Truth About Trump

I’ve never been a big fan of bumper stickers, campaign ads, political slogans, misleading headlines and internet memes. Most are simplistic and amount to lies by omission—leaving out contradictory facts or important context.

I stumbled upon this list of statements the other day:

Truth about Trump:
The “billionaire” who hides his tax returns.
The “genius” who hides his college grades.
The “businessman” who bankrupted 3 casinos and lost over $1B in 10 years.
The “playboy” who pays for sex.
The “Christian” who doesn’t go to church.
The “philanthropist” who defrauds charity.
The “patriot” who dodged the draft.
The “innocent man” who refuses to testify.

Obviously, the writer of this list is trying to cast doubt on Trump’s credibility and, ironically, in the same way as I did while Trump was running in the Republican primary years ago. It is meant to disparage the President and probably persuade people not to support him, but it is unlikely to convince any Trump supporter. It isn’t a wise tactic either considering that Democrat front-runners to challenge Trump were caught plagiarizing, used false identities to secure privileged positions for themselves and have lurched far-left following their radicalized base.

But the list intrigued me as an opportunity to confront some common claims against the President and put things in better perspective.

Claim #1) The “billionaire” who hides his tax returns.

Democrats have made a big tadoo over Trump’s tax returns. Democrat-controlled states, like California, have gone as far as to push through legislation barring candidates from the ballot who refuse to turn over their tax returns.

Anyhow, I can’t read minds, but it seems that the writer of the claim is trying to cast doubt on Trump’s wealth by putting the word “billionaire” in quotes. I had done the same during the primaries a few years ago. But now, after Trump has presided over the best economy in decades, it is a moot point. To borrow the infamous words of Hillary Clinton, “what difference does it make?”

Trump is obviously very wealthy and if this wealth were gained through nefarious means the IRS would be all over it. There is absolutely no reason why the man, who won the 2016 election, would give out more personal information to his enemies. Nobody supporting Trump is demanding that he release this information and his sharing all would not gain him another vote either. So why play their silly game?

Furthermore, it is Trump’s willingness to defy precedent that makes him an attractive candidate. We don’t want followers in the highest office, we want leaders and trendsetters, someone who puts the established way of doing things to the test. Trump was elected as an unconventional candidate, someone who would take risks the others would not, and this is his greatest strength. Nobody that matters cares about his tax returns.

Claim #2) The “genius” who hides his college grades.

It’s funny how wound up tight Trump’s critics get about his hyperbole. Trump haters seem to think of themselves as the smartest people in the room and yet he plays them so well. Trump’s opponents have underestimated him at every turn, they ridicule him as stupid and his supporters as ignorant, yet somehow end up always being outflanked, outplayed, outsmarted.

Dunning-Kruger effect, anyone?

But aside from that, this idea that good grades equate to superior intelligence is a farce. Yes, it certainly takes a level of intelligence to get decent grades and is still an honor to be a valedictorian. However, the list of extremely intelligent people who didn’t fare well in formal education includes names like Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson.

The idea that a long list of degrees and academic achievements has real-world value is questionable. Sure, if it gets you employed as a doctor, engineer or lawyer, then it makes perfect sense to spend a couple of years in an institution. Yet there are many well-educated people, who are smart (at least on paper) and can’t even service the debt on their student loans or find gainful employment—so is the college experience and GPA a real measure of anything that is truly important?

Besides that, if Trump should be assumed to be dumb for not releasing his grades and despite his successes, then what about Obama refusing to release his college transcripts? Does that mean he is automatically an idiot or hiding something as well?

Claim #3) The “businessman” who bankrupted 3 casinos and lost over $1B in 10 years.

Anyone who doesn’t live in their mother’s basement should know better than to criticize anyone over a few failures. Even the best and brightest NASA engineers, literal rocket scientists, had their share of explosions on the launchpad. A person who has never made any mistakes has likely never tried anything worthwhile in their lives.

