Trump - The positives - (see Mod note in OP)

DUBLINIRL

I haven't really ever managed to understand why people elected Trump the first time nevermind the second time. I've heard the high level stuff like he is building a wall to keep the Mexicans out and is going with a US first approach which I believe that means he will give less money to other countries, provide less defence abroad and increase tariffs on imports.

In Ireland we are overwhelmingly negative towards Trump and it seems largely based on his attitude and what he says as it just doesn't play well with most of us.

It seems like we can't have a conversation about the positives Trump brings that make people vote for him in a more emphatic way that it seems any recent republican presidents.

Can people help us understand why people elected him and what tangible benefits he has brought to people's lives?

There are other threads to say how much you dislike him and his policies so if that is your take could you please use any of those as it would be good if many of us could finally understand why this man is president again.

Mod Note: there is to be absolutely no discussion about gender realignment, trans, etc. or a permanent ban from the Politics will be issued.

Dr Robert

He won't run again is a positive

DUBLINIRL

The first response is negative... it really is tough to understand why he was elected... he must have had some tangible positive outcomes during his first term to be elected a second time so I'm hoping to find out what they were.

lawrencesummers

He typically does what he says he will do.

Be it a good thing or a bad thing you have to accept that a politician doing what they say they will do is an attractive proposition to a voter.

Then there is the Israel war. He has been massively influencial in putting a ceasefire in place. It’s highly likely by Valentine’s Day one will be in place in the Ukraine also. Isn’t that what everyone wanted the last number of years?

TokTik

He’s a common sense president. On his first day he’s saved women’s sports from men. He’s designated illegal immigrant gangs as terrorists. He’s promised to deport a lot of foreign criminals, Tom Homan is an excellent choice for that. He’s standing up for the common man against the DEI (Didn’t Earn It) nonsense.

Whilst some of his statements are a bit off the wall, I’d love a common sense politician in Ireland who actually followed through on their election promises, and worked for Ireland as a country and not just an economy. Hopefully one emerges soon.

geotrig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079465#Comment_123079465

how was he massively influential in putting a ceasefire in place, genuine question ?

NIMAN

It's hard to see any positives in him at present.

He is a convicted criminal who often spouts misinformation.

I guess we will have to wait until the end of his term to see if he did anything positive.

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079475#Comment_123079475

He also promised to build a wall against Mexico and have Mexico pay for it; how did that end up as he's a "common sense president"? Have you even seen the sections built? It fell down in less than 5 years yet he spent millions on it. He re-negotiated NAFTA and now he's railing against his own deal that he signed as the best deal for USA. As for deportation; Biden's administration deported more people than Trump did during his first run and yet we're to think he's tough on immigration? Trump is all bluster and headlines yet he fails to deliver because he's already moved on after the headlines fade away and while I'm sure you will see headlines about deportation I suggest you look at the numbers instead; facts over feelings though that's highly unpopular with the Trump movement.

Now to answer OP; he gave them cash in their pocket through covid payments fanning the inflation that people were complaining Biden did not do anything about. People thought free cash was actually free instead of realizing it was not only a payday loan but it would have negative consequences to give out during an overheating economy. Because people are about as insightful as a goofer in general on economy (esp. in the USA where the idea of taking out a car loan for 8 years with 30% interest is done regularly) they could not see beyond the 5s of seeing free money in their pocket. Damn the impact, I'm rich! Those same people then got hosed on inflation prices, house prices, car prices etc. but did not see the connection to the Trump cheque they got in their pocket. The same people who will tell you they want to end Obamacare but I'll shoot you if you touch my ACA (Affordable Care Act, it's the same thing). In short, people wanting a quick solution to go back to the good old days that's not their fault who fail to realize that the issues are far far more complex than that and bought the snake oil medicin. And they will pay for it all over again while blaming someone else for their own self-inflicted wounds.

Bishop of hope

If I had a choice of Trump over Biden or Harris I'd pick Trump too I think. But American politics in general is really a cesspit of corruption.

NIMAN

Trump is a fool, but he's a fool voted in democratically, so you have to accept it.

