克城消息

How Mr. Trump can have even more Success than Winning the U.S. Presidency

    Having secured the Republican Presidential nomination over a vast field of experienced politicians and vanquishing Hillary Clinton, a former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady in the general election, how could Mr. Trump possibly have more success than this? Soon he will be considered the most powerful person on the planet (if he isn’t already). While the election is often compared to a horse race, it is in fact much different as the goal of a horse race is to win, whereas the goal of an election is not only to win, but to unite the country and govern in the best interest of all the people. President-elect Trump will be orders of magnitude more successful if he can expeditiously heal the divide in the U.S.; as President Abraham Lincoln famously mused “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” For ultimate success, to heal the divide and unite the country, President-elect Trump must now work to demonstrate to his opponents that his policies will benefit all Americans.

林肯總統

　Before the election, many pundits wondered what we would talk about afterwards, but as there now seems to be no paucity of topics, this article will focus on severalinsights which I have gained from listening to both Secret Trump Supporters and Vocal Trump Supporters. In the event you haven’t heard of Secret Trump Supporters, it is a term given to people who are reticent to voice their support for Mr. Trump based on concerns of being ridiculed or labeled such things as racist. Interestingly, as voting results now show, many of those who voted for Barack Obama subsequently voted for Donald Trump. Knowing that Barack Obama, of both African and American descent, also has the Arabic middle name of Hussein, it is clear at the very least that those who voted for both President Obama and President-elect Trump cannot be considered racists.
　From listening to Trump supporters, it is clear that they understand nuance, and that it has been many of the politicians who seek to create simplistic narratives, such as referring to many of Trump supporters as not being college educated. While listening to one Secret Trump Supporter, a gentleman who has been running his own business in the same location for nearly forty years, he happened to mention that he both dropped out of high school and has dyslexia. Successfully running a small business for nearly forty years is a stunning accomplishment in and of itself, but adding the factors of having dropped out of high school and suffering from dyslexia makes it all the more remarkable. I wondered whether some polls might classify him as a businessman whereas others might merely try to characterize him as a high school drop out supporting Trump. This businessman’s location also adds to the story, as it is in the well known liberal city of Cleveland Heights, itself located in the mostly Democrat county of Cuyahoga. Not a party line voter, this businessman recounted the struggles his business has faced in the recent years and the fact that he would only speak to me on the condition of anonymity.
　While surely journalists have always cited anonymous sources, if this happens too frequently, the public might wonder whether the stories are true or taken out of context. This in part may account for the reason that the Trump vote had been under reported. I began to wonder how many journalists refrained from reporting due to anonymity requests and how many perhaps did not actively listen to Trump supporters and their many, genuine and reasonable concerns.
　For example, a job to support themselves and their families is a reasonable concern, and many Trump supporters are well aware that jobs have been sent overseas, not only due to lower wages, but also the fact that the U.S. tax code specifically benefits companies which send jobs and hold funds overseas. Listening to these Trump supporters, I heard people who are not jealous of the success of others, but believe that those choosing to live more simple lives should not be crushed under foot by the more ambitious, and that Mr. Trump seemed unique in understanding this.

Pastor Darrell Scott

　A more Vocal Trump Supporter, Pastor Darrell Scott, also of Cleveland Heights, Ohio who had met personally with Mr. Trump, offered his own insight stating that in his estimation, Mr. Trump’s motives for running for president were the most pure. This might seem to be a supreme irony, as Mr. Trump built his brand on his larger than life persona, yet Pastor Scott stated that he saw in Mr. Trump a person who did not need to leave of comforts of his extraordinary life and was doing so only out of sincere concern for the people of the U.S.
　While it is clear that in this election seasonpolls did not tell the whole story, it may not be the fault of “numbers” per se, but rather in part that germane questions were left unasked.
　Success is now surely a two-way street and the electorate does not wish to see more gridlock in Washington. While it may not be possible to turn every opponent into a friend, President-elect Trump’s greatest success will be in unifying the nation, creating a feedback loop of success.

Giacomo Puccini

　As a side note, I can’t help but mention that at a Trump/Pence rally in Cleveland, music included not only modern selections but the glorious aria Nessun Dorma from the Puccini opera Turandot. This can be interpreted in a variety of ways, such as reaching out to many levels of society, or indicating that his much maligned supporters also enjoy classic opera, or perhaps it was Mr. Trump’s realization that in taking on such a momentous responsibility, he expects that in his administration, None shall sleep.