Cautious
By
Leonard Zwelling
The verdict on Donald Trump was rendered by millions of American voters. Forget about the trials in which he was the defendant. Most of them will never see the light of day. He will not be held accountable for his behavior after the 2020 election. The people have spoken. They don’t care. They think he was being persecuted by the justice system. He wins.
It is also evident from some of the choices he has made for prominent positions in his administration that it is far more important to be either rich or on television than it is to have behaved ethically in your personal life if you are going to be on the Trump team.
But, regardless, now, comes the tough part—governing.
As someone who never voted for Trump and never would because I still believe ethical character counts, I need to approach the new administration with some sort of open mind set. Whether I like it or not, Donald Trump is going to be president again. For that mindset, I have chosen caution.
First, I can see where the Trump voters found the status quo unacceptable. Prices at the grocery store are much higher than they were during the first Trump administration.
Second, Trump made demonstrable progress toward Middle East peace with the Abraham Accords. Now we have war.
Third, the world is far more unstable than it was when he left office. Russia was indeed already chewing on pieces of Ukraine, but that has only gotten worse under Biden. Russia was not afraid to up the ante.
Finally, the issue of border security exploded under Biden and Trump has once again vowed to deport illegals and prevent any further illegal immigration.
Where do I find the optimism to allow myself to sit back and let his team have a go at fixing the country?
Well, you have to admit that the United States has been less of a global power over the past 20 years and life for those who are not billionaires or millionaires has gotten much harder. It is harder to afford a first house. American public schools are in crisis.
But most of all, no one trusts anyone. Including me.
I am currently being bombarded with offers to republish and market my novel at a steep price. I ask for references from other authors. I rarely get names and numbers and when I do, the people I speak with have very few sales to show for the money paid to these hucksters. Most of these companies are scams.
So, can Donald Trump restore trust in government?
If he prioritizes smartly and has some early wins, perhaps.
If he empties the jails of illegal immigrants and deports them all, everyone will say “well done.”
If he can truly negotiate peace in Ukraine albeit by letting the Russians keep what they have already taken, that could help. Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO, but I doubt Trump cares. Does he even care about NATO?
If he can craft a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia, usher the Saudis into the Abraham Accords with Israel, and, at least, try to resolve the issue of 3 million homeless Palestinians, that would be a win.
If he can just do those things and keep the economy growing while keeping unemployment low and inflation down, he will have been a success.
However, if he uses the army at the southern border or has massive roundups of illegal aliens who are currently mowing lawns and building houses; if he imposes high tariffs on foreign goods which leads to a reignited inflation; or if he lets a flood of the January 6 convictees out of jail; he may have a rougher time.
His priorities will mean everything. My cautious optimism comes from the hope that he will make good choices in ranking his priorities.
I can hope, right?
