Jeremy A Sims

II. Trump’s Policies Are Terrible: Part 1

When I talk to conservatives about Trump, I usually find them saying, “I know Trump isn’t perfect, but he’s better than Hillary!” so they support The Donald if that means keeping another Clinton from the White House, but exactly what is it that these people fear? Are they afraid Hillary will finish the job on our mangled healthcare system and move from Obama Care to universal healthcare? Are they afraid Hillary will create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants thereby creating a giant insurmountable wave of likely new Democrat voters? Are they afraid Hillary will seize our biggest financial institutions by socializing the banks of the United States?

If you’re one of those who thinks Trump is way better than Hillary, I’ve got some bad news for you. Universal healthcare, a pathway to citizenship and socialization of the banks are not just positions of Hillary Clinton. Those are the current positions of Donald Trump. In fact on two of these issues, healthcare and banking, Trump is actually to the left of Hillary Clinton.

Trump spends the vast majority of his time complaining about problems and relatively little time outlining solutions, so trying to tie Trump to specific policy proposals poses a challenge. Despite this difficulty, Trump does occasionally say something concrete enough to consider, and consideration should strike horror in the hearts of anyone who wants the government to have less control over individuals’ lives. 

Some of the following quotes are from years past, but Trump has never renounced any of these positions.

Universal Healthcare

Most people know that Trump wants to replace Obamacare, but few realize he plans on replacing Obamacare with universal healthcare. 

In the August 6th GOP debate, Trump said, “As far as single payer, it works in Canada. It works incredibly well in Scotland. It could have worked in a different age, which is the age you're talking about here,” but a month later Trump apparently decided this is indeed the age for universal healthcare saying, “Obamacare’s going to be repealed and replaced. There’s many different ways, by the way.  Everyone’s got to be covered.” When asked to clarify that he meant universal healthcare, Trump responded, “I am going to take care of everybody…I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people…the government’s gonna pay for it.”  

Amnesty and a Pathway to Citizenship

When you ask people, “What does Trump want to do with illegal immigrants,” the vast majority will respond, “Throw them out!” yet Trump supported a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants as recently as last year. 

In 2012, Trump accused Romney’s illegal immigration policies of being mean-spirited, insane and maniacal even though Romney’s policies were no stricter than Trump’s current proposals.  Around this same time, Trump skeptically questioned the whole idea of deporting illegal immigrants. “I have to tell you on a human basis, how do you throw somebody out that's lived in this country for twenty years?” 

More recently, Trump won praise from some for his harsh criticism of illegal Mexican immigrants, yet he struggled to form an actual coherent immigration policy throughout 2015. Trump made it clear that he wanted to throw out, “bad” illegal immigrants, but for the ones who are only breaking immigration related laws, Trump claimed they needed a pathway to citizenship. “You have to give them a path and you have to make it possible for them to succeed.” Trump later said that illegal immigrants should be forced to return to their home country where they would be given a chance to quickly reenter the U.S. as legal residents. “These could be some great people…I would get them back where they are, and I would try to work out a process where they could come in legally…and if they were really astounding…I’d let ‘em back legally…and I’d make that system much faster, much quicker…I would expedite it.” Eventually, Trump released an immigration plan on his website, and though it does mention, “mandatory return of all criminal aliens” and the end of catch and release at the border, it mysteriously mentions nothing about illegal immigrants who are already living in the United States.

Trump’s current immigration policy is unclear, but there’s no denying that he’s been for amnesty and a pathway to citizenship more recently than Marco Rubio.

Banking

During the aftermath of the financial collapse, Trump suggested the banks might need to be nationalized by the government. “I do agree with what they’re doing with the banks. Whether they fund them or nationalize them, it doesn’t matter, but you have to keep the banks going.” 

There are some who would say that socializing banks is a little socialistic, but that sort of conclusion could only be reached by people who understand the meaning of words. In all seriousness, this is the same policy as is held by the admitted socialist Bernie Sanders.

It’s a little hard to believe the man leading the GOP primary holds some positions so far left that Hillary Clinton would balk at the idea of implementing them, but that’s the sad state of the Republican Party today.
Click Here for Part 2.

If you enjoyed this article, you'll be happy to know I've written a whole series on Trump. Click Here to Check them Out.