Trump in Gettysburg

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Donald Trump has frequently been accused (sometimes justly) of being short on detailed policies. This speech, delivered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is very valuable for its detail and clarity. In it, he outlines the agenda for the first 100 days of his administration.

D, LDN

Is It Crazy To Back Trump?

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The developing support for Donald Trump’s nomination for the 2016 Presidential election is seen by many intelligent people (at first consideration) to be a joke, a strange kind of satirical protest, a sigh of ideological exasperation. It can’t possibly be serious, they reason, for Trump is little more than a clown, a jumped-up celebrity, no more suitable for office than Paris Hilton or Honey Boo Boo.

On the rare occasion such people are persuaded the support is actually serious, they reflexively attempt to put out the flames of madness with a barrage of warnings, three of which I will try to answer here…

1. Warning No. 1: “Trump would destroy the economy”.

This objection seems to be largely based on the charge that Trump is an economic protectionist – and on the fact that protectionism has proven highly disruptive to the world economy when previously attempted by the countries of Europe. This can be answered simply with a correction: Trump is no more a protectionist than any other candidate. All Republican candidates (‘mainstream’ or otherwise) promise during election season that their administration will ‘bring back American jobs’ and transform the trade situation with China to one more favourable to American companies. This is not ‘eccentric’, as currently alleged, but entirely, almost boringly orthodox. The real question is whether Trump is more sincere in his electioneering than his rivals. And that, I suppose, can only be answered by the future.

2. Warning No.2: “Trump is a loose-cannon. He will crumble under the spotlight of an extended campaign, eventually saying the ‘N’ word or insulting the poor etc…”

This is not a groundless observation. Mr Trump is as straight-talking as human-beings come, and though that is an advantageous trait in the world of business, it can certainly be ruinous in politics. Thankfully, I do not believe Trump is the psychopath so eagerly portrayed by the left-leaning (and centre-standing) media. The glitches in his personality are not set in concrete, but can be tamed, altered and reformed by advisors, of which Trump will already have hired a sufficient number. Finally, it should be remembered that the charge of being a ‘loose-cannon’ was used (unsuccessfully) to stunt the ascendance of many great historical figures, perhaps most notably of all Winston Churchill, with all his loose, rash and reckless talk of a re-arming and nefariously-inclined Germany…

3. Warning No.3: “Trump’s nomination will guarantee a Hilary victory”.

This is nonsense. Despite all the hype, it seems increasingly likely that Hilary Clinton’s campaign will not be the bloodless coronation her supporters had hoped for. Bernie Sanders, a renegade, post-American socialist, is the new darling of the liberal establishment and will tear strips out of Clinton every bit as viciously as Obama did in 2008. The final outcome is uncertain, but whether the Democrats eventually field a confident and radical Leftist, or a brutalised and diminished centrist, a Trump vote will only get more attractive as the clocks tick down to 2016.

Conclusion:

If you wish to see the final defeat of the Islamic State, the re-isolation of Iran, the strengthening of Israel, action to halt illegal immigration into the United States, the resurrection of the United States military and its global vision, then please do not write off Trump too soon. Have confidence in the ability of a great and iconic dreamer and embrace the possibility of connecting his passion to the potential still inherent within the material of America.

D, LDN.

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American Übermensch: Donald Trump’s Thrilling Confidence

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So, Donald Trump, the brash celebrity billionaire and star of TV’s ‘The Apprentice’ has dramatically announced a bid for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Cue hysteria. Cue mob humour. Cue intellectual laziness.

I understand how conventional it is to laugh at Trump; at his braggadocio, his squirrelly hair and material emphasis. He is clearly someone who enjoys the media spotlight and who often speaks with the media in mind. But away from the quirks in his character, it cannot be denied that Trump, via his achievements and lived philosophy, also personifies America at its most unapologetic, creative, tough-minded and independent.

He is a throw-back in that regard; the living relic of an era – fast being lost – in which the United States was the country to imitate if you wanted your own to succeed. It was an era of unipolar domination, whether on the economic, cultural or military plain. It was the era in which most of the skyscrapers you see on the dazzling Manhattan skyline were constructed, when the bridges were built (on budget and on time), and when the US army considered concepts like ‘retreat’ and ‘failure’ to be eccentricities unique to Europe.

I believe this American spirit still survives, in pockets and enclaves, but the condition of America in general is increasingly tenuous. Toxic issues are beginning to develop in the marrow of American life; issues that if left without treatment, could prove lethal to its long-term prospects.

Trump announced his bid for presidency this week with a resounding rally held in his Manhattan skyscraper ‘Trump Tower’. The fallout would last for days. Here are some of the more ‘provocative’ statements emphasised by the press:

On immigration  – “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”

On jobs – “Our real unemployment is anywhere from 18 to 20 percent. Don’t believe the 5.6. Don’t believe it… That’s right. A lot of people… can’t get jobs. They can’t get jobs, because there are no jobs, because China has our jobs and Mexico has our jobs. They all have jobs.”

On health-care reform – “We have a disaster called the big lie: Obamacare… Yesterday, it came out that costs are going for people up 29, 39, 49, and even 55 percent, and deductibles are through the roof. You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high, it’s virtually useless. It’s virtually useless. It is a disaster.”

Shortly after these comments were made, left-leaning cable channels set about presenting them as stand-alone bigotries, considerably more extreme and stupid seeming than in their original context. The television network NBC responded quickly by severing all ties with Trump, accompanied by the retail giant Macy’s, hair-product brand Farouk Systems, and the Latino TV networks Univsion, Televisa and Ora TV.

I won’t deny that the comment about Mexican rapists was lazy and ill-advised. There doesn’t seem to be a problem with sexual violence in Mexican communities more serious than in others. But outside of these unfortunate snippets (incidentally, I don’t share the Republican anxiety over subsidised health-care either), I found the speech rather inspiring.

Trump offered his audience an honest, easy to understand diagnosis of real and important maladies. His remarks about the pathetic failings of the Iraqi ‘military’ were dead on the nail. His comments about China’s cynical devaluation of its currency were timely and brave. His stated willingness to protect Israel should comfort the hearts of besieged democrats around the world.

But more than anything, it was Trump’s call for a ‘cheer-leading’ President who can resurrect the attitude of exceptionalism that truly impressed me. As I have written perhaps too many times before, positivity and the “Let’s Win!” spirit is not only useful on the football field or basketball court. It is the same attitude that destroyed the Empire of Japan and liquidised Iraqi divisions in Kuwait. It is the attitude that built the Hoover Dam, and which drives the world economy.

Trump understands this. He understands the psychological basis of American strength, that this strength is not derived from virtue alone, but from arrogance, determination and unilateralism too.

Despite my enthusiasm, I am soberly aware that a Trump administration is as unlikely Caitlyn Jenner birthing triplets. Impossible, of course, but perhaps not wholly undesirable.

D, LDN.