Almost half of Americans appear to despise Donald Trump.  Their loathing of him is almost palpable, and it often erupts in what observers have called the Trump Derangement Syndrome.  The Trump haters view him as an evil racist demagogue who is bent on destroying all that is good in America. Their hatred of Trump often extends to his supporters, whom they accuse of willful refusal to recognize the obvious malevolence of the man in the White House.

Trump supporters see the man in a different light.  Some express absolute adulation of Trump, regard him as the savior of our country, and refuse to recognize any mistake or wrongdoing on his part.  Others are a bit more balanced in their evaluation of the man.  They recognize his very human foibles, but they believe that he is on the right side as he confronts the critical issues that confront our nation.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to get a clear picture of the man, His detractors portray him as a narcissistic, power-hungry person who has cheated and manipulated his way to the top with no regard for anyone he may have trampled along the way.  They think that he wishes to become a Hitler-like dictator, and some extremists even revel in the thought of his assassination.  His supporters give us an entirely different picture.  They see him as a flawed man (three marriages and several affairs) with some quirky character traits, but essentially a good person. He has an accomplished and supportive family, he has achieved the heights of success in the building and real estate businesses, he has shown many instances of largesse and compassion for others, and he has sacrificed personal comfort and safety (plus some of his fortune) to serve his country.  

Which portrait is more accurate?  Personally, I’m more inclined to believe the latter.  I recognize that Trump sometimes appears smallminded and vindictive, but I think his basic nature and purposes are positive. But regardless of Trump’s actual character and aspirations, I am convinced that he is the man America needs today.  He could be the person to save us from disaster.   My reasoning is as follows:

• America has placed itself in an extremely vulnerable and difficult position through its trade policy.  Beginning shortly after World War II, trade imbalances developed with various foreign companies, The problem was magnified with the admittance of China to the WTO in 2001.  We allowed our trading partners to take advantage of us. Our products were often tariffed, taxed or barred from foreign markets, whereas those nations had relative free access to ours. With the availability of relatively inexpensive foreign goods, domestic manufacturers began to suffer.  First to go was the textile industry, next came furniture.  Then auto plants and steel mills began to close.  Many factory towns in the South and Midwest were devastated as workers lost their jobs and were forced into lower paying occupations.  Many products are no longer made in this country – television sets, computers, computer chips, ships, etc. etc. Trump has been raising an alarm about this situation for decades, and it was his position on this issue that initially attracted me to him.  He became the first Presidential candidate to speak seriously about the trade problem, and he promised to address it.  Now, as President, he is attempting to deal with the issue by implementing reciprocal tariffs. Many Americans are alarmed by Trump’s actions.  Most of our giant corporations are international in scope and are free trade advocates.  So is Wall Street.  The Democrat Party leadership supports the globalists and insists that most American manufacturing is gone forever.  They say our workers must learn new skills.   But Trump is convinced that trade imbalances must be addressed, and through that action he believes American manufacturing and the associated good paying jobs can be revived.  Changing economic directions on an international scale is a massive undertaking, and the question is whether the hoped for benefits (new industries, new jobs) arrive soon enough to offset the more immediate fiscal turmoil?  I’m convinced that reviving American industrial might is essential if we are to ensure the nation’s security.

• America stands on a financial precipice.  We are 36.5 trillion dollars in debt, and we are growing that debt at the rate of 1.7 trillion per year.  The annual interest on the debt exceeds our entire defense budget, and it cripples our ability to spend on important programs such as infrastructure.  In addition to the debt problem, Social Security and Medicare are nearing bankruptcy.  What are we to do?  Democrat and Republican leades have talked about the nation’s fiscal problems for years, but no one had the political will, courage and ability to do anything about it.  When solutions were offered, the Democrats pushed for higher taxes, the Republicans favored reductions in spending and shrinking the bureaucracy. Consequently, nothing was done, and the debt ballooned. Since retaking office, President Trump is making a determined attempt to balance the federal budget.  He hopes to achieve it by cutting waste, fraud and redundancy in government programs while making sharp reductions to the federal workforce.  He also hopes to gain a new source of revenue by imposing tariffs on imports. Trump’s political opponents challenge his every move.  They battle for every government worker and every government program while branding Trump and his team of waste cutters as heartless monsters with nefarious, Nazi-like motives.  The more radical Trump haters have taken to the streets.  Will Trump and his associates be able to survive this vicious assault and achieve their aim of significant reductions in federal spending?  I believe his success is critical for the nation’s future.  