As for Biden, for me he will always be remembered as the potus who supplied arms for Israel to flatten Gaza and kills tens of thousands of innocent people.

spacecoyote

In essence people vote for him for multiple reasons:

1. If you're rich you vote for him because he's also rich and uses the presidency to make rich people richer. Money talks
2. If you're poor you vote for him because he constantly lies about the stuff he'll do for you. They look at their current pay packet and say..."I had more 4 years ago under Trump than I do today under Biden". The fact the entire world was in a global inflationary environment and the fact that Biden actually did more for the common man in four years than Trump did is irrelevant. Money talks
3. If you're an angry troll, racist, anti-"woke", abusive, etc... live your life blaming everyone else for all of your own problems, then Trump has made it OK for you to say that out loud. In fact he's told you you're actually right, it is every minority groups fault that your life is bad. Basically he's given you a free pass to be a d1ckh3ad.
4. He's like the monopoly man, the American cliche of rich success. Its a lot of smoke and mirrors and chicanery, but he's the American dictionary definition of successful. And a whole cohort of people in America look and go..."he's a successful business man, so he'll be able to run the country successfully too". Again, Money talks
5. Hes got the ear of some of the most influential tech/social media individuals, so dissemination of false info, etc... meant his message was spread aggressively and targeted to how people needed it.
6. If you're the American style of Christian religious, then you love Trump. He claims to be some sort of divine representative, and they buy that. He gets you Conservative judges who revoke rights in line with Conservative Christian values. And that style of Christianity also buys into the whole "me being rich is because God is rewarding me for being holy" style of belief. Not the give to the poor style of Christianity that Jesus preached.
7. People have short memories. They don't actually remember how toxic America was in that prior 4 years. Again, Money talks

Think that gives a bit of context.

Bottom line, if you're rich, you get benefits from Trump being in.

If you're poor your life will get worse, but he'll make you feel like that's OK, because he'll tell you its someone else's fault, and you'll believe it.

Donald Trump

It's much better to have a stable genius in charge

Avatar in the Post

This will be a short thread if the topic is adhered to (it won’t).

He’s unlikely to attack many women as POTUS due to the presence of witnesses.

A downside of that is if he attacks any women while 47th the security services will likely cover it up.

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079531#Comment_123079531

He only need to claim he was checking for microphones and it would be covered under presidential immunity as defined by the SC.

But going back to the topic at hand; let me put on my optimistic hat and speculate a bit on potential positives during Trump:

1. No increase in borrowing cap (not due to Trump but Republican party)
2. Increase in NATO spending and EU becoming more self sufficient on weapons etc.
3. Tougher tariffs on China driving their economy further into the ground
4. More troops on Greenland (pushing Putin to have to dedicate more money & troops in the north were they will do feck all use)

That's about all coming up in terms of actual impacting changes rather than feelz good policies.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079476#Comment_123079476

Have a read of this…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/18/the-inside-story-of-how-an-unlikely-alliance-of-trump-and-biden-led-to-historic-gaza-ceasefire-deal

hotmail.com

One positive for certain is that he's very entertaining and great television.

hotmail.com

America prided itself on being rules based and the world leader on morality which we know from Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, helping overthrow governments in Latin America etc etc that this notion America told itself is rubbish.

Trump blew this notion apart and laid bare to the world what America really is.

scrabtom

The illegal immigration situation in America is something that needs to be sorted out and clamped down on. According to the NYTimes, the Biden presidency has seen the largest level of US immigration per capita on a yearly basis since the 1850s. This puts a huge strain on services and local communities. In my opinion enabling it was Biden's biggest policy mistake. Clamping down on it is not going to make a difference to Ireland but I think it has to happen.

A positive that will directly effect Ireland is that his bluster about leaving NATO is going to, and has already forced European nations to start thinking about and investing in security again. If only we would do the same.

I'm sure there will be some other positives here and there, but it has already been and undoubtedly will continue to be mostly negative.

It's pretty laughable that people can associate this loon with 'common sense'.

Compo82

He's right about oil and gas. Economy needs cheap fuel to grow, Ireland has banned oil and gas exploration licenses. We need to cop on and have our own self sufficient energy. If all the corporation taxes goes, we will need oil and gas to grow the economy. People will say what about the climate, but China and India don't care really.

Rocket_GD

It's been very positive for the 1,500 rioters he just pardoned who stormed the Capitol.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079635#Comment_123079635

Does that mean we never have to hear about that again? That's positive I suppose.

Bishop of hope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079605#Comment_123079605

Well you mentioned 2 of what you think are positives and then go on to call him a loon with no common sense?

