Defend President Trump

Donald Trump became president largely because he won votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.  He won all the electoral votes in these states and was able to win the electoral college while losing the popular vote by about 3 million votes.

Now a majority in those three states that helped propel Donald Trump into the White House no longer approve of his job performance, with approval ratings in those states in the mid 30’s and disapproval ratings at about 55%. More than 60% in Michigan and Wisconsin say they are embarrassed by President Trump. Even about 1/4 of those states’ Tea Party members are questioning his presidency only seven months in although most of the voters who supported President Trump in last year’s election still do so.

Nationally President Trump’s disapproval ratings hover around 60% and his approval rating at about 35%. In previous posts I’ve stated that Congress has an approval rating of about 15% and I wonder what that 15% sees that I don’t. I ask the same about President Trump: What does that 35% see that I don’t?

Three months into Donald Trump’s presidency I discussed the 2016 presidential election and the poor choices voters were stuck with in November. I stated that I understood how voters chose to oppose Hillary Clinton, but I also questioned how voters could actually support President Trump and approve of his behavior and actions prior to running for office, during the campaign, and after three months as president. Four months later I still wonder.

I’m honestly confused by the 30% of Americans who have validated candidate Trump’s 2016 boast:  “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters…”

And mostly I wonder what it says about the 30% of Americans who think it is OK for a president to constantly attack and blame others, including someone who is clearly an American hero and fighting what is possibly terminal cancer.  I’m also confused about:

  • How evangelical Christians helped elect and can continue to support someone who admitted to molesting women, who bragged about cheating on all his spouses (7th and 10th Commandments), who lacks compassion and humility required by Colossians,  who stole from contractors as well as those who signed up for Trump University (8th Commandment),  and who has told countless lies about other people and constantly plays loose with facts (9th Commandment). In fact, his fabrications and outright lies are almost constant.
  • How President Trump’s followers can ignore his promise to have Mexico pay for that (silly) wall but now says he will shut down our own government if the wall is not funded by American taxpayers.
  • How they can ignore his refusal to release his tax records after promising to do so. Isn’t it pretty obvious there is something in those records he doesn’t want us to see?
  • How they can ignore his firing someone who was conducting an investigation against him and his presidential campaign. And he has threatened to fire the special counsel now conducting that investigation. Again, isn’t it obvious that he has something to hide?
  • How can they ignore candidate Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp”, meaning get rid of all the insiders in the administration, when he actually filled his transition team and administration with lobbyists, corporate insiders, and those who contributed lots of money to his campaign. He appointed former lobbyists to administrative positions giving them responsibility for overseeing the corporations for whom they had previously worked. That isn’t draining the swamp. His cabinet is one of the wealthiest and least representative in history.
  • Why are his supporters not offended by his support for a bill reversing the Federal Communications Commission’s privacy policy making it possible for internet providers to sell customers’ browsing information and other data without their permission? This was a win for corporations, not for his voters.
  • Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Rules were intended to keep companies with a history of labor violations from receiving federal contracts and also required employers to provide their workers with detailed pay stubs to help avoid wage theft by employers. President Trump signed a law reversing those rules. Oh, the overturned law also made it more difficult for companies to hide allegations of discrimination or harassment. Why are his supporters not bothered by this?
  • How can his supporters ignore the fact that he attacked President Obama for playing golf and traveling too much when President Trump spent as much on travel in ten weeks as President Obama did in two years. And he actually makes money indirectly by holding meetings with foreign leaders at his properties.
  • President Trump supported an Obamacare replacement plan that was only supported by 17% of Americans and was opposed by 56%. Does it not matter that at least some of the 23 million who would lose healthcare coverage were the voters who put him in office?
  • Just yesterday President Trump once again made the claim that Americans are taxed at a higher rate than in any other country in the world. This is simply false, but he keeps repeating the claim because it plays well to the uninformed. If anyone disputes such claims he calls it “fake news”. Is his constant manipulation of voters not offensive?
  • How can his supporters accept his constant flip-flopping on policy issues (NATO, China as currency manipulator, his claim to not know Vladimir Putin, Syria, etc.) and not be concerned about the effectiveness of his policies?
  • Why are they not bothered by the fact that he has been unable to accomplish a single major campaign promise, and a good bit of the fault is his. His tweets and off-the- cuff comments (which almost always mangle the English language) have created an environment unconducive to compromise and accomplishment.

