Donald Trump: Rationality Comes from the 'Crazy' Shell

(Baonghean) - The world seems to be tired of criticism and negative views of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. But the statements and policies that Mr. Trump made clear at the Republican National Convention last week show that this basic direction is well-founded, or at least makes a segment of American voters feel confident.

Billionaire Donald Trump is popular with many people, but is also described as “crazy” and damaging to America in the eyes of some voters. Photo: Politico.

From Trump-style “extremism”

The “political portrait” of billionaire Donald Trump was built by many Americans and the majority of world public opinion with negative angles, shocking words, or policies that go against the traditional political model. And in fact, Donald Trump has also successfully polished his name with a “different” strategy to surpass the veteran political “players” of the Republican Party.

In a recent statement, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump publicly stated his views on foreign policy, international trade and national security on July 24. In particular, he left open the possibility of withdrawing the US from the World Trade Organization (WTO). Responding to a question on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, Trump said that if he became the next US president, he could renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and withdraw from the WTO. When questioned by host Chuck Todd about the WTO, the Republican presidential candidate said that trade agreements within the WTO framework were a "disaster" and the WTO itself was a "disaster".

The real estate billionaire also mentioned the view of saying “No” to international obligations and responsibilities when talking about the US role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Mr. Trump reiterated his intention to force allies to shoulder the defense costs that the US has paid for them over the years. In an interview with The New York Times on July 20, real estate tycoon Trump made it clear that the US under his term would not necessarily have to deploy aid to NATO in case its allies were attacked. Whether the US would provide material or spiritual support would depend on the level of contribution of NATO member countries to this alliance. Mr. Trump’s idea here is quite clear, the US will only help those who “fully meet their obligations to Washington”.

The confrontation between Mr. Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is predicted to be fierce with too many oppositions. Photo: CBS.

To Trump's logic

The decisiveness in the strategy of billionaire Trump is making America’s allies around the world restless. But that is what a part of the American people are expecting, behind the election platform “Make America Great Again”. America in Mr. Trump’s eyes contains many problems from inside and outside, persistent mistakes and shortcomings, so it is necessary to focus on “fixing” rather than continuing to follow the path that has become traditional.

The biggest domestic problem that Mr. Trump mentioned is the "national debt" that is about to reach 21,000 billion USD and the annual trade deficit of over 800 billion USD. Therefore, this is a topic that has been pursued throughout Donald Trump's election campaign with the message "Strengthening America First" and "Make America Great Again". According to Donald Trump's argument, if America is sick and cannot solve its own problems, then never dream of becoming a "pillar" for the "free" world.

In the eyes of businessman Trump, America has also become more realistic and “modest” in its relations with the world. For example, America needs to ask its allies, Japan, South Korea and Europe, to contribute and share more of the burden for common defense spending. Mr. Trump argues that America must ask the richest and most capable countries to contribute to common security commitments. Ensuring security is a win-win situation, not just for the US; and why should we only ask America to fulfill its ally obligations, and not the other way around? In the current relationship pursued by the Obama administration, and also the approach of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, America’s position is clearly dependent. No ally wants to pay if they know America’s weakness: the inability to give up US bases in Asia and Europe. Putting the issue like this is a very bad premise for negotiations in Mr. Trump’s eyes.

Obviously, the decline in contributions to global security costs also means that the US will “fall back” in its role. But according to Mr. Trump, that is not a terrible loss while the US still has lingering pain. Instead of pressuring many other countries about human rights and promoting democracy, civil liberties and American values, Mr. Trump does not hesitate to point out America’s problems. Low minimum wages, increasing wealth gap, racism, police shootings of innocent people, and attacks on law enforcement always make Americans startled. And instead of lecturing, America should lead by example.

Politics is brutally honest

Despite the fact that many people use billionaire Donald Trump's limited political capital to attack him, it cannot be denied that this character has his own strengths. Mr. Trump is not a politician with the eloquence and extensive political experience of his opponent Hillary Clinton. Therefore, his statements are mostly straightforward and honest, not polished in words, saying what he thinks. The problem is that the stories he presents delve deeply into American issues, issues that many American voters care about. Mr. Trump's "not so good" image comes from the fact that his words are not popular with intellectuals and elites, leading to being misquoted, described as "crazy" and strange.

The road to victory ahead for Mr. Trump is still very difficult, but his "madness" has reached new limits of American politics.

Thanh Son