Search This Blog

Monday, March 7, 2016

Something Trump Must Be Doing Right

The big headline on the Drudge Report at the moment is a link to a Reuters story about foreign diplomats "expressing concern" to the State Department about Donald Trump.  According to Reuters, diplomats from countries like Mexico, India, South Korea and others have complained to the State Department about some of the things that Trump has been saying.

Think about it.  It's hard to imagine a bigger endorsement for Trump than this.  Trump is not threatening war against other countries.  All Trump has done is to express a truly pro-American viewpoint when it comes to the world.  Since World War II, the structure of the World is one that was put in place and kept there mostly through the use of American power.  The USA paid to deal with threats to peace and many other countries took shelter under the American umbrella.  Certainly, while there was a threat from the Soviet Union, this sort of alliance made sense.  It protected us while we protected others.  After the Cold War ended, the structure stayed in place, but the main reason for it disappeared.  Why, after all, should the burden of defending Europe be on the USA rather than on the Europeans themselves?  Why should the USA spend billions each year to keep troops in South Korea?  The issue is not why we ought to opposed the crazy dictator of North Korea, but rather why a now rich country like South Korea should not pay the cost for the American troops to be there.  Why, if ISIS is spreading in the Middle East, is it up to the USA to provide the military force to stop it?

Then there's the economic side of the equation.  Why should the USA promote the movement of American jobs to Mexico or to China or to India?  That movement helps the economies of those other countries, but does America get any benefit that outweighs all those jobs lost?

The reality is that the complaints by foreign countries arise because many of them realize that, if he actually does what he says he will do, Trump would end their free rides.  Imagine what would happen if goods entering the USA from China faced exactly the same obstacles and taxes that the American goods entering China face.  How many jobs would be lost in China?  How many jobs would be returned to the USA?  And what would happen if the Europeans had to pay for their own defense?  They certainly can afford it; so why not have them actually do it?

To me, this is an endorsement of Trump much better than some lame statement by Chris Christie.

No comments: