Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election has been cause for great hope and exuberance, as well as continued divisiveness from some. The president-elect’s meeting with Barack Obama this week gave Americans hope of togetherness, while protests across the nation from some Hillary Clinton supporters created concern. Mr. Trump’s forthcoming cabinet selections are also cause for much positivity. Here is a thoughtful short take on where the American presidency stands today.
To call Donald Trump’s defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton an “upset” is really an understatement given the media and financial support lent to her campaign. Most people are questioning western mainstream media’s miscalculating role in this election, which is by all accounts one of the most brutal contest in US history. Today we see both a “mending of fences” going on, as well as other elements attempting to tear solidarity apart. Trump’s meeting with the lame duck president revealed a formerly bombastic and critical Barack Obama complimenting and reassuring Donald Trump. Likewise Mr. Trump’s positivity showed through in that meeting as well. Also on the positive side, a leak supplied to Buzzfeed showed America the series side of what a Trump White House might look like. The list of the new president’s potential choices for key office includes some of America’s best, brightest, and most influential leaders.
At the top of the “rumored list” of Trump cabinet nominees, it seems safe to assume Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is the only choice for chief of staff. While Gov. Chris Christie is mentioned as a potential Attorney General, it seems more likely and wiser for Trump to select Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani to this key position. Giuliani previously served as the Associate Attorney General in the Reagan administration, the third-highest position in the Department of Justice, and the former mayor is famous for being able to reduce crime in NYC. While Giuliani has his detractors, he is also perceived by many to be extremely fair minded. He passed legislation providing broad protection for same-sex partners before it was the fashion, and while some have forgotten his 9/11 role, Giuliani was given an honorary knighthood (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts. Also within the realm of domestic roles, the name of Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of Education is significant. Of special note on Carlson, I find it interesting that in he openly stated: “I actually have something I would use the Department of Education to do. It would be to monitor our institutions of higher education for extreme political bias and deny federal funding on that basis”. From my own perspective as an analyst of geo-policy, revamping academic systems for years tampered with by lobbyists and NGOs like those run by billionaire George Soros will go a long way toward righting a tilted game.
Moving on to foreign policy, we find the most pressing of America’s problems with hard hitters to solve. If Trump intends to run America like his businesses, dealing from a position of strength is what Americans can rightly expect. First up is retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, who might step in as the future Secretary of Defense. , who was the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Flynn’s record is stellar, even if he had disagreements before he retired during Obama’s administration. A fiery speech at the Republican Nation Convention he gave reveals his tone, as well as how the Trump White House intends to do business.
“We are tired of Obama’s empty speeches and his misguided rhetoric,” Flynn said. “This, this has caused the world to have no respect for America’s word, nor does it fear our might. My God, war is not about bathrooms. War is not about political correctness or words that are meaningless. War is about winning.”
While detractors whine about professional soldiers and national security people being too “hawkish” or extreme, the business they are in demands such. This is true of Flynn, and of the man Trump named his senior National Security Adviser, neoconservative James Woolsey. Global Research condemned the move for Woolsey’s role in the Clinton Administration, but also for his hawkish support of the Iraq invasion. Here’s the thing though. If Trump really does desire a full reset with Russia, and a reversal of the catastrophic Obama policies, he’s going to seek this reconciliation from a position of knowledge and strength too. Mr. Putin will respect Trump and America more if ABM systems in Romania and Poland are bargaining chips for future strategic arms limitations agreements. Not too many remember that Woolsey was key to the U.S. Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT 1) for Nixon, as well as a Delegate at to the U.S. – Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and Nuclear and Space Arms Talks (NST), in the mid-80s. He was also head of the CIA 1993-1995, so experience is a key factor in his and Trump’s favor if he is in the game. Remember, it is Trump who will make the final decisions.
Finally we turn to the most critical position in a new Trump cabinet, that of Secretary of State. The disastrous reign of Obama’s choices has left America’s reputation soot stained over endless and growing conflict, not only in Syria and the Middle East, but in Ukraine and with Russia overall as well. Europe is flooded with refugees and stifled economically. The major powers are all but in an economic war, with full-out military conflict the fear on everyone’s mind. So the Secretary of State Trump picks has his job cut out, and a world of possibility too. I think Trump will pick Georgia’s own Newt Gingrich, an historian and policy drafting genius who helped author the “Contract with America” back in the 1990s. Gingrich, who was the Speaker of the House, has more experience and connections than any other Republican who also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. While his actually foreign policy expertise is a lesser qualification, Gingrich is probably the one who can get rebooted détente done. He’s clever, informed, and convincing, just the man to speak with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov. Gingrich is also outspoken about NATO, and how member countries should not depend solely on the United States. America with smaller government and with a government run like a business, this is my vision for the Trump administration.
On the down side of the Trump landslide are the protests seen spoiling the periphery of his celebration parade. From Los Angeles to Boston those who wanted the status quo and Hillary are not simply unhappy, they are livid. However, breaking stories of the protests being formed up and sponsored by behind the scenes actors belies any sense of credence to them. When first the media began reporting the virulent anti-Trump rallies, I feared for a real revolutionary situation. Then social media lit up with scattered stories backers like MoveOn.org and even billionaire George Soros standing behind came out.
All throughout the election process Trump supporters gained momentum on the reverse logic that all the media behind Clinton could not be a good thing. Then WikiLeaks revealed bombshell after bombshell about the collusion and rigging inside the DNC and Clinton organizations. The names and faces became clearer, CNN to the New York Times, Soros and 100 other billionaires intent, Trump’s enemies became manifest. Now we see Craigslist ads for anti-Trump protesters placed with specific details. Social media people post Tweets showing Trump hater busloads delivered to Austin and other places. There’s even one meme showing a CNN broadcast where a CNN correspondent is apparently used as an anti-Trump activist on camera. Now the #NotMyPresident marches seem chaotic, but evidence that Soros and Creamer groups printed many signs foretells of a more divisive movement. While conclusive evidence of promoting revolution has not yet been consolidated, Zero Hedge did break a story about Soros being hacked which showed his involvement in EU country elections.
So, on the one hand President-elect Donald Trump forms up his administration in preparation for doing the business of “Making America Great Again”, while opposing forces seem to continue their virulent effort to keep installed the same government and policies most Americans are appalled by. It remains to be seen how smoothly the presidential transition will be, and whether or not the world can look forward to good business in the future.
This article first appeared on Life.ru in Russian.