The Populism that is Donald Trump

The indicted former president at one of his many trials (The Hill)

There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that former President Trump is not qualified to be President again. His refusal to accept the results of last presidential election is all I needed to make that determination. That was bad enough. But it didn’t end there. 

What followed was a series of attempted manipulations and intimidations intended to reverse those results - culminating in  Trump’s call for a protest on the day the results were to be certified in congress. That protest turned so violent that members of congress hid in fear for their lives. Shouts of ‘Hang Pence’ were heard from the crowd that day. If Trump’s incitement of that riot doesn’to disqulify him, nothing does. 

Not that his governing style was all that great before that. His demeanor in office didn’t come anywhere near the decorum the office President should have. Nor did the insults he hurled at his political opponents.  

Even though his domestic policies were very popular with both social and fiscal conservatives as were his foreign polices with respect to Israel and Iran - that is more that outweighed by his behavior post election. And that should have ended any chance that Trump would ever see the Oval Office again. 

But the opposite has happened. As things stand now, Trump could very well be re-elected. In spite of all the legal trouble he’s in because of that day. Perhaps even because of it. How is it possible that someone with that much baggage is so popular that that at least half the country (it seems) will be voting for him in the next election?

I know a lot of people say that MAGA Republicans are all a bunch of racists or ignorant fools. Sure - some of them are. But to paint them all that way is elitist and simply not true.  It is a virtual impossibility to call 100s of millions of American citizens racist or ignorant. There are a lot of people from all walks of life that will be voting for him. From the college educated to the high school dropout. From fundamentalist Christians to Orthodox Jews. He has picked up a lot of support from the Latino community and has even picked up some black support.

Recent polls give him a 20 point lead over his nearest rival in the Iowa caucuses to be held later tonight. It can’t be just about his conservative polices. His Republican opponents are just as conservative. You would think that choosing one of them over a man with all the above mentioned baggage is a no brainer for conservative voters. But that is not happening. What gives?

Let us try and take a deeper dive into this question. First I believe that people will choose polices over style every time. They may not like his style but they do like his policies. Which until the pandemic were very beneficial to the average person’s pocket book. His emphasis on job creation, economic growth, and deregulation resonated with individuals who believed in a more business-friendly approach to governance. Especially the small ‘mom and pop’ type businesses that are the bedrock of private enterprise in this country

But COVID caused inflation to take hold and that directly affects the pocket book. That is what did him in. Trump would have easily had a second term if not for that. To the average consumer, inflation still exists even though the  rate of inflation has gone down and in some cases prices have actually dropped. The overall economy is in pretty good shape.  

But one area where it hasn’t improved is the grocery store. Sure, car prices have come down. But not everybody buys a new car. On the other hand everybody eats. The ordinary citizen that goes shopping for groceries every week sees prices that have not only stayed high but seem to steadily increasing. Inflation is still impacting the typical consumer.

Then there is the illegal immigration issue. Trump took a lot of heat from his political opponents on that issue. But what he wanted to do resonates more now with the public than it did then. Right now the flood gates on our southern border are wide open. Not only to people from South America. People from all over the world know that if they want easy entry into the US, this is the way they get in. How hard would it be for a Hamas terrorist to make his way into this country through our southern gate way?   

Traditional values have given way to a new morality. Which is seen by many as a threat. Trump's commitment to appointing conservative judges is seen as the antidote to that. .

A lot of people that felt disenfranchised  and ignored by the establishment love his anti-establishment approach to governance. They see traditional politicians being out of touch with their concerns and needs. Trump’s, ‘drain the swamp’ attitude is highly appealing to people that are sick and tired of business as usual in Washington.  

Ambassador Nikky Haley (The Hill)

Trump supporters love his direct and unfiltered style of sticking it to the establishment. They love his use of Twitter to directly communicate with them. Bypassing traditional media filters.  

None of this should be construed as support. I do not support him in the slightest. This is simply my explanation why so many others do. 

My preference is Nikky Haley. Has been even before she announced her candidacy. She will implement a social and fiscal conservative agenda. Her strong support for Israel is genuine - based on her invaluable experience dealing with anti Israel regimes as US ambassador to the UN. 

Her chances are better now than ever, but it would still take a miracle for her to get the nomination. Ironically polls show that in a head to head contest with Biden she has the best chance of all other candidates to win. And that includes Trump. By a wide margin!. Still a longshot? Yes. But stranger things have happened. She has momentum. I’m not counting my chickens yet. Let us see what happens in a few hours in Iowa.