• America and the world face a climate crisis. There is no doubt that it is real.  The earth is slowly warming, and human activities contribute to the problem.  Many see this as a life-or-death issue that must be addressed immediately. In recent years Democrat administrations made attempts to deal with it by joining the Paris Climate Accords and waging a domestic war against fossil fuels. Billions were spent to covert American car owners from gasoline powered vehicles to electric cars.  There was limited success and  a miniscule effect on the climate. When he came into office, Trump immediately reversed these initiatives. Critics rage at Trump as a science denier and a menace to mankind, but the truth is more complicated.  Trump believes that oil and gas production is a vital part of his plan for our nation’s economic renewal.  He also believes that curbing our fossil fuel production while watching China build hundreds of coal-burning plants is akin to spitting into the wind.  Also, we are dependent on Chinese built batteries for our electric cars and Chinese built panels for our solar farms.  Above all, Trump does not wish to give China any advantage in our economic war with that nation.  Lastly, Trump thinks that harmful fossil fuel emissions can be significantly reduced, and science will find ways to remove excessive atmospheric contaminants. On this issue I give Trump a pass.  In truth, no one has a proven solution to our climate crisis.

• During the Biden administration millions of unvetted immigrants swept across America’s borders.  Our immigration system was broken, and many municipalities suffered the consequences of the unchecked flow of persons with different languages and from foreign cultures. Crime rates went up, and schools and welfare systems were overwhelmed.  Democrats either denied that the problem existed or called on the Congress to fix it, saying that President Biden’s hands were tied. Some party leaders seemed to look at these new arrivals as ensuring their future political dominance.  The American electorate’s concern over the immigration problem helped Trump win the 2024 election, and since his return to office he has effectively closed the border.  He quickly proved that the Biden administration’s failure to address the border issue was an act of will rather than a lack of authority.  Now it remains for Trump and Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reforms that will ensure sensible and orderly immigration, guest worker programs, continued border security, etc.  Trump is not opposed to immigration, but it’s obvious that he wishes that America receive the best from foreign nations, not their dregs.  My hope is that all who come here truly wish to become Americans, adopt our ideals, and completely integrate themselves into American society.

• America, Europe, and other advanced nations face a serious demographic issue.  Fertility rates are too low, thus native populations are decreasing in numbers and are being replaced by immigrants. In France, French people are being replaced by people from Africa and the Mideast.  The same phenonium is occurring in Germany and Sweden and elsewhere.  Perhaps this is of little interest to many observers, but pillars of Western culture are beginning to crumble.  To me, this is a matter of great concern.  In America, the western European immigrants who once dominated our society and established its mores are gradually losing their numerical advantage.   Fortunately, many of our newcomers have related cultural roots, and it appears that they may rapidly integrate into American society. Immigrants from other lands who form cultural enclaves and refuse to integrate are a greater problem.  I believe that Trump is essentially a nativist in his outlook but not a racist.  He wishes to stop the trend toward lower fertility rates.  He believes that restoring American industries and jobs will help.    He wants to protect our Judeo-Christian heritage, and he will always advance policies that favor churches, synagogues, large families, football, baseball, and apple pie.  He has an idealized vision of America, and he will fight to make that vision come true.

The above remarks constitute my honest assessment of Trump and his approach to several of America’s most pressing problems.   Let me know if and where you think I am wrong.

God bless us all.

Sandy Jordan