In Donald Trump’s commencement speech at Liberty University, he said, “Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they're people that can't get the job done.”

Why might Trump believe that?

Perhaps he is reflecting on his own experience in politics—comparing his past statements as a famous Obama critic to his present attempts to get the job done as president.

The juxtaposition is instructive. Trump started his political career as a critic of birth certificates:

An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012

But when it came to demonstrating any fraud he couldn’t get the job done. And that early pattern of loud critique, followed by the failure to do any better, has been repeated across many issues.

As a critic, Trump said this about inauguration crowds:

President Obama's inaugural had record low ratings. What does that portend? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2013

As president, at the very start, Trump vastly underperformed his predecessor’s first inauguration and started his presidency with a freakout attempting to obscure that fact.

As a critic, Trump complained about the cost when the Obamas traveled separately to Martha’s Vineyard:

Why did @BarackObama and his family travel separately to Martha's Vineyard? They love to extravagantly spend on the taxpayers' dime. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2011

As president, the whole Trump family spends extravagantly, with Melania living in an entirely different city full time and traveling separately more often than not. The Trumps are on pace to exceed the total travel costs amassed by the Obamas … in a single year!