Donald Trump is an American billionaire businessman running for president of the United States. He has made many claims, one being that he would bring jobs back to America from foreign countries. If I had the chance to interview Trump, I would ask him this:
“Mr. Trump, you claim to want to create jobs here and bring back jobs from China and other countries. If that is true, why did you have your clothing line, which I presume you control, made in China? Why didn’t you have those items manufactured here in the U.S., creating jobs for American workers? And why, since 2000, have you imported more than 1,100 foreign workers to work in your properties instead of hiring Americans?”
Trump was actually asked a similar question; his answer was, “Because I’m a good businessman.” Those five words put the lie to everything he claims to want to do as president. As a private businessman, he could have opened a factory here in America, manufacturing his products and creating thousands of American jobs. The fact that he deliberately didn’t do this shows what matters to him.
At the Aug. 6 Republican presidential debate, Trump admitted four of his companies had gone bankrupt. He was asked about the thousands of workers who lost their jobs as a result, but he ignored that question. Again, he said everything he did was legal and was good business. Do we want someone who claims he would be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created” while destroying the livelihoods of his employees? Being a good businessman is fine; doing the opposite of what you claim to believe is not.
Trump says he would deport all undocumented people. He is renovating a hotel in Washington D.C.; several undocumented workers were discovered working there. When Trump was asked about this, he basically said that he can’t be responsible for every worker his contractors hire.
Trump claims to be a great negotiator. If he is so good, here is how he should have negotiated with his contractors. “I don’t want any undocumented workers being hired. If I find that you have hired even one undocumented worker, I will terminate your contract immediately and never do business with you again.” He hires thousands of people in many areas. He has the money and power to make that demand. Why didn’t he?
This is the same man who keeps mocking U.S. negotiators on issues such as the Iran nuclear deal. He says he would make Iran do just what he wants them to do. If that’s true, how come he can’t even control his own contractors? If he can’t negotiate a strong private contract, how does he expect to deal with foreign countries who don’t owe him anything?
Trump built a golf course in Balmedie, Scotland, promising 6,000 new jobs for locals. The golf course was built, destroying some local ecology, and the 6,000 jobs never materialized. This is one example of his promises versus his results; he would do the same to America.
He wants to seal the Mexican border with a huge wall. We have 653 miles of fence along the Mexican-American border that cost $7 billion to build and costs millions of dollars every year to maintain. Trump wants to build a wall or fence across the entire 1,954 mile border. He claims he will make the government of Mexico pay for this proposed wall. To whom will he send the bill? How will he collect? We have treaties with Mexico that Trump, as president, would have to honor. Again, big words with no follow-through plan.
Such a wall would block access to the Rio Grande. Thousands of ranchers and farmers depend on the Rio Grande as a source of water. How will they get to the river with a wall in the way? Trump doesn’t seem to have thought this through very well.
Trump’s slogan is “Make America Great Again.” He was asked when America was last great and he said, “Under Reagan.” You remember, the Reagan who sold weapons to Iran, supported terrorists in Nicaragua, allowed the Marine barracks in Lebanon to get blown up, killing hundreds, and tripled the national debt. Yup, those were the days!
In “The Art of the Deal” (1987), Trump wrote, “I play to people’s fantasies... — It’s an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion.” That’s what he’s doing now — playing to people’s fantasies — but the consequences if he wins will be far from innocent.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.