Trump’s bankruptcies are not a big secret either. In fact, back in 1997, he wrote a book, titled “The Art of the Comeback,” about his bankruptcies and other failures and what he learned through the experience.

What the critics of Trump do not tell you is that his bankruptcies all came from his Atlantic City casino investments and he wasn’t the only businessman caught in that perfect storm of new competition from other states and the early 1990’s real estate crash. In fact, casinos continue to fold in Atlantic City, the market is that bad due to changes in gambling laws in surrounding states and a myriad of other factors. If a hurricane, that nobody saw coming, sinks many boats, do you blame the captain for the damage to his boat or the storm?

What is actually significant is that Trump could take a billion-dollar loss and somehow could rebound. That is no small feat. It actually makes him more qualified to make American great (again) than those who have no similar experience. It really doesn’t take much to be a career politician who promises free stuff to get elected and makes their money speaking to bankers or foreign leaders, but it does take something to have lost in the real world and come back again.

Claim #4) The “playboy” who pays for sex.

It is hard to defend Trump’s morality as far as sexual matters are concerned. But his reputation as a playboy is the least of my own concerns and I’m not even sure why it is on this list other than as a schoolyard taunt.

But this is completely inane when you consider that Trump is currently married to a model.

Whatever the case, the claim is false. Trump was alleged to have had an affair with Stormy Daniels and then paid her hush money to keep quiet. But that is not the same as “pays for sex” and the implication that Trump is unable to attract female attention without waving cash in their face. For all we know, Daniels lied about the whole thing and was paid simply out of convenience. Settlements are never an admission of guilt. They are only proof that someone has the money to make an accusation go away—nothing more or less.

Celebrities and public figures are often targets of extortion and blackmailing schemes. Some are based in truth and others completely fabricated. Either way, true or false, an allegation can damage a person’s reputation and that’s why some choose to pay rather than fight. People like Trump hire lawyers to handle that sort of business for them and might not even know about particular cases.

As far as credibility, Daniel’s lawyer, Micheal Avanatti, has also been charged with extortion against Nike by Federal prosecutors in New York. He is also being charged with tax fraud and embezzlement by US Attorneys in California and in the process of being disbarred.

And, if facts matter, it was actually Daniels who paid Trump after her case was thrown out.

Claim #5) The “Christian” who doesn’t go to church.

It is amazing how suddenly religious Democrats and Hollywood celebrities have become. Traditionally conservative politicians have been mocked for their Christian moral convictions. We have been lectured by liberals for years about a supposed separation of church and state which they claim means that faith should always remain a private affair. But Trump has worked a miracle and now church attendance has become important again.

I’m not even going to check this claim because let’s be real here, Trump could attend church and it would be spun as evidence of his religious fanaticism and a negative. We see that in how the corporate media attacks men like Vice President Mike Pence, You can’t win if you are a Republican, Either you are a portrayed as a religious nutcase for holding views that are completely in step with those of many Americans or harassed for not being virtuous enough if you don’t support their far-leftist social agenda.

It is beyond annoying to see politicians twist religious texts when it suits their political ends and then discard it elsewhere. For example, when Obama evoked the “Golden Rule” as an argument for directing schools to allow biological to men use of girls bathrooms if they identify as a woman and then totally ignores what Scripture says about sexually devious behavior. Trump haters, before we get to church attendance, need to decide whether or not government policy can be Bible-based or not and then go from there.

But, as far as President going or not going to church, who cares?

Does anyone actually believe for a second that politicians do the things they do, like attend churches or kiss babies, as a genuine expression of who they are? No, I would rather a President who was completely authentic and didn’t go to church, than one who goes simply to maintain the ‘right’ appearances. The Bible warns many times of wolves in sheep’s clothing or people who look good on the outside and are truly corrupt to the core and also has many uncouth characters (I.e. not politically correct) who were nevertheless righteous.

So, yeah, maybe Trump should attend services, but ultimately being a Christian is not about church attendance. And, at very least, if one must be all smarmy and sanctimonious, then consider, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Claim #6) The “philanthropist” who defrauds charity.

