Trump's Card

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar
Would I lie to you?
--Eurythmics

To many people, the attractiveness of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate boils down to his being an outspoken outsider--someone who has not been a government employee and who is willing to speak in non-politically correct terms. Some of that is indeed refreshing and something that other candidates might learn from.

Thus, when Trump challenges that effectiveness of recent monetary and fiscal policies in promoting real economic growth, and suggests the complicity of the Fed in facilitating pending financial disaster, it is tempting to think that this guy has a solid grasp of problems confronting us and what to do about them.

However, Trump's record places him in the authoritarian camp, and authoritarians often have a keen habit of appealing talk to help them get elected followed by opposing behavior once they are elected. Thus, we found FDR campaigning on planks to cut federal government spending and balance budgets prior to initiating his massive New Deal spending programs. More recently, candidates Bush and Obama both railed against crony capitalism and corporate welfare before approving massive bailout programs and programs that protect big business on their watch.

Trump's calling card, rhetoric with shock value, distracts from his statist core.