Trump – Telling it Like it Is?

In the past I have rejected labels like ‘progressive’, ‘liberal’ or moderate, partly because they are so vague but also because I detest the way some, who do go under these banners, try to claim an unwarranted moral superiority. The reaction of some to the re-election of President Donald Trump is one example.

Online I have engaged with liberals who argue that the defeat of Kamila Harris is good because it shows that people get punished for supporting genocide. The theory goes that a vote for Harris was immoral because she supplied Israel weapons used to kill Palestinians, and while this is undoubtedly true, where does it get us? People don’t elect politicians for their morality, people elect politicians because they support the direction in which the politicians want to lead the country.

I am saddened to see Trump elected, not because Harris is more moral, but because of the chaos, uncertainty and weakness he brings to America and possibly to the world. I have no time for the fools who claim that you know exactly where you are with Trump, that Trump ‘tells it like it is’. None of us really knows what Trump will do in office – Make America Great Again is an empty slogan into which every American can pour his dreams but which has no clear goals.

Even before all the votes were collected on Wednesday morning, I heard a right-wing commentator dismiss claims of Trump being a disaster, by saying that Trump would only have two years of real control and that he would have people ‘to manage him’. I do not doubt this is true but it bears out this lack of clarity in his agenda, the real policy of the Trump administration is hidden from the people. (Project 2025 is not Trump’s policy, but he may adopt parts of it.)

Think of the promises Trump has made during his campaign, most of which he will not properly implement:

He promised the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, but will have to find excuses to avoid this for economic reasons, making only a token gesture.
Trump pretends to be a Christian who opposes abortion, but has repeatedly changed his stance depending on public mood. Now that he has total power on this issue, will he betray his evangelical backers and row back on this, or will he risk the lives of women with an outright ban?
Trump claims that he can cut taxes and replace them with a 20% tariff on goods entering the USA, and will use the revenue collected to lower taxes. Economists have labelled this plan as disastrous and I suggest Trump will make a gesture but will quickly find excuses to limit this, probably blaming the reaction of other countries.
Trump has pledged to fire thousands of career public servants and close the Department of Education, with his ‘efficiency expert’ Elon Musk promising to give them 2 years severance pay. Look how well Musk managed staff at Twitter to get an idea how that is going to go.
Trump advisors are already steering him away from appointing Robert F Kennedy Jr to a post where he could control the FDA or implement his antivaccination madness.

Voters are understandably irritated with liberals & progressives who think government is about being moral, rather than about making the least worst decision available. While Liberals and Progressives are distraught because Trump exposed exactly who he was and Americans still voted for him overwhelmingly.

Trump has been victorious on all four measures: the popular vote, the Senate, the House and the Presidency (with the Supreme Court already in his pocket), but there is one chink in his armour. With complete control comes complete responsibility, Trump, Vance, Thiel and Musk are responsible for the American economy.

People do not vote for politicians who are moral, they vote for politicians who are effective. If they want to have a future, I suggest liberals, especially in the Democratic Party, should be focussing on the fact that Trump will betray his voter base, that he will not implement most of the promises that he has made.

If people are not significantly better off in 4 years, whatever party grows out of the ashes of the Democratic Party should be ready to fight them on the clear issue of the economic and other failings that are almost inevitable.