What a Donald Trump presidency may look like domestic issues

At a time when most other candidates have put forward detailed descriptions of their policies regarding major foreign and domestic challenges (from dealing with Russia to reforming education), Trump has not.

Trump's statements on matters of public policy are, by design, vague. He hasn't specified what "winning" in the context of trade relations with China would entail; nor how his plan to "bomb ISIS and take their oil" would be operationalized.

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My intent in writing this article is to present a argument as to why Donald Trump could make for a better president than his critics would ever consider. There would be downsides to a Trump Presidency primary in the area of foreign policy. For reasons of limitations of space, I will save the topic of a in depth look at a potential Trump foreign and military doctrines for another time.

Before I get started one point is worth making: the USA has enjoyed a range of successful Presidents from very varied backgrounds. Perhaps this is one of the only contestants in American History from George Washington to the present. Let me present the reader with just one example of 2 highly regarded Presidents spanning different eras in Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (More commonly known as FDR.)

Abraham Lincoln father was barley literate and nothing remotely in his background suggested he was destine for greatness. Lincoln as history records went from being a small town lawyer to member of Congress. As President Lincoln was Commander in Chief during the American Civil War. Lincoln saved the Union and in the process issued the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery.

FDR came from what today would be called a well to do family. Space doesn't permit me to cover his political career in its entity. FDR's entry into the Washington Beltaway came when he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the Woodrow Wilson administration. The USA entry into WW1 may well have made FDR's cabinet post more important than anyone would have foreseen.

Skipping ahead some years. The defining moment of his life came in 1921 , FDR would never walk again after contracting Polio. From this experience came a greater degree of empathy with every day people. After winning the 1936 presidential election FDR would lead his country out of the worst of the Great Depression. Upon the USA entry into WW2 he would play a large role paving the road to a allied victory.

FDR and Lincoln will now leave my commentary. I ask the reader forgive my detour as I felt FDR and Lincoln are a good way of making my point. I will now come back to Trump.


My characterisation of Trump is that he is a crass reality TV version of Theodore Roosevelt with a cup of Lyndon Baines Johnson (More commonly known as LBJ) thrown into the cake mix. Teddy Roosevelt enjoyed a political punch up just as much a political fight. LBJ wasn't afraid to use what amounted to bullying to get his legislative agenda through Congress. I will come back to these qualities in a moment.

I am going to take a educated guess at the kind of policies Trump would persuade Congress to pass into law. Before I go on any further I will touch upon Congress. I have long thought members of the House of Representatives have done nothing but run for re-election. This must be seen along with how the voice of the everyday Americans has been ignored at the expense Corporate special interest lobby groups who have been buying elections.


In a recent interview Australia's former Ambassador to Washington Kim Beazley, commented members of the House and Senate spend most of their fund raising. For me at least this reinforces my view that the members of Congress have failed to perform their constitutional duty as a legislative body. The way the issue of illegal immigration has been left on the vine back ups my point.


Speaking of immigration if there was ever a issue in which no one side of the debate will get all they want this would be the issue. Trump and his supporters couldn't have the 10 million or so illegal aliens deported. On the other side of the coin the status qua can't go on for a list of reasons that is to long to go into any detail. I believe that the best way to get immigration reform is for it to be lead by someone who takes a tough stand on the issue. Trump certainly fits the bill.

I am reminded of the expression “Only Nixon could go to China " (watch around the 4.06 mark for the famous line.) President Richard Nixon build his early political career on being rabidly anti Communist. As a fierce anti Communist Nixon was was able to open the doors to China without being labelled a Communist sympathiser or even a closet Communist. As history records this was no mean feat.

So staying in the same vain Trump would be ideal to strike a immigration reform package with Congress. By taking his tough stance no one could accuse him of being for amnesty or weak on illegal immigration. Just what the reform package would consist is or would be mostly speculative. I would say that there would be a massive crack down on those firms who hire illegal aliens. Those illegal aliens who are granted a visa would have face some kind of penalty/ way of earning a visa and be free of a serious criminal record.

Any immigration reform success is depended on existing and perhaps new laws being forced. I believe a historical parallel is how Theodore Roosevelt wasn't afraid to enforce The Sherman AntiTrust Act. Trust-Busting was a hall mark of Roosevelt's presidency. I see no reason why Trump wouldn't follow a similar path to ensure illegal immigration is knocked out with sledge hammer.


Trump would enjoy wearing political boxing gloves not unlike in the manner Roosevelt once did in his time. In my view Trump enjoys starting and conducting feuds whether it be against Political Rivals or Megyn Kelly. Trump's opponents who have come to love to hate or despise him have been caught up in his gloves on mantra. As president I would foresee Trump wearing boxing gloves or wielding a sledge hammer towards any opposition in his way.

Health Care would be the other issue where a bridge between opposing factions could be built by someone could act as the political engineer. The wreckage of the failed Obama Care reforms could be rebuild from the ground up. The exchanges could be turned into access points where consumers can access the best prices and suitable health care plans. People who genuinely can't afford private sector health insurance would be covered under existing government programs.

To engineer the health care bridge would mean winning the war against vested special interests (Private Health Insurers and the legal industrial complex) and the political idealogical divided. Such a task could well be beyond a Mr or Mrs nice person president. Trump in a manner reminiscent of LBJ could persuade reluctant members of Congress to back his health care agenda. Trump would drum up public support via hosting rallies and dominating the media cycle as he does now.

I would have liked to have covered how the renewal of existing and new infrastructure projects would benefit from a more business/private sector approach. Again I must factor in space constraints. What I will say is that Trump is the only Presidential front runner who I could foresee doing the horse trading necessary to get the necessary funding and legislation passed through Congress.


By writing this article I hope to provide the reader with a balanced view of what a Trump Presidency could accomplish in turning the USA around from the downward slide it has been on in recent years. I can see merit in a one term Trump presidency. Trump could resolve much of the US domestic crises in the manner described above. In 2020 with the USA back on the rails the time would be right for more of a unifying figure and not the bulldoze all in my way approach of Trump.