There is a possibility that Trump is not a "hero of justice who defeats evil."
//SUMMARY//
The article critically examines Donald Trump's portrayal as an anti-establishment figure and a "hero of justice." It highlights his rise to prominence by attacking political corruption and distancing himself from traditional politicians and lobbyists. The article scrutinises whether Trump's actions align with his rhetoric by exploring his connections, policies, and political decisions from 2015 onward.
Key points include:
1. Campaign Promises vs. Actions: Trump campaigned on "draining the swamp," but his administration included figures like Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, both tied to political corruption.
2. Anti-Establishment Image: Despite his anti-establishment stance, Trump relied on traditional political figures and lobbyists, raising questions about his authenticity.
3. Military Withdrawals: Trump's partial military withdrawals often reposition rather than complete returns, leading to scepticism about his anti-war claims.
4. Financial Independence: Although he initially rejected SuperPACs and large donations, Trump later accepted significant funding, contradicting his claims of financial independence.
5. Tax Policies: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act primarily benefited the wealthy, contradicting his appeal to the working class.
The article concludes that while Trump did make some changes, many of his actions contradicted his anti-establishment rhetoric, suggesting that his stance may have been more about winning votes than genuine reform.
1)
Donald Trump is one of the world's most divisive figures. He criticised American politicians, lobbyists, big businesses, and the media as entirely corrupt, and he became president by distinguishing himself from these people.
But is he a righteous hero defeating corrupt evil? Many people think so. Let's look at his actions from 2015 to date and see if they match his claims if he is a man of his word and a hero of justice destroying corrupt politics.
2)
"Drain the Swamp!"
The Trump administration is fighting lobbyists, interest groups and the corrupt political world of Washington.
"I'll pay for my election!"
"I don't need anybody's money."
He has made enemies of both Democrats and Republicans.
"The Democrats cheated in the selection of candidates."
"The Republican Party is dysfunctional."
3)
Nevertheless, one of the reasons he was able to win the 2016 election is his anti-establishment style.
This is a rebellious stance against the existing order, the political system and vested interests.
"They are all part of the corrupt establishment."
He claims that the existing political system is corrupt and that politicians, big business, lobbyists and the media are deeply corrupt.
"The political system is corrupt".
4)
He completely ignores political correctness, giving a low-level speech using only words and making people feel close to him with various words and actions.
"You criticise my hair. My hair is my own. Does anyone want to touch it? Does anyone want to look at it?"
He maintains that he is a businessman, not a politician.
In other words, he appeals to the fact that he is not one of the corrupt.
"I am not a politician. I pay my election expenses. I don't need anybody's money".
5)
He claims to have been successful as an entrepreneur and that, unlike them, he is not swayed by money.
His every claim, action and characterisation gave him the image of an anti-establishment saviour in the eyes of the general public.
And this earned him the enthusiastic support of the white working class, who were deeply dissatisfied with the existing system.
Hillary Clinton, whom he portrayed as a symbol of the Establishment, lost the election, and Donald Trump became president.
6)
Did he live up to his anti-establishment rhetoric?
Did he at least try to punch a hole in the existing system?
In other words, is Trump consistent in what he says and does?
Let's check together.
7)
There are pros and cons, but he has certainly had some successes.
He attacked both parties and won the 2016 election with less than half the money raised by Hillary Clinton.
Over the next four years, he withdrew from some countries, took steps to lower drug prices and made some changes to trade.
With that in mind, let's look at the following four points.
8)
Is he Anti-Establishment?
1. Who has he included in his political entourage?
2. Did America pull out of the war?
3. What about money?
4. What about policies and bills?
9)
1. Who did he place in his political entourage?
He relied on Roger Stone to win the presidency in 2016.
At 19, he was involved in the Watergate scandal with Nixon and received money from him.
He inherited Richard Nixon's "win at all costs" mentality.
Known as the "Dirty Trickster", he is well known for his long political career.
Trump adviser Roger Stone, self-proclaimed "dirty trickster", guilty on all counts. by REUTERS
10)
He worked on Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign team and, with two other insiders, co-founded the powerful lobbying firm Black, Manafort, and Stones.
Ronald Reagan
Charles Black
Paul Manafort
Roger Stone
These three were instrumental in the election victory and the birth of President Reagan.
Now, as lobbyists, they extorted vast amounts of money from big corporations and billionaires who wanted to influence the president to gain access to President Reagan.
They inadvertently did something unacceptable at the time: they got the president elected in the presidential election and immediately went into lobbying.
11)
Another person Trump relied on was Paul Manafort.
He had also distinguished himself at a young age, working on Gerald Ford's presidential election in his 20s and becoming the founder of Black Manafort & Stone.
This lobbying firm was dissatisfied with direct lobbying in the country and began to have clients such as Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi.
12)
Trump claims, "I have nothing to do with the backstage of politics" and "I am anti-establishment", but you are a central figure behind the scenes of politics.
"How can you, who contradicts what he claims, be a force for his government?"
