“I have a question that perplexes me about Trump followers,” a regular reader of this column asked via email last week.
“What attracts you to him? I find nothing admirable in this man's character. Nothing in his bearing, personality or manner is appealing to me. Help me understand how this repulsive egomaniac captured you and all the rest of MAGA? This is a very sincere question.”
OK, I'll take the bait.
But, let me me start with this.
First off, Trump tends to talk longer than I'm willing to listen. I can't tell you the last time I sat through an entire Donald Trump speech. During his State of the Union Speech, I took numerous breaks, changing channels to watch “Gunsmoke.”
I know where he stands on the issues. And I cringe when he exaggerates a point, or praises himself, or demands praise from his staff. And I figure, “That's just Trump being Trump again. Gotta take the bad with the good.”
For years I've wished he'd tone it down, because I know how his enemies (the Democrats, the media) will bludgeon him with his own words.
I haven't read “The Art of the Deal.” I'm not an octagon fight fan. And sometimes I think he goes too far, like when he criticized Robert Mueller when he died. Trump seldom lets an opportunity to let something go unsaid, actually go unsaid.
Unlike most presidents, he loves jousting with reporters, and isn't afraid to call a dumb question a dumb question. But the vast majority of the media are so blatant in their distaste for the man that they deserve the roughing up. He's the most accessible president of my lifetime, but he bites back.
That said, I'm 75 years old, and the actuarial tables tell me I probably won't be seeing more than one, maybe two more presidents. (My mother lived to be 99, so maybe more.)
At my age, I've seen enough of wishy-washy presidents who talk a great game, but end up just saying things people want to hear, weaseling out on tough calls (Iran), and not being that much different from the guy who came before (debt).
In Trump, I believe we've got a guy who is doing what desperately needs to be done, and he isn't afraid to knock over furniture in the process. I like that. He's unlike what has come before, and the steadfast defenders of what has come before will never forgive him for it.
From the very start, his opponents have done everything they can to defeat him, including multiple, sincere efforts to put him behind bars, and three attempts on his life. They oppose him on everything.
And through it all, his appeal can be explained in one word:
Results.
I believe the border with Mexico couldn't be more different today than it was during Joe Biden's tenure. I watch the news closely, and I saw Trump cut illegal entries from thousands per day to essentially none.
In days.
I saw us go from a president who claimed he couldn't stop the tidal wave of illegal immigrants without an act of Congress (an unreachable goal ever since Simpson-Mazzoli 40 years ago), to one who stopped it within days.
Without an act of Congress. By enforcing laws already on the books. Laws Joe Biden did not enforce.
In some traveling I did in college, I never encountered a country that didn't care about its borders. We must protect our borders as well. Abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the epitome of crazy, bankrupt Democrat thinking.
With the national debt approaching $40 trillion, something fundamental must change. So I supported DOGE's efforts to first cut out the outrageous spending – promoting circumcision in Africa, while controversial here, comes immediately to mind – and was saddened when Elon Musk's optimism was pecked to death by Democrat ducks, until he finally had to get back to running his businesses.
I appreciated Musk's focus on crazy waste, and I believe he saved us billions.
I think Trump has been right to say NATO nations have to pay their share of the cost of defending themselves, instead of leaving the heavy lifting to us.
I'm all for cutting red tape and over-regulation – a problem made shockingly obvious by California's pitiful efforts to rebuild Pacific Palisades. (Trump said get busy rebuilding. But Mayor Karen Bass knew that the bureaucracy beast must be fed.)
I think the ballroom – a need cited by some former presidents – is necessary, and I like Trump's effort to pay for much of it with private donations.
I think releasing Trump's tax returns was illegal, and despite all the hubbub over that $1.8 billion fund to compensate those targeted by the bureaucracy (since dropped, maybe), leaking Trump's tax returns should not go unpunished.
Inflation is up, for good reason as we pay more for gasoline to deal with the menace of a nuclear-armed Iran. But nowhere close to the 9 percent monthly inflation peak under Biden.
I could go on. But, in answer to my email friend's question, that's some of what I find appealing about Trump.
Despite all the hatred and name calling, he's getting some good results. It's about results, not personality.
I don't love everything about Trump.
But, you guys HATE everything about him.
Even the good stuff.
Our bench is deep. Your party has never looked worse.
I rest my case, Your Honor.
Dave Simpson can be contacted at DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com
