by Duane Norman, Free Market Shooter
While having a conversation with some associates recently (who know about my support of President Trump), I was asked to just consider getting off the Trump Train. “And support who, Hillary Clinton?” I asked, laughing loudly in the process. “I don’t care – support no one, or anyone else but Trump.”
I told him that barring something unforeseen, I’d jump off a bridge before I abandoned or switched teams, and that I haven’t regretted my vote for even one second.
To this point, I’d say I agree with at least 90% of the decisions and actions made and undertaken by the Trump administration, with very few I openly “disagree” with. My expectations for Trump were sky-high but subdued – having never held political office, and with no “past” to draw from, there was no way to tell if Trump would turn into a globalist puppet, or uphold his campaign promises and protect the interests of Americans.
And while there is only so much that can be accomplished and measured in just one year of a Presidency, it should suffice to say that after again reading over the list of reasons why I voted for Trump, I can say with conviction that he has delivered as advertised on every single one. He hasn’t been perfect, but he has absolutely been just as advertised on the campaign trail.
Don’t believe me? Allow me to rehash my many reasons for voting for Trump:
Most importantly, I will vote for Trump because of what he is not – controlled by the global elites.
While this is certainly up for debate among many, Trump has gone in steadfast opposition to the globalist policies of the world’s wealthy and powerful. While some elites are surely benefiting from tax reform and relaxed business policies, Trump has demonstrated that he will not bend to the whims of Democrats and establishment Republicans who have opposed him at every turn and are allied with globalist interests. Trump has been a refreshing change from the Bush/Obama years, and while he has demonstrated that he is influenced by the elites, he is certainly not controlled by them.
I will vote for Trump because he represents the polar opposite of our dysfunctional and corrupt political system.
There’s really no questioning this – as Free Market Shooter’s Jon Hall pointed out, Trump has had a busy first year of undoing Obama (and Bush) policies and doing his best to promote “America First” – and there is still so much more to do.
I will vote for Trump because he is the only true anti-war candidate with a chance for victory this large in the 30+ years that I’ve been alive.
In spite of the mainstream media’s best efforts to convince us otherwise, the Trump administration has been remarkably free of military intervention. Even his one true instance of “intervention”, a cruise missile strike in Syria, was very limitedin scope, and the US has since been working to wind down the conflict in Syria. Not only that, Trump has to be convinced by Defense Secretary Mattis not to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan. It is very early, but so far, Trump has been the least warmongering US President in over 30 years.
I will vote for Trump because of his position on healthcare. Notably, that the only bit of defined policy he has is the repeal of Obamacare, and allowing insurers to compete across state lines.
Trump did everything in his power to repeal and replace Obamacare. He would have at least been able to have some sort of bill at his desk, had it not been for Senator John McCain (R-AZ), an anti-Trump establishment neocon Republican who campaigned on the platform of Obamacare repeal…
…and voted “No” on repeal several times, which many believe was just to spite Trump. Trump at least tried his hardest to keep his promise to America, while McCain did the exact opposite. However, Trump was able to strip the individual “mandate” to purchase health insurance out of Obamacare with his tax reform bill, and has tried over and over to gut Obamacare and repeal and/or replace the law. If America could repeal and replace McCain, and not Trump, we might have Obamacare repeal after all.
I will vote for Trump because I really don’t care about the “social issues”, and I don’t think he does either.
People have been marching against Trump from the day he took office (literally) on the premise that he would restrict the rights of gay Americans and the rights of abortion. As far as I know, gay marriage is still legal, Planned Parenthood still exists, and very little (if anything) has changed regarding these two issues. While many other voters may disagree, he’s held up his end of the “social issues” bargain with me.
Finally, I will vote for Trump because he is politically incorrect.
Even the anti-Trump crowd will have a hard time arguing the above. Trump has relentlessly attacked fake news, consistently tweeted out nicknames of politicians in his attacks on them, and has even done the same for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, referring to him by his given “Rocket Man” nickname in front of the entire general assembly at the UN. Trump has effectively weaponized Twitter and social media to bypass fake news deceptively editing him to appear in a poor light. And, like it or not, everyone is interested – Trump’s “fake news awards” crashed the GOP website, and an off-site archive of the “awards” when they were released.
Trump has thus far demonstrated that he is the politically incorrect President, beholden to no one but himself and America, that I have been waiting my whole life for.
Trump has proven that he did indeed want to win and work for Americans, and has proven that he’s not just an ignorant blowhard, displaying political acumen far above many of his peers in Congress who have had a lifetime of political experience. Though his inexperience as a government official has been demonstrated with a large amount of turnover in his cabinet, there is reason to believe he’s learned enough on the job to put the right people in the right positions going forward. The parallels to Andrew Jackson’s presidency are quite astonishing, and should leave us all optimistic for the future of Trump’s presidency.