The Donald J. Trump Foundation was originally started by Trump as a means to distribute proceeds from his book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal” in 1988 and was sustained by his personal funds until 2008 when the foundation started to solicit donations. It indeed has been a legitimate source of controversy and investigation. And, in a deal to resolve the issue Trump has agreed to dissolve the foundation and give the remaining funds to other charitable approved organizations.

However, it is worthwhile to note that simultaneous to this, during a Presidential election, the Clinton Foundation was collecting $2 billion dollars in contributions from corporations and foreign governments. What was astounding is the almost complete lack of interest on the part of the corporate media for uncovering why these donations poured in from around the world. Sure, there may be no direct link between the charitable donations and future political favors. It may be technically legal to run this sort of “pay for play” scheme as long as nothing can be proven with a paper trail. Yet, there is a clear ethical issue.

That is not a whataboutism. I’m not attempting to minimize the serious allegations against the Trump Foundation. However, my point is that elections are about a choice. And, given that reality, if you had to choose between A) a candidate who allegedly misused some funds donated to them or B) another who potentially sold out their country for cash, wouldn’t you choose the one who did not (by reasonable deduction) defraud the entire country before setting foot in the White House? I’m definitely taking my chances with the bit player who puts their nation first over the professional politician who puts their global interests first.

Claim #7) The “patriot” who dodged the draft.

It is absolutely hilarious that Trump is criticized for not wanting to waste his life fighting a war that Democrats have declared immoral. I suppose it would be better that he got shot in the butt, been given some medals, and then threw his fellow veterans under the bus as “war criminals” to launch a political career, like John Kerry?

This is another case where Trump critics need to make up their minds. It seems the same people screeching against a war with Congressional approval during the Bush era, suddenly did not care about Obama taking us into new wars (or carrying out drone strikes) and now ridicule Trump as “unpatriotic” for not wanting to participate in the Vietnam War—a conflict protested by millions of Americans

Honesty, after years of foreign interventions that cost us billions, killed millions around the world, and seemed to have failed at bringing the results that were promised, I’m glad for a President who avoids war at all costs. Patriotism defined as blind service to the whims of warmongering politicians is about as anti-American as an idea can be. Trump is right to choose peace and prosperity over a policy constant debt-fueling war.

I would rather have a President who is dedicated to protecting our national borders and does not feel the need to play world policeman. It should come as no surprise that our economy has taken off under Trump’s leadership. Things would be even better if the Federal Reserve and the never-Trumper Congress got out of the way and decided to join in making America better for US citizens.

Claim #8) The “innocent man” who refuses to testify.

The writer of this list, like so many leftists, seems to think that someone is guilty merely for being accused of a crime. Apparently, they’ve never had their own words twisted around and misrepresented or heard of a perjury trap. It is impossible to prove a negative and had Trump taken the stand he would still be assumed guilty by those desperate to bring him down.

Trump had every reason not to cooperate with the politically motivated Mueller investigation. The whole thing was started under false pretenses (a fake dossier paid for by Trump’s rivals) and little more than fishing expedition in hopes of finding something incriminating against Trump. It failed. Not a shred of evidence proved the Russian collusion conspiracy theory that had been pushed by the corporate media and had been used to tilt the midterms for the Democrats.

But what is most glaringly stupid about this claim is that the most innocent man in history also refused to take the stand. That man, Jesus, understanding that the proceedings against him were nothing more than a show trial and that nothing he said would matter to the angry mob, kept his silence. He refused to testify in the trial because he knew it was a sham:

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ” Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. (Matthew 26:59‭-‬63b NIV)

Mind you, this is the same Jesus who, like Trump, was not afraid to call out his religious opponents for their hypocrisy and trade insult for insult. Yet Jesus became silent when his enemies, who saw him as a threat to their own political power, sent him to death using his hyperbole and offensiveness as evidence against him. Ironically, like those who condemned Jesus, the writer of this list is revealing their own ignorance and should probably attend church more often themselves.