OK. I could continue offering arguments and facts, but by now it is obvious I’m not a fan of President Trump. In fact I’ve not been a fan of most presidents who have served during my lifetime, but my disdain for President Trump is almost visceral.  I’m with the majority of Americans.

I know I have friends who are supporters of President Trump. Here is your opportunity to defend him. I honestly want to read your arguments (as long as they are civil).  Please….defend President Trump.

 

 

8 thoughts on “Defend President Trump

  1. Thank you for writing this and capturing the incredulity I feel every day. Can 30% of our population truly be so irrational?

  2. Wonderfully stated. I feel so angry and helpless. The town we’re in (SW Virginia) is a liberal island in a sea of Trump supporters. It’s really shocking to see so much disdain for other people coming from them on a day to day basis.

  3. Stupidity, ignorance, and mental incompetence on the one hand, and the evil and greed of those do not want to pay higher taxes, or higher wages and benefits, and those who can control the lobbyists, and therefore control the corrupt politicians — those are the ones who make up the 30%. It is sad.

  4. What scares me is the people who CHOSE to vote for him. What was the appeal? Why make THAT choice? I understand the Rs who voted for him out of party loyalty,, but not those who actually thought it would be a good idea to put him in the White House.

  5. I supported Trump. Let me explain. Coming from the Oklahoma/Arkansas region another Clinton in any sort of office is the last thing that I wanted to see. The Clintons have an extremely bad reputation within the Arkansas borders and have all but tattooed untrustworthy on their foreheads. With that being said, there was a great deal of hope, and now disappointment, that has come from my own voters ballet. Neither of the choices were ideal. At the time of marking that box, it was a choice of some inappropriate remarks, talking about an unrealistic wall being built, and some money issues, against the accused Benghazi associate, someone who cannot handle national security seriously, and someone who expected me to vote for her because we are the same gender. With that being said, I had hope that maybe with a new title and guidance from his counsel, Trump would put his big boy pants on and act like a leader. So, I think there was a lot of hope associated with the votes and someone who supported President Trump.

  6. David, I know you had hoped for someone to defend President Trump, in fact you were begging for it. I, and millions of others, have numerous reasons why we made the choice we did. Unfortunately, as stated by 5 out of 6 of the above, we who did are irrational, we have extreme disdain for others, we are stupid, ignorant, suffer from mental incompetence, are greedy and last, but certainly not least, just flat out evil.

    Is it any wonder than none of us, besides the very brave Tiffany, would bother to answer your question? Perhaps if both sides could rationally look at what is actual reality without name calling, and complete close minded hysteria, we could have that discussion.

    Please understand that there are millions of us who are satisfied with the job our President is doing but we choose to stay silent. Please also understand that the approval/disapproval ratings are coming from the same sources that are so blinded by bias that it’s laughable.

    Tiffany is correct, there was a lot of hope associated with our votes. I will continue to overlook the warts and hope that His Presidency is successful. Why would you not?

    • I really appreciate your comments, Angela. I would still really like to see someone defend President Trump by giving me the reasons they support him. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I absolutely understand why people voted against Secretary Clinton, but I just do not understand (for all the reasons I provided in my post) how people can defend President Trump’s actions and behavior. Be assured that I will not attack any defense you offer although I might disagree, nor will I publish any disrespectful responses by others (that is the point of this blog). I would really enjoy a meaningful debate or discussion.

      And if you read my post on President Trump from several months ago you will know that I also hope for President Trump’s success. I stated that to wish otherwise is unpatriotic. I’m just not optimistic at all.

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