A presidential own-goal

Back in the politically distant past of December 2015 the then-candidate for the American Presidency said – “We’re gonna win sooo much that you’ll get tired of winning. You’ll say Mr Trump, please stop winning you’re wearing us out.” Thus far President Trump does not have much of a track record. Having driven straight into a swamp full of alligators over the immigration and Muslim-countries travel ban he has now gone on to shoot himself in both feet over the repeal of so-called Obamacare. The repeal and replacement of the health legislation that was a piece of legacy lawmaking by Mr Obama has proved to be an undoing in so many ways. He ordered that the Speaker of the House of Representatives to pull the bill set to replace Obamacare because not enough Republicans could be persuaded to vote for it to ensure passage into law. Considering the Republican Party had seven years to get its ducks in a row for this crucial test of a fledgling presidency this does not auger well for Mr Trump. Undaunted by his defeat he promptly blamed the Democrats for it and said he was moving on to his next target – taxation.

The application of a business model to a political process has played poorly. In yet another quote that will be haunting him down the years Mr Trump said that any president who cannot make a deal with politicians is no good (at his job.) The president has made much of the fact that prior to this election he had no political experience whatsoever. It shows. And not in a good way. His churlish refusal to shake the hand of German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her recent visit was a display of childish petulance that would have not looked out of place coming from a teen in a tantrum. He has yet to flex his presidential powers in an international forum and an upcoming meeting of Nato heads of state is going to be closely watched. Tread carefully President Trump; there are unknown unknowns out there. And they bite.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2017.