The Insurmountable Trump

June 16, 2015 marks a red letter day in the history of US politics, it is the day that the foundation of establishment politics was shaken to the core, it was also the day that grass root US politics received a potent shot in the arm and discovered they had a new voice, it was the day Donald J. Trump launched his campaign for the White House. 

It’s been over six months since his candidature was announced and Trump still finds himself on the top of every poll nationally and state wise, this includes polls conducted after TV debates. He still draws massive crowds at his rallies, with thousands of folks queuing hours before and his TV appearances draw huge audiences.

So let’s take an in depth look at the reasons behind the massive Donald Trump wave that seems to have engulfed the United States and beyond.

First a look at the state of affairs in the United States and the world over. The premature withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq lead to the savage Sunni extremist terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) wreaking havoc in the Middle East, brutalizing and massacring thousands of local people and annexing states within Iraq. The presence of ISIS, the lack of US security forces in Iraq and the unstable situation in Syria, lead to a mass exodus of refugee that now poses a serious threat to the security and the cultural fabric of the European Union. The US economy continues to be sluggish with median income going down and jobs paying low or being part time. US borders are not adequately guarded allowing thousands of unsavory elements including hardcore criminals to enter the United States illegally with ease, some reentering even after deportation. The Affordable Healthcare act aka Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster with the average individual being forced to pay higher premiums and smaller business forced to scale down business since they cannot afford the cost. Crime is rampant especially in poor neighborhoods. There is a racial divide throughout the US like never before that has given rise to extremist groups such as Black Lives Matters that exacerbate the problem by demonizing law enforcement and creating a victim complex among African American people.

So how does President Obama react to problems? When there is a terrorist attack, he blames it on guns rather than Islamic Terrorism, a term he hesitates to even utter. He erroneously termed ISIS as a JV team and dithered endlessly on having a coherent strategy to overcome the violent Islamic terror group. In the mean time they grew stronger Iraq and today ISIS has thousands of military trained fighters in Iraq and has become an internationally recognized force with its poisonous ideology potentially infecting people far and beyond their geographic presence. Obama warned Syrian President Assad that the usage of chemical weapons would lead to tough action but when Assad did use them he did nothing. At one point the administration even considered arming the ‘Syrian rebels’ who probably were ISIS fighters. He continues to insist that the economy is doing well and Obamacare is a success, despite the ground reality being the contrary. The Obama administration claims that unemployment is low, but the truth is that there are less people are in the workforce and the percentage of adult working or actively looking for a job is the lowest level in nearly four decades. The Iran nuclear deal that the Obama administration has struck has drawn criticism from Israel that is perhaps the only true ally the US has in the Middle East, the mullahs in Iran continue to call for the destruction of Israel and the deal does nothing to confront that and neither did it do much to secure the immediate release of US prisoners in Iran, they were released recently in a separate prison swap deal i.e. six months after the nuclear deal. It is important to note that  retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI agent Robert Levinson who vanished in Iran in 2007, was not included in the prisoner swap. Despite being a strong proponent of gun control, the administration has not reacted to the crimes by criminal illegal alien often with guns procured illegally. Obama has been soft on illegal immigration perhaps because a demographical change in the country benefits him and his party.

There have been a series of sex crimes occurring in Europe which proves that acceptance of Syrian refugee in Europe may have been a catastrophic blunder and yet Obama has pledged to take in refugees into the US. Then there are cases of abuse of power when the IRS targeted conservative and pro-Israel groups prior to the 2012 election. After the Benghazi attacks, the White House claimed that the attack was motivated by an anti-Muslim video that turned out to be a total falsehood.

With all this going wrong, the American public voted overwhelmingly for the Republicans to the Senate and the House hoping that they would undo the damage done by the Obama administration. But nothing of a kind occurred, despite a few empty promises, business continued as usual. Obamacare was not repealed, the Benghazi investigations and hearings were futile, and nothing was done to stop the chaos on the border. Even a simple solution to deter illegal immigration such as Kate's Law was not passed by Congress, whereby illegal immigrants with a criminal background who are deported and return to the US would receive a five year sentence upon conviction. The disappointment for GOP supporters continued they wondering if there really was any difference between the two political parties. 

