Telling It Like It Is: The Campaign Speech Trump Should Have Given

By Joe Rothstein

When his supporters are asked what they like most about Donald Trump, invariably they answer, “he tells it like it is.” This, of course, is a remarkable characteristic to impute to someone who perpetually lies. There’s a flip side to not telling the truth that’s just as egregious as lying — -hiding the truth. And while it gets less attention than lying, Trump’s first months in office have seen a raft of actions that he never mentioned during his campaign for president.

Suppose for the next few minutes we concede that Trump actually “tells it like it is.” But instead of wowing his campaign crowds with promises he could not keep, or never intended to keep, Trump instead had told voters what he REALLY had in mind for his first months in office? We no longer have to wonder about the actual agenda, since it’s now all a matter of record. So we can go back and rewrite Trump’s campaign speeches based, not what he said, but what he’s done.

Let’s imagine that we’re in 2016, at a Trump campaign rally. And instead of a string of lies and false promises, Trump is telling his supporters what he actually intends to do during his first months as president.

“We’re going to make America great again, folks. And it’s going to happen very quickly.

“In my first days and weeks in office I plan to sign executive orders and legislation that will allow coal companies to once again poison rivers and streams with toxic materials from mining operations.

“We’re going to make sure that people with schizophrenia, psychotic disorders and other severe mental health problems get back their second amendment rights to buy guns.

“I’m going to work hard to help our Republican Congress replace Obamacare with a much better plan, one that takes away health insurance from 24 million people.

“And, within the first few weeks of my administration we’re going to repeal the rule that forces professional financial advisers to consider the best interest of their clients when recommending retirement investments.

“That’s not all — not by a long shot. Scientists have had way too much influence trying to steer decisions about scientific policy. I’m going to sign a bill that makes it nearly impossible to use scientific research when it comes to so-called climate change, fracking, oil drilling, tobacco use, and other industries that have been punished enough. And then we’re going to take back your hard-earned tax dollars from all those agencies wasting time and money working on medical research.

“You know, during my business career I’ve stiffed a lot of contractors and workers by not paying them or going bankrupt. I’m proud of my success and admire others who do business the same way. That’s why, as one of my first acts as president, I’m going to let contractors with records of violating the law and not paying living wages to once again bid on federal contracts.

“The first few months of a Trump White House is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I’m going to appoint a secretary of education who doesn’t believe in public education, an EPA administrator with a long track record of trying to gut the EPA, a secretary of labor whose business career has been spent fighting labor. I’m going to appoint so many Goldman Sachs people to important jobs they’ll have their own federal alumni association. For national security advisor I’m going to appoint someone who’s made tons of money representing foreign authoritarian leaders who I admire, like Putin and Erdogan. I’m going to go real s-l-o-w in filling jobs at the State Department so there’s fewer people to argue with me. I hate it when people argue with me.

“Now, many in the dishonest media have been obsessed about my taxes. They say it doesn’t matter that I’m under audit, that I can release my taxes any time I want. I’ve got news for them. The audit thing is just an excuse I’ll use until I’m elected. After that it won’t matter. I don’t intend to release my taxes at all. Ever. And they’ve been hitting on me about conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest! If they were as smart as I am they’d realize that no one, and I mean no one who has the chance of a lifetime like I have to promote my brands is going to miss that chance. There’s no conflict. I’m going to milk this thing for everything I can get.

“Yes, folks, I’ve got big plans for my first 100 days in office. Other politicians may lie to you during the campaign, but not me. I’m going to do everything I’ve just said, and more.”

And so he has.

If Trump had given such a speech he could rightfully claim that he “tells it like it is.” But more than likely, he would not be making that claim as president.

(Joe Rothstein is a regular columnist for USPoliticstoday.com and author of the acclaimed political thriller “The Latina President and the Conspiracy to Destroy Her.” Mr. Rothstein can be contacted at joe@einnews.com).