In spite of this, I’m still concerned about the future of America under Trump. I’m not a fan of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his expansion of the drug war, and not certain he can eliminate the Deep State perpetrators working to subvert Trump. But more importantly, the stock market and has overshot to the upside, and an economic correction is long overdue. Trump continues to take credit for the market’s resiliency and for economic success, which I believe will leave him holding the blame bag when it all comes crashing down.
As Straight Line Logic’s Robert Gore has explained, this could indeed be “as good as it gets” for President Trump:
In the US, real incomes have stagnated since the turn of the century. Rising equity markets and falling growth rates mean that corporate valuations are in the stratosphere. Joined with off-the-chart measures of optimism and declining central bank support, equity markets are poised for a fall. That it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t. It’s never “different this time.” Given the leverage and speculation embedded in the market, the fall could be breathtaking, a quick drop of 50 percent or more.
As noted, falling stock markets and economies generally take the popularity of incumbent politicians with them. Trump, the most polarizing political figure since Franklin Roosevelt, is not all that popular to begin with. The Deep State that has ruled this country since World War II is down; it would be unwise to count it out. It will certainly capitalize on financial and economic turmoil to launch a counterattack against Trump.
Even though the Deep State is doing its best to subvert Trump, he has persevered. An economic collapse is perhaps the only thing that can propel the Deep State back into the driver’s seat. However, as Gore continues, an economic collapse could leave the Deep State with no means to expand and retake control:
Next year’s silver lining may be that it marks peak government. Governments have coopted much of the world’s resources and put a gigantic lien on its future production. In a severe economic contraction, the wherewithal from taxes and credit markets that would allow them to grow even bigger—and thus more intrusive and repressive—simply won’t be there.
I am indeed very wary for the future of the US, and of what the next economic collapse will mean for this country. However, I’ve never once doubted my vote for Trump. He has truly lived up to the “Dark Knight” billing I gave him a year ago:
Like Batman was to Gotham City in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”: Trump is definitely not the hero America needs, but he sure as hell is the hero that America deserves.
In spite of politicians, fake news, and even friends trying to persuade me otherwise, I haven’t doubted or questioned my vote for a second, and am hopeful that this isn’t “as good as it gets” for Trump. No matter what happens, I have faith that Trump will continue to fight to uphold his campaign promises, and do his best to improve the well-being of the country and all of its citizens.
Trump has undoubtedly delivered on his promises and earned my unwavering support, and it’ll take a lot more than the begging of his haters to get me off the Trump Train.
“Internationally, the current U.S. corporate government is losing support around the planet… U.S. NATO ally Turkey has begun attacking U.S.-backed forces in Syria. Long-time U.S. ally Pakistan has publicly ended its alliance with the U.S. North and South Korea put together a joint Olympic team to send a message to the world that they do not want to be artificially divided as a people and used as an excuse to start World War 3. Canada, India, Japan, Brazil, China, and the EU attack Trump’s protectionist trade policies. EU central banks are switching their reserves from U.S. dollars to Chinese yuan.”
You genetically deficient Trump followers seem proud to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re perfectly fine supporting for this bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing, Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offend all our allies in a few short months. And you’re okay with him putting on religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it. If so, you are just another one of Trump’s followers who are nothing but a motley crew of has-beens, racists, misogynists, neo-fascists, theocrats, pedophiles and idiots.
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There are things I question, but perhaps without fully understanding all the factors? I would still vote for Trump over Hillary any day of the year.
While I still think he is nowhere near as bad as Hitlery Clinton would have been (we’d probably be at war with Iran by now), I’m far less satisfied with Trump.
He seems to be at least partially controlled by the Deep State scum (why else would he agree to keep the wars going, keep Hitlery out of prison, cancel the election integrity commission, …?).
He also doesn’t pass the anti-war smell test – while (so far) he is less of a warmonger than Bush and Obomber (not much of a surprise, probably even Hitler was a dove compared to those maniacs), he has kept the wars going, says we won’t get out of Syria until its rightful president Assad is deposed, and is constantly rattling the sabers on North Korea and Russia. He also says he wants to build more nukes and rethink the “no nuclear first strike” policy.
While the latter may be his way of making a deal (need something to threaten with even if we know we aren’t going to do it no matter what), it is dangerous: If he establishes that a nuclear first strike would be ok (without intending to pull one off), then he’s voted out or killed or otherwise incapacitated and another Bush or Clinton takes the Oval Office, those nukes will start flying and we’ll have Trump to blame for it (in parts), even if he never meant for that to happen.
As for political incorrectness, it’s refreshing to see someone not being too much into insanities like “this guy would like to be a woman, therefore anyone referring to her as he should be locked up”, but he’s taking it too far the other way. So far, nothing has happened, but if Kim Jong Un were as crazy as the media make him sound, referring to him as “Little Rocket Man” in front of the UN Assembly could just have sent those nukes flying our way.
I’d still take him over Hitlery Clinton (or any of the GOP clowns fighting him for the nomination except Paul) any day – but it’s still more because I despise her (and them) than because I like him.