"My view is different for everyone."
13)
One example is his relationship with Mobutu Sese Seko of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He amassed a great deal of wealth for himself while collapsing the economy of his impoverished country through political corruption.
They also repeatedly committed human rights abuses, including murder, unlawful arrests, rape, kidnapping and torture.
The dictator paid black, Manafort and Stone more than $1 million a year to help restore Mobutu's image and provide military supplies from the United States.
14)
Both Roger Stone and Paul Manafort were convicted on multiple counts, including tax evasion.
"I'm proud of the work I did at Black, Manafort and Stone because I made a lot of money. by Roger Stone."
It could be argued that Trump made a pragmatic decision to take power, choosing Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, two influential people with experience and connections.
However, the fact that he frequently claims political corruption in these anti-establishment circles yet borrows power from people who are symbols of that corruption means that he cannot complain when people complain that his anti-establishment stance is just a pretext to win votes.
15)
Even after being elected president, he appointed Mike Pense as his vice-president.
While it's unclear where the line is between anti-establishment and outsider, doesn't Mike Pense seem deeply immersed in the Establishment's swamp?
"I am not a politician, and I pay for my elections. A lot of people don't like that. They want to give money because they can control the politicians if they offer it.
16)
Such statements contradict the existence of Mike Pense, who has strong ties to lobbying companies and the Kock brothers, who are conservatives and spend a lot of money in politics.
Here is a list of the members of his transition team.
Many lobbyists and political advisers have been involved in politics as part of the Establishment.
And many of the chosen lobbyists are Revolving Door lobbyists.
What is a revolving door?
It refers to locations where Doorle moves between roles as legislators or regulators on the one hand and as employees or lobbyists in industries affected by laws or regulations on the other.
17)
Revolving Door refers to government officials involved in lawmaking and other matters who move outside government, into companies and other places, to work in the private sector, especially in areas related to their former bureaucratic roles.
It refers to this coming and going between government and the private sector.
It is easy to see how people who can influence legislation moving between government and companies in the same field and building relationships in both can be a breeding ground for political corruption.
18)
It also includes lobbyists who were top in 2016, who are part of the Establishment that Trump is hostile to, and who have many large corporations as clients. (Michael J Catanzaro)
Even if the transition team is somewhat fluid, it is inconsistent with Trump's anti-establishment stance.
Even after the Trump administration started, many lobbyists have come and gone.
These are either people who worked for the administration and then became lobbyists or former lobbyists who worked for the Trump administration.
19)
2. Has America withdrawn from the war?
It is also worth checking from the perspective of the war.
Because there are a lot of people in the American Establishment who like war because the term military-industrial complex was born in this country.
20)
Contractors who make huge profits by signing contracts with the government to supply military vehicles, weapons, food and daily necessities used in military camps during military operations, lobbyists who work to have the government select their clients as contractors, and politicians who choose the contractors, buy the stock of the companies, and enjoy capital gains - these actions certainly exist in the Establishment.
Trump's repeated insistence on withdrawing the troops and ending the war can indeed be described as anti-establishment.
21)
"I was against the Iraq war. Hilary Clinton was for it."
It has been revealed that in 2002, he made a statement to the effect that he supported the Iraq War.
Fact check: Yes, Trump did support the Iraq War, the Washington Post
But how much effort did he put into withdrawing the troops once he became president?
22)
Let's look at Afghanistan, for example.
Trump started withdrawing troops in 2020. The full withdrawal will be completed in 2021.
You have also almost wholly withdrawn from Somalia.
But that does not mean the troops are coming home.
Somalia Force Posture Announcement by US Department of Defence
23)
Many of the troops withdrawing from Somalia have been redeployed to neighbouring countries.
Thousands of troops have indeed been withdrawn from countries such as Syria and Iraq.
But this has been offset by an increase in the number of troops stationed in the Persian Gulf to contain Iran.
24)
"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency." Trump.
Even after he tweeted this, his soldiers remained in Syria, persuaded by his appointee John Bolton and Israel's Netanyahu.
He also announced a plan to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany in 2020, but the plan didn't bring the soldiers home, and most were moved to neighbouring European countries and the Black Sea.
USS to withdraw U.S.t 12,000 troops from froU.S.rmany but nearly half to stay in Europe" by REUTERS.
25)
Of course, withdrawing troops from a country is not something the president can decide on his own, and there would have been a lot of resistance.
But while he has shown signs of withdrawing troops here and there, the results have been ineffective.
It is seen as a popularity show because many withdrawals were announced close to the 2020 presidential elections.
26)
3. What about the movement of money?
As an anti-establishment candidate, he criticises the current political system:
"I was against the war in Iraq."
He then criticises both the Democratic Party and the Communist Party, claiming that he is different.
27)
"Jeb Bush is completely controlled by the people who give him money. I don't need anybody's money."
"My money is self-funded. I'm running this election with my own money."
Among them, SuperPACs are the ones he often criticises.