And then Trump stormed into the presidential race. Unlike other 

candidates who receive millions in the form of huge donations from lobbyists and big donors, Trump pays for the expenses of his campaign, this means that he is his own man and is not compelled to strike shady deals upon getting elected to office. Most candidates rely on research, pollsters and experts to decide their communication strategy and even stage some of the seemingly spontaneous moments, the result is that in order to appear a likable every-man a denim clad John Kerry rides a motorbike off a ramp during an appearance on Jay Leno and a casually dressed Mitt Romney clumsily struggles with a shopping cart through the supermarket. But it is hard to fool people with these amateur theatrics, people see you for who you are. Even his harshest critic will have to admit that with Trump what you see is what you get, every syllable that he utters is from his heart and mind. There are no Teleprompters, no planned agenda and most certainly no staged 'spontaneous' moments. He is doing something which is rare in politics; not delivering pre-scripted speeches with measured tones and empty promises, instead he is talking with the people in the language they understand. It is this refreshing spontaneity that has resonated with the very perceptive common folks. 

A study of Trump’s publically stated opinion prior to the launch of his campaign is important since it is the only way to understand his approach towards important issues. Trump was one of the few who astutely predicted the rise of Osama Bin Laden would lead to catastrophe for the US, this much before Bin Laden was a known factor. He lambasted President George W. Bush for intervening in Iraq warning that regime change would present an opportunity for the worst elements in the region. Trump argued that Saddam Hussein may not have had the WMD but those who succeed him would have them. All one has to do is imagine a world with Bin Laden overcome in the 90s and without the Iraq intervention to know how right Trump was. Clearly he also predicted ISIS. Trump also has a record of donating to various charitable causes and directly helping out individuals in need.

Upon launching his campaign, Trump aggressively highlighted the serious problem of illegal immigration that has plagued the United States. In just few days, Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old American citizen was murdered by an illegal alien who had several felony convictions and was deported from the United States an astonishing five times. The news was received by many as another example of the government being ineffective in protecting its citizens while again Trump was right. Trump has vowed to deport illegal immigrants and build a wall across the Mexican US border which is the major cause for most illegal immigration. Trump also challenged the government for its appalling treatment of wounded war veterans – it is often said that the armed forces are the only institution that give all they have for their country in its moment of need, it they cannot be treated with  respect and dignity in their moment of need, what good is it having a country. Trump’s tax plan was widely appreciated for being pro economic growth and an incentive for job creation. Part of the plan was to reduce corporate tax that leads to corporate inversion, the practice of U.S. companies migrating overseas in order to avoid paying high taxes. The Trump tax plan also lowers income tax rates and exempt millions of low-income households. The Trump Tax plan dared to do something that even the fiscally liberal Democrats and establishment Republicans never even dared to suggest, it proposed increasing taxes on wealthy private equity and hedge fund managers, who Trump says currently pay next to nothing.  Trump is also a proponent of campaign finance reform, the lack of which allows big donors to almost buy candidates and play them like puppets when elected, it also prevents independents and common people without the money power from being a factor in any election.

On the security front, with respect to ISIS, Trump says he would aggressively pursue them and seize control of the oil wells, an astute move since it is the oil that fund their reign of terror. Trump has also proposed a lot of common sense ideas, such as compelling other nations to participate whenever armed conflict is inevitable.  Trump also opposed US intervention in Libya, Syria and Ukraine wisely suggesting that that the US should rebuild itself first before trying to rebuild other nations. Trump has also called for the reintroduction of waterboarding on captured prisoners as a method of interrogation. Trump stated that he would enforce a temporary ban of Muslim immigration until the refugee crisis can be comprehended and overcome. Trump is a proponent of gun rights that polls show is dear to most Americans. Trump has always highlighted the malpractices of China and he was proven right when China recently manipulated their currency to gain economic advantage, which led to chaos in global stock markets.

