags constantly, appears unwilling to admit his mistakes, and remains focused on outside measures of his popularity, whether they be ratings, polls or crowd size.

Yet there was his No. 2, holding up humility as one of the three key ingredients for good leadership and using Trump as an example. Those three essentials -- which he also laid out at his U.S. Naval Academy commencement speech in May -- include an orientation toward authority, an aptitude for self-control (notably, he did not reference his impulsively tweeting boss in this passage) and a capacity for humility. "It's often in too scarce a supply in our society today," Pence said, "The truth of the matter is that some of the most compelling leaders I've ever known in my life are people that are focused on others more than themselves, are considerate to others."

Pence, of course, made no mention of all the insults his boss has hurled on Twitter. Or to his speech accepting the nomination at the Republican National Convention, when he boldly claimed that "nobody knows the system better than me." Or how Trump began his presidency by speaking in front of the CIA's Memorial Wall about what "looked like a million, million and a half people" at his inauguration and how "God looked down and he said we're not going to let it rain on your speech."

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The list of Trump's boasts are endless. He bragged as his presidency's 100-day milestone neared, saying that "no administration has accomplished more in the first 90 days," later amending the claim to make an exception for FDR. He bragged that "a lot of people have said" his speech in front of a Joint Session of Congress "was the single best speech ever made in that chamber."

He recounted in interviews -- incorrectly, according to the Democratic lawmaker in question -- that Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) had said he would "go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country." He's crowed about his ratings. About the size of his electoral college win. Even about polls that showed less than half the country approve of his performance.

Humility as a trait in leaders, of course, is much more than just a willingness to not gloat about your latest achievement or repeat others' accolades at every turn. It includes a capacity to admit your own shortcomings. It involves sharing mistakes publicly and vulnerably so you and your team can learn from them. It consists of the ability to apologize when errors are made, to forgive others rather than hold grudges and to deflect attention toward your team rather than yourself.

At least publicly, Trump rarely if ever does these things. In his first full Cabinet meeting in June, Trump listened as his team engaged in a round of on-camera fawning that drew comparisons to "King Lear." He has lashed out at people who criticize him. Even when members of his own party suggested he apologize for saying President Obama tapped his phones or that Britain's main surveillance agency had spied on him, he didn't.

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After the initial healthcare bill he pushed failed, he was asked to reflect on lessons learned: "Just another day in paradise, okay?" he told The Post's Robert Costa. And when asked whether he regrets any of his tweets, he has said "I don’t regret anything, because there is nothing you can do about it."

Trump may indeed ask a lot of questions and listen closely in meetings -- particularly in those with CEOs, or even "every day," as Pence said in the speech. And as a candidate, Trump himself may have said that he has "much more humility than a lot of people would think" and doesn't show it because "I'd rather not play my cards. I want to be unpredictable."

But truly humble leaders do much more than listen in meetings. And they don't hide their humility from the world. They demonstrate it whenever possible, setting an example by not constantly touting their successes, by redirecting attention toward their team, and by admitting freely and publicly when they've made a mistake and what they've learned from it. That's the sort of humility that makes for good leadership.

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