"SuperPACs are causing big problems in America and need to be eliminated. The current dishonest and corrupt politics and the bad decisions made for lobbyists and special interest groups are problems".
28)
SuperPACs are a type of independent political action committee that can raise unlimited funds from corporations, organisations, and individuals and spend them without limit to benefit or harm a particular candidate.
In practice, they are used for political advertising, such as emails, letters and leaflets, television and social media advertising, holding events and conducting trend analysis.
During the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton raised $150 billion on her own and through SuperPACs.
29)
What about Trump, who has criticised SuperPACs?
In the early stages of the presidential campaign, he refused funding from SuperPACs and large donors.
However, as the campaign entered its final stages, he gradually began to curry favour with mega-donors and tolerate SuperPACs.
According to NPR, Great America PACs sent an email declaring itself "the official super PACs supporting the election of Donald Trump".
30)
Moreover, his anti-establishment colour seems to have faded even further in the 2020 presidential election.
Linda McMahon, who served as head of the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration, has been brought in, and several SuperPACs, such as America First Action, are active in supporting Trump.
America First Action has raised almost $20 billion.
And now, this year's presidential election.
He has raised far more money than any other Republican candidate.
When he stopped fundraising, he raised more than ten times as much as he did at the same point in the 2016 presidential election.
31)
While he became a congressman in 2016 and criticised the Republican and Democratic parties, he is now reported to have considerable support from the Republican Establishment.
Many pundits believe he has become more solid due to this weakened anti-establishment.
But this is the opposite of what he claims.
It is tough to run an election on personal wealth alone. It is not realistic, and he knows this.
So, voters should not take his statements seriously.
32)
4. What about policies and legislation?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), enacted under Trump in December 2017, aimed to stimulate the American economy and create economic growth and jobs by reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
The administration predicted that this would trickle down to workers, Trump's base of support, in the form of an annual income increase of $500,000.
33)
In the years following the reform, corporate profits rose somewhat, while the government's corporate tax revenues fell sharply to 30 trillion yen.
It's doubtful that this has trickled down to the working class.
A US think tank estimates the boost to real GDP growth from the current reforms will be pretty small, at around 0.0-0.3% over the next decade.
It is also estimated that most corporate tax cuts have gone to shareholders rather than the broader economy.
34)
According to the International Monetary Fund, large corporations used about 80% of their additional cash flow for share buybacks, dividends, and other estate planning adjustments, mainly benefiting wealthy individuals and foreign investors.
"The Trump Tax Reform Helped the Billionaire Class - Not the Working Class," by the Institute for Policy Studies.
There are other examples showing that the benefits are skewed towards the wealthy.
35)
The tax reform reduced the top marginal income tax rate by 6.6%.
The corporate tax rate was also reduced by 40%, contributing to an increase in wealth for the wealthy who hold large amounts of stocks and mutual funds.
Overall, the Tax Policy Center's 2018 Dictionary of Assets recorded a 2.2% average increase in take-home income.
However, it found that the wealthier the household, the more significant the increase in take-home income.
The president's anti-establishment rhetoric has won him the support of the white working class, but the benefits of his reforms have disproportionately gone to the wealthy rather than workers.
However, the effectiveness of these economic measures is disputed, and there is no definitive answer.
36)
President Trump's tax reform includes a tax incentive called the "opportunity zone".
The incentive was designed to encourage investment in economically distressed areas, known as "opportunity zones", and increase housing, businesses and jobs.
Investors could defer the payment of capital gains taxes for several years by investing in projects within these zones, and profits from these projects could be exempt from federal taxes in some cases.
"Opportunity Zones, that's a great policy."
The reality is somewhat different.
37)
The 8,800 Opportunity Zones approved by the Treasury Department are home to about 31 million people, about a third of whom live in poverty.
However, many of the zones contain or are adjacent to affluent areas that are developing and where wages are rising.
Of course, investment in the Opportunity Zones will go to wealthy areas that don't necessarily need help but to stressed areas.
Trump'The programme's early beneficiaries include family and advisors, as well as other elite investors such as Leon Cooperman and Sidney Kohl, who are
Meanwhile, low-income areas and working classes who help are the least likely to benefit from this tax reform.
There are several others of his that need to be scrutinised.
"There are tough people who are in tune with the interests of the little guy, but they know how to manipulate the little guy's interests." by Jane Mayer.
39)
.It isn't easy to assess Donald Trump.
The existing political system is corrupt, and it's tough to challenge an outsider to destroy it; it would be adequate to infiltrate and undermine it from within.
To do that, you must follow the rules in orotate for a while.
So, I don't want to criticise him for being a 100% liar or part of the Establishment.
But I don't know what his real intentions are.
40)
Does it intend to change the current system? As a true anti-establishment
Or was his anti-establishment stance just a means for him to become president?
At the moment, I think the latter is more likely.
Or was he a shrewd businessman who lacked the political skills to take the country forward?
That's all there is to it.