So how does the political establishment and the mainstream news 
media respond? Most of his ideas have had two sort of reactions, the first is of outrage. “How can he say this, no serious politician has ever said anything like this ever before! This is crazy. He has shot himself in the foot. He is finished” is the usually the rhetoric followed by the application of the ‘…ist’ adjectives. The second denouncement is owing to perceived impossibility “That just cannot be done. It is impossible. Nobody has ever done this before. This is not how politics works. This is not how countries deal with each other” is the usual tirade along with conferring uncharitable epithets. They then predict that people will come to their senses and begin backing traditional candidates such as Rubio or Bush.  But little do they understand that it is this desire to change the way politics functions that people gravitate towards Trump. In a desperate move by some far left people and Hollywood liberals a campaign has been launched to ‘Stop Hate Dump Trump’. All this emanating from model liberals who are supposed believe in tolerance and acceptance.

All these scurrilous attacks serve as oxygen to Trump who has emerged as the lone anti-establishment warrior for millions who had given up on the political process. The public does not like to be talked down by celebrities on how to think and what to do. The public most certainly will not allow anybody else’s opinion to dictate their actions in the ballot box. The more the attacks on Trump the more resilient the people get. The people also see the outraged folks as hypocrites, the campaign for gun control despite having armed guards before their homes, they lament of income inequality despite living lavish life styles, and they support the in taking of Syrian refugees since they know they will never personally be affected if there is an implosion.

A good way to judge a candidate is to judge the manner in which a campaign is run. So far Trump’s campaign has posted relatively modest expenditures compared to rivals Jeb Bush and Rubio, he has cleverly managed to get good airtime on TV in his multiple public appearances, rallies and interviews and he is on top of every poll. In terms of a project he is under budget, ahead of schedule and the feedback (polls) are overwhelmingly positive. 


Recently during an interview, political commentator Joe Scarborough remarked that a Trump rally in his home town is like nothing he has ever seen before. Even the great Ronald Reagan never managed to muster such massive crowd with such enthusiasm and passion. Clearly Trump has managed to strike a bond with his supporters that is deep and profound. This is a bond that will not be shaken by petty and often mendacious attacks by opponents or members of the media. There is nothing but admiration and respect from all the people attending for Trump and it is reciprocated by Trump straight from the heart. Trump knows the faith and the hope that he instills in the people and while he is not one to wear his emotion on his sleeves, it is quite evident that he gets it and is grateful for all the love he gets. They laugh, they cheer and they wait for hours to listen to the man. Trump has shown many career politicians that politics does not have to be a dreary affair. It can be lively, spontaneous and peppered with humor. The proof is that he has managed to engage many who would normally not tune in. With Trump topping the polls in nationwide it seems quite likely that Trump will win the nomination. Beyond the battle to secure the nomination, there have been polls that have pit Trump against Hillary and he has emerged victorious.

The establishment doesn’t approve of him as they cannot control him while hardcore conservatives keep suggesting that Trump is not a true conservative and is actually progressive. The establishment  often complains of not being able to reach beyond their party base, Trump has managed to do that by appealing to the working class folks, Democrats, Tea Party supporters, Hispanics, and African Americans but they are not happy since it is not done with their approval.  But again they fail to understand that it is not about ideology, it is about problem solving, it is about passion, it is about the mission to change things for the better.

Many who have known Trump have suggested that he is one of the fastest learners around alongside being brilliant negotiator. They also say that like Reagan he is often underestimated that he works to his advantage. Since the job of the President of the Unites States is one that no individual can entirely prepare for, it is this ability to absorb new ideas that is most invaluable and since most of the work is striking deals with people, having a strong negotiator may not be such a bad idea.

A recent study revealed that most of Americans is so disillusioned by both political parties that they simply abstain from voting knowing that little will change. It is these voters who never voted before or even participate in opinion polls who are most likely to turn up at the voting booth for Trump.

Many make the mistake of 

presuming that the Trump supporter base is driven by anger at the wrongs being done to their country. But upon watching many of his rallies and witnessing gentle smiles, the cheers, the waves of applause, the spontaneous outbursts of affection and the standing ovation it is safe to say that it is not of anger but relief from the general public that finally somebody thinks like them, talks like them and is going to do something for them. For them Trump is the man of the hour who will bring greatness back to the United State of America.

Email: rajanlaad@gmail.com