I liked his foreign policy, immigration policy, economic policy, reduced government regulation, energy policy and military policy. Okay! These are real answers...Let's examine them. Foreign policy I can agree as more troops were brought home. The trade war on China...that was dumb. I'll use steel as an example which is a component I utilize a lot. The tariffs on Chinese steel didn't help reopen closed mills in the states, it simply allowed US Steel producers to raise their price and make more money. In the Ag world, Trump's trade war crushed American farmers. I know. I live in North Dakota and know lots of farmers who are actually storing as many as three crops because prices were so bad they couldn't afford to sell and realize the actual loss. In the recent months, prices have rebounded, but that has nothing to do with Trump's policies, but more the fact that Argentina's crop is forecasted to be way down due to drought and driving up domestic corn and beans.
I disagree that his tax plan was bad. It brought a lot of money and jobs back into the country from overseas. It stimulated business which created jobs. I too make a damn good living and it reduced my taxes. Hmmmmm...not so fast on that one. The company I work for pays millions per year in taxes AND it's a manufacturer. While you say it stimulated jobs, I'll maintain the tax plan didn't impact jobs...which is to say it didn't hurt or help jobs. In fairness to Obama's second term and Trump's single administration they both enjoyed a descending trend in unemployment all the way to Feb 2020 when it bottomed out. BUT the world was then turned upside down by COVID. BUT, what Trump's plan may have stimulated was growth of existing businesses, primarily through M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) by way of reduced capital gains rates. My employer was able to acquire two like business during the Trump administration. However, what's critical to remember there is that Trump's tax policy didn't impact the buyer, but it may have impacted sellers depending on their corporate structure in that it turned holders into sellers. When those owners sell, the money doesn't go back into the economy in the form of new jobs, new construction, new facilities, or capital improvements in another business...it goes into the stock market and is managed by a financial manager. It's important to remember that the stock market is not the economy, it's just one component. But the main point I'll make is that it didn't reshore jobs.
Trump believed in the states being responsible. His COVID policies reflected that. If Trump had tried to have federal control, he would have been blasted by the media and left. That asked the states to be responsible got him blasted by the media and the left. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. Much of the economic damage and deaths have been caused by the Govenors, not Trump. Just look at NY and Cuomo ordering elderly back into COVID infested nursing homes. Or allowing big box stores to be open but not small businesses. Yeah, we can agree on this one...damned if he did and damned if he didn't. My personal preference would have been damned for doing. Punting as a leader never works out and while there would never have been consensus on what a good plan looked like, at least there would have been consistency in policy and reinforcement. I think that's what drove people nuts was the inconsistent countermeasures. I'll also point to my home state of ND and neighbor to the south (SD) in that their policy or lack thereof was/is simply laughable. Doug Burgum, billionaire software developer turned governor, didn't pass a mask policy until he was confident he wouldn't have to face the wrath of Trump as the next President. What a coward. Governor Noem of SD never put restrictions in place and just let it ride. She too is a Trump toadie who just recently had a sculpture commissioned that adds Trump's face to Mount Rushmore and gifted it to him. She has aspirations of higher office...I hope we're smarter than that as a country. To your point about small vs big business, I lay that directly at Trump's feet. Trump looks out for big business, not little guys. God forbid we close a Walmart.
From his first day in office, the Dems and left obstructed everything he tried to do. Orange man bad was there only thought and he could never do right in their eyes. That's hardly unique as a political tactic. Reps did the same thing as often as they could for 8 years with Obama. I'd prefer we all learn a new gameplan, but it's the path of least resistance. God forbid either party extend an olive branch or reach across the aisle to accomplish something they can all take credit for.
If Trump would have stayed off Twitter and social media last fall he would have won re-election. He lost was not because people didn’t like his policies (almost half and voted for him) but because people didn’t like him. There have been huge numbers of voters that said they liked his policies but voted for Biden because of their dislike for him. Enough that he could easily have been re-elected. I agree he and all other politicians should stay off Twitter and social media in general. Trump succeeded in becoming so repulsive that he pushed willing people/voters away. And that's exactly what he and his family really are: repulsive. The American people held him accountable. It cost him the office and ultimately cost the Reps the Senate. Self inflicted wounds hurt the most and Republicans can now lie in the bed they helped create.
Trump could have run into a burning building and rescued a black baby from certain death but instead of praising him, the left and Dems would have claimed he was a racist needlessly endangering a baby’s life. The leftie media made sure of this. Terrible example, Trump would never attempt to rescue anyone except himself. He's a coward. And he's racist.
Harris, Pelosi, Schumer, Shiff, AOC and the squad are just as bad of people as Trump. I’m not talking about what they want as policy but rather as people. Biden is spineless and hypocritical. He’s probably corrupt too. Biden won because he was not Trump. Or, Trump lost because he was Trump. You get points for adding two male Democrats...I was worried you were going to just hate on the women.
I disagree completely with what you see as Trump’s representation of the US. I feel you’re bought into the propaganda of the left news media. Trump did better than expected and better than any GOP in recent history getting votes from blacks, Hispanics and other minorities so obviously many of them liked Trump’s vision too. It's hard to look at oneself and say I'm racist, I'm sexist, I'm a bigot. But that's the pathology. Trump sold hate. People I actually know think it's perfectly acceptable to hate other folks and not even need a reason. I hear it all around me everyday. Remember, I live in the Upper Midwest: white, right, conservative, christian, predominantly rural. A lot of haters up here. A lot of Trump flags still flying.
But Trump is out of office so our respective opinions of his policies and accomplishments are irrelevant. My argument now is about bullshit of this hypocritical and purely political revenge driven impeachment. LOL...translation: Thanks for reading my opinion Sam I am, but your reply and opinion is irrelevant? The purely political revenge theory is warranted. However, I do approve of it if for no other reason than it would prevent Trump from running in 2024.
In conclusion, I appreciate your dialogue HAL. We both want the same thing: what's best for the country, but we disagree on how to get there. For what it's worth, I think you're a good American and if you ever need help, I'll help you. And while that's easy to say, you can count on that.
