President-elect Donald Trump will wield what he calls an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” handed to him by voters to help him reach his goals. There is no doubt on the part of Democrats that he will ram his agenda down their throats while all three branches of government have swung to his side. But is it possible that they have nothing to fear in Trump, who may yet prove himself to be a true gentleman-scholar?
That is a matter of honor. Trump could be respected, or reviled, in his second term in office. Currently, controversy surrounds him. Some say: “He’s a sore loser! A convicted felon! A sex offender! Lock him up!” Others say: “The election was rigged! The jury was biased! The accuser was old! Let him go!”
As an American, I believe that those inheriting the office of the president deserve a clean slate, a fair shake and the benefit of the doubt; in that judgment there is honor indeed.
There are five major campaign promises Trump expressed in rallies, interviews and Truth Social posts. If they prove to be boons for the country, then he should pursue them to their logical conclusion: the honorable champ. However, if they prove harmful to the country, and he refuses to change course, then he is a dishonorable chump.
- Round up and deport undocumented immigrants. If Trump discovers that deporting the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants only tears families apart and displaces a large part of the labor force, then “back to the drawing board.” But can he see that his initial proposal does not work?
- Replace civil service employees with Trump partisans. If Trump realizes that filling civil service posts with his allies only leads to gross incompetence, he had better kill that idea. But can he reinvent himself and come up with a new one?
- Make sure tax cuts are retained. If Trump discerns that working-class families deserve tax cuts, too, not only corporations and the wealthy, then he should mend his ways. But will he instead try to silence a groundswell of popular sentiment against him?
- Impose very large tariffs. If Trump sees that many of the brightest economic minds view the costs of the tariffs are passed on to the American consumer, hopefully he will convince himself that he is not the smartest person in the room. But will his hubris instead be our economy’s downfall?
- Punish his enemies. If Trump understands that he won the election, then there is no thorn in his side anymore. But since he has specifically mentioned he is out for revenge, will there be an adult in the White House to administer a time out?
Post-inauguration, we will see if Trump’s incendiary campaign rhetoric is just a bunch of empty threats, uttered simply to win votes, or, unequivocally, the real thing. If the latter, you just might see someone’s gloves come off: “Them’s fightin’ words, Mr. President!” Let us put Trump outside and onto the street, mano a mano, without his security detail. Will he go the distance? Or will he be KO’d? Only such a duel would settle a score over honor.
Writers occasionally run into people reminding them of their profession’s worthlessness: “Them’s just words. You can’t feed a family on that!” But those shrewder in judgment and keener in insight know: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Fight with words, not fists! Now more than ever, freedom of the press is vitally important, since Washington has swung precipitously in one direction.
This article originally was published in the Trib Live digital newspaper on November 26, 2024.
Please click on the link below to read the original version of this article:
https://triblive.com/opinion/jason-w-park-trump-has-a-clean-slate-well-see-where-it-goes/
Jason W Park, a writer based in Los Angeles, grew up in Pittsburgh and earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
