Trumpolitics

If the unthinkable occurs and Donald Trump is chosen as the Republican nominee for President, it will be the first time a non-politician has been selected at a Party Convention since 1952. Then, Eisenhower may not have been a professional politician but he was engaged in public life. As a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, he had to know a bit about governing. I suspect you had to be quite a politician to handle the likes of de Gaulle, Churchill and FDR.

So far as I am aware, Donald Trump has never stood for public office until now and his governing experience is limited to real estate corporations, four of which were declared bankrupt, and failed ventures such as Trump University. Despite his claims to billionaire status, his governance abilities don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Until recently I, like most other professional and amateur observers of American politics, thought the Trump nightmare would end and we would waken to news that another Republican would lead the Party into the 2016 election. We now have to face the fact that Trump will remain in the race until the Convention. America is a democracy and if a sufficient number of Republican voters want Trump to run for President, it will happen.

I am now willing to take Trump’s run seriously, so have had a detailed look at Trump’s politics. They vary. For example, Trump used to be in the pro-choice camp on abortion but a few years ago he changed his views. “They evolved like Ronald Reagan’s” was his reasoning last summer. As President, Trump will support pro-lifers. He will defund non-profits like Planned Parenthood which he recognises as “important but abortions must stop.”

On the budget and the economy, he wants to introduce dynamism by bringing outsourced jobs back from China and Mexico. However, he doesn’t explain how manufacturers will pay for the increased wages bill.

We know Trump’s stance on immigration. Ban Muslims, remove Mexican illegals and build a wall between the States and Mexico, at the latter’s expense. Where are the details, the small print to establish the legality and implementation of such policies?

Trump says he will grow the American economy by 6% annually. China’s current economic growth of 6.8% outstrips all other G20 countries. How will America compete? Trump identifies the problem of the national debt which, he says, is out of control but in a flat contradiction he wants to increase the debt ceiling, as a bargaining chip to bring US lenders into line! “We owe $19 trillion and need a businessman to bring us back into line.”

Under Trump, the budgets of the Defense, EPA and Education departments will be under severe threat. Why attack the environment and education? States’ rights is his answer but this makes no sense as there is no offer of federal funding.

On Civil Rights, Trump says he is “fine” with affirmative action. Gay marriage, he says, is a reality. He criticises the Obama administration for doing nothing for African Americans but does not specify what he would do to help the black community.

Trump is strong on business. He wants to get U.S. money back into America and address “corporate inversion.” He is a supporter of US bankruptcy laws. “I've used bankruptcy laws to do a great job for my companies.” Having declared bankruptcy four times he should know. He advocates a 0% corporation tax as a catalyst for the creation of millions of jobs. He does not comment on the enormous salaries and benefits already enjoyed by the leaders of America’s big corporations who currently avoid the tax.

To my surprise I have found that Trump has positions on most issues affecting America. Here are some examples:

Crime: “The police are the most mistreated people in America. Black lives matter but we need strong police presence.”

Drugs: Trump wants to study the subject but not legalize some drugs now. This is for the states. Trump’s brother died from alcoholism and Trump does not drink.

Education: Trump envisages huge cuts in federal funding and Common Core, an educational initiative that details what students should know in English language, arts and mathematics at the end of each grade.

Energy and Environment: The oil lobby will love Trump. He believes climate change is a hoax. He characterises the EPA as “a disgrace.”

Foreign Policy: According to Trump, Putin has no respect for America. However, “I will get along with him.” Also, America will “deal with the maniac in North Korea with nukes.” I do not know of any leader who advocates a policy of using nuclear missiles. Trump identifies China as “our enemy; they're bilking us for billions.”

Last weekend, Trump asserted that America was being “ripped off” by its allies and that it was paying a heavy price for being the world’s policeman. He singled out Saudi Arabia for failing to contribute in money and men, America, he stated, would no longer buy Saudi oil. I conclude that Trump’s diplomacy would be better suited to the World Wrestling Federation shows than the State Department.

Government Reform: Trump regards Super PACs as a disaster, causing dishonesty. He believes all candidates should disavow PACs. He says, “I'm not accepting any money from anybody.” That’s simply not true.  Trump is funding his campaign with loans and repaying himself from sales of merchandise, etc. His website includes a link for donations.

Trump’s policy statements are not supported by detailed papers or costings for the media to investigate. Whilst Trump has much to say on many topics, the statements are sound bites, short sentences reducing complex issues to the barest and lowest common denominator. Subtle he ain’t. There seems to be a pattern where Trump claims he can fix everything while being intent on devolving problems to the states.

There is an old saying, “you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. Trump has no governing experience and he will be staggered by the size and complexity of the US federal government, not to mention the problems he will face wrangling Congress, even one where Republicans might control both Houses. If Trump goes the whole way, Americans will soon yearn for the return of George W Bush. Oh the irony.

But at this stage, Trump campaigns in poetry. I believe he is using blank verse. And the blanks have far too many four-letter words.

Many thanks to my readers who send me comments on the blog. I am going to take a short break from writing about American politics. Hopefully, I’ll be back in May.