I know a lot of people make fun of Donald Trump because of his hair and his desire for publicity, but I think he is wonderful. He is the perfect combination of real estate mogul/businessman and entertainer. Yes, he courts publicity, but he deserves it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t get it. Tons of people want publicity just as much as he, and yet they do not have the talent to actually capture it. Trump gets publicity irrespective of whether or not he wants it. He is provocative. And he knows what he is talking about.
I recently read his book, Time To Get Tough, and it is a must read. My article about it can be found at https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com/2012/08/14/donald-trump-president-of-the-united-states/. In it, I ask if he should be President of the United States (this is when there was still a chance of his running). I hope he runs in 2016, because he makes more sense than any traditional political candidate I have ever heard since Ronald Reagan.
In his most recent book he mentions an earlier book he wrote that was also more political than business oriented, although of course there is a bit of overlap between business and politics. This 2000 book is entitled The America We Deserve. Even though I am Canadian, not American, I believe strongly in the American Dream. I think America is the greatest country in the world, and that the Founding Fathers were inspired by God. Trump feels similarly.
Even though I have just started the 2000 book, I’m very impressed with how effective Trump is when explaining political principles. For example, he has a solution for a surplus should be spent. Instead of the all or nothing principle espoused by both Democrats and Republicans, Trump favours an approach where compromise is the foundation. And Trump knows foundations! By compromise, he means that part of the surplus should be spent on tax cuts (but only part). And the other portion of the surplus should be spent to encourage people to consume and encourage the growth of the economy in preparation for the times when the economy is in a downswing because of the business cycle. Trump proves himself to be quite the forecaster in this book because several things that he predicts, such as a terrorist attack and an economic catastrophe, both occurred soon after the publication of his timely book.
I’m disappointed that Trump is not taken more seriously as a political candidate. However, I think that a lot of the criticism levelled against him is superficial and orchestrated by the media. The media perpetuates the status quo. They do not benefit from change. They want things to remain the same so that they hold on to the power that they have. They are supposed to be watchdogs for the American people, but instead they have become little more than parrots for the entrenched powers that be. Also, I think Trump’s appeal in a political sense is underreported. I think he would enjoy a far higher level of support in terms of electoral votes than is popularly imagined. Of course, many in the media are jealous of Trump because they get tired of writing about successful people because it highlights how many of them failed at fulfilling their own dreams. Harsh, but true (but of course there are exceptions).
One of Trump’s main contentions about American politics is that the Commander-in-Chief also needs to be an effective Negotiator-in-Chief. I think he has nailed it. He is responsible for making an enormous amount of money. And part of his successful strategy is by mastering the art of compromise. America’s problems cannot solely be calculated in terms of its deficit; however, if it had a surplus, many of its more serious problems would be far less grave in scope and importance. I say give Trump a chance. Could he really do worse than Barack Obama? He who golfs instead of fiddles while the United States burns?
Trump for 2016!