NSAman

I can personally understand why he was elected.

Negatives:

cannot stand the man.

The Neanderthal’s in the States shouting “ USA, USA”

The oceans of trees killed printing more person views as fact, in newspapers.

Trumpy Trout sales.

Positives:

Tackling social “norms” which are being abused in the States.

A President who can actually know what’s going on (that part could also be a negative)

Hopefully the end of “political witch-hunts”

Tackling “big government” (we’ll see)

DEI a thing of the past.

Illegal immigration, dammit why should I have to work to pay for people who didn’t choose the legal path?

kowloon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079696#Comment_123079696

Illegal immigration, dammit why should I have to work to pay for people who didn’t choose the legal path?

I was under the impression illegal immigrants have to work to live because they don't get any of the benefits a citizen can get. So they're productive and fuelling the economy while they're getting nothing back. Do I have that arseways?

Peregrinus

Can people help us understand why people elected him and what tangible benefits he has brought to people's lives?

Honestly, I don't think he brought any tangible benefits to anybody's lives (unless you count his cronies who benefitted from corruption). His first administration was a shambolic parade of ineptitude and incompetence in which much heat was generated but little was actually acheived.

Your question assumes that the reason people elected him must be because they feel his previous administration brought benefits to them, but this is not so. They might have voted for him for entirely different reasons, such as:

• they dislike the Democrats, and would have voted for whatever candidate the Republicans nominated
• they dislike the US political establishment/the US political system/the republic — they feel these things do nothing for them — and will vote for a candidate who seems likely to damage or destroy any or all of these.

dulpit

From reading a bunch of stuff in the lead up to yesterday it seems that one of the consensus points about America is that it is a nation of individuals rather than a cohesive society. And an awful lot of people who voted for Trump did so on the basis that he would be good for their bottom line. Personally speaking in Ireland I'd prefer higher taxes for the benefit of the wider society, but this is an anathema to the American psyche. So on that point, Trump is a positive for his voters - he's pledging to do things which will likely improve a subset's individual's circumstances and then a larger portion view it as him hurting others who may by in competition with them.

But on a wider societal side of things, I can't see him being a positive.

Musicrules

There are a lot of negatives but as seen with Biden pardoning his son and aiding an ongoing genocide, Americans have allowed themselves to be ruled by corrupt, warmongering politicians but that is nothing new. Whatever they do in their own country they can work away but their mass killing misadventures around the world needs to end. If Trump can at least reduce that then that's a positive but not sure that will happen.

NSAman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079728#Comment_123079728

in a word “yes’

I suppose the term “illegal immigrants” is a misnomer. Some work and go under the radar. However, the latest batch are processed and transported to various parts of the states. Eg. Chicago spend 2 Billion on these people. The tax payer was asked to pay for this in additional taxes (thanks Johnson) which was rightly overturned.

People who come legally, have to pay the government to stay. My case tens of thousands of dollars, while working and not taking a cent off the government.

Every country needs immigration, hell I’m an immigrant, but you should be an added benefit not a cost to everyone else.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079752#Comment_123079752

you would prefer higher taxes? How much higher can it go?
currently my wages are taxed 50%.

Then from what’s left I pay these anywhere from weekly to annually.

VRT, Fuel Tax, carbon tax, motor tax, LPT, TV license, insurance levy, vat, capital gains, Excise Duty, air travel tax, customs charges, and I’m sure a few others.

Higher taxes means more waste, not more services.

The idea that Trump has brought one of the best businessmen in the world into a Government department with a remit for efficiency and the powers to implement them is something I can see being copied globally over the next few years. There are a lot of votes to be had and a lot of money could be saved in something like that.

ancapailldorcha

There are no positives unless you're a senior figure in government who stands to profit handsomely and even then that's unlikely.

As for why, that's not particularly complicated. The US is a deeply racist and divided country which allocates disproportionate clout to states like Alabama and Mississippi that have appalling standards in terms of education.

Kurt Andersen wrote a wonderful book about Americans' obsession with fantasy. It's called Fantasyland and I highly recommend it.

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079802#Comment_123079802

Except a) Musk has ZERO power to implement anything and b) it's already been done multiple times going back to 1905 and guess what; it did not work out in those cases either… The issue can be summed up simply; what ever cut you want to implement there will be people who're against it in congress who'll vote against it and with the razor thin numbers that's the death knell to it.