Trump is the Anti-Reagan

Source: American Thinker | May 13, 2016 | Paul Kengor

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Before proceeding further, I’ll begin with a general statement on my Reagan bona fides — that is, for Trump supporters new to the conservative movement who have no idea who I am.

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So, with that said, let me state unequivocally and undeniably that not only is Donald Trump not the “next Reagan,” but he is the anti-Reagan. Really, I find not only that the two men have preciously little in common, from their policies to their person, but I think there may be no two men more glaringly different. Donald Trump is a polar opposite of Ronald Reagan.

Generally, in terms of policy/ideological preferences, there is not much that Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan have in common, from domestic to foreign policy, which is quite odd given two Republican nominees for the presidency not too many years apart. Sure, policywise, I suppose there are some things, like favoring a strong military and — maybe, at one point — perhaps possibly cutting income-tax rates. But even then, as I write, Trump’s favoring of lower taxes is something on which he is already reneging. Indeed, between my first draft of this article last week and my final version this week, he has flip-flopped on taxes. In a matter of minutes on Sunday, from NBC to ABC, he soared all over on taxes, and on the minimum wage.

Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, is legendary for his refusal to reverse himself on income-tax cuts throughout his entire presidency. Trump is reversing himself even before the Republican convention. Reagan’s refusal was because Reagan was principled. Trump’s reversal is because Trump is not principled. Reagan was a complete conservative. Trump is momentarily pretending to be a conservative, and is getting away with it because of followers who back him no matter he says or does — just as he boasted they would. (Click here for Trump’s woefully embarrassing attempt to define conservatism, a problem Reagan never had. Trump’s definition is that of someone attempting to hijack conservatism merely in order to get elected.)

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Precisely. Our system was designed so the chief executive cannot stomp in and do whatever he pleases. That’s how banana republics operate. If Trump’s advocates are frustrated with the inaction of the federal government now (by the way, federal-government inaction is not a bad thing to a conservative), just wait until they see Trump’s inability to kick and scream and get what he wants from behind the Oval Office desk. The federal government is not a business, and the president is not a CEO. The Founders did not want the president to be a CEO. Conservatism and genuine conservatives grasp this. Reagan did. Trump doesn’t, or at least he speaks on the campaign trail like he doesn’t.

But easily the starkest difference between Trump and Reagan relates to temperament and personality. Ronald Reagan was always universally liked, even by nasty critics on the left. You would have never seen Ronald Reagan hampered by 60-70% unlikability ratings like those earned by Donald Trump. It was precisely Reagan’s likability that made him so electable. It is precisely Trump’s unlikability that makes him so unelectable.

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…. Ronald Reagan was the most humble person of his power and position that I have observed in my study of the presidency. His charitable nature was extraordinary. Bill Clark, one of his closest aides and friends, used to tell me often of Reagan (I was Clark’s biographer): “There was no pride there, Paul. No pride at all.” Donald Trump, to the contrary, is one of the most prideful human beings we’ve witnessed in American politics. He is a narcissist without question.

Bill Clark would further add of Reagan: “The man had no ego, Paul. No ego at all.” Donald Trump is all-ego. His ability to brag about himself is alarming, and I fear potentially dangerous. Psychologists will study Donald Trump for years to come.

Reagan was a man of great grace. Trump is tremendously lacking in grace.

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In all, these traits reflect on each man’s temperament, stability, and suitability for the office of the presidency. Few men in the history of the presidency were as emotionally well-suited as Ronald Reagan, whereas few are as emotionally ill-suited as Donald Trump.

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Trump has done none of that intellectual heavy-lifting, nor does it seem to interest him. Recall the spectacle of watching Donald Trump in the Republican debates, especially against Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. The man was a veritable policy midget. How anyone might walk away from the TV set after watching those debates and assert that Trump won and earned their support is something I will never be able to comprehend.

And alas, one more comparison often made by Trump defenders: Trump, like Reagan, has been framed by opponents as unstable and dangerous, a man who cannot be trusted with his finger near the button. Sorry, Trump fans, but Donald Trump’s explosive personality, frequent outbursts, shocking tantrums, abrasive impulsiveness and seeming lack of control (even the fawning Ann Coulter called him “mental”) have understandably invited these concerns in a way that Reagan’s behavior never merited. In Reagan’s case, this was totally unfounded. In Trump’s case, he cannot act as he does and then expect people to feel instantly reassured with him. The man cannot be trusted with his finger at the button of his Twitter account. The feeling of unease is completely his fault.

Again, much more could be said. Donald Trump’s followers can point to other things they like or see in the man — his business experience, his confidence. Good enough. But please, in the name of Ronald Reagan, cease the nonsense about Trump having any meaningful semblance of similarity with Ronald Reagan. This is an emotional statement of wishful thinking and profound ignorance that should be stopped immediately.

Trumpists, you got your man, who a majority of Republican voters in a divided 17-person primary, voted against. You got what you wanted. But do not compare him to Ronald Reagan.

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