What does Donald Trump think about Ron Paul?
Will he run for president in 2012?
I got home last night and usually turn on the TV to help me sleep. Luckily I was able to stumble upon a Donald Trump interview in the new show of Piers Morgan in CNN. Well, he says he has until June to think about whether he will run or not but he says he hates the current situation in the US and hates how they are viewed by the world. He has a lot of interesting political positions and some, in my opinion, are even odd and surprising.
He says that he has always been a Republican although as the interview continues I begin to question whether he is a true conservative who is for limited-government just as the founders envisioned.
He talks about how he sees China as an "enemy". Piers did try to discuss semantics with him and said that "enemy" is such a strong word. Piers tried to reason with him saying that perhaps they are a business competitor, even explaining that the same business tactics and competitive spirit is exactly what made Donald Trump a successful man.
He talks about how he wants to put a 25% tax on Chinese imported goods! Such protectionism is totally unexpected from an entrepreneur like him. It's almost like he doesn't value free trade and competition. This would obviously only send false signals to the market. The price advantage won't make any American product better. If anything, it will just make them worse. Instead of competing directly with the Chinese by producing better goods, Trump would rather just manipulate prices and intervene with the market to make it seem that American goods are "cheaper".
What does Donald Trump think of Ron Paul?
"I like Ron Paul, I think he's a good guy, but honestly he has just zero chance of getting elected..." -Donald Trump
Ron Paul's rebuttal during the interview does make sense. He has won 11 elections already whereas Donald Trump has won none. Of course running for president will be totally different but we must also consider that surveys have been showing that Ron Paul is ahead of even Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin.
It's quite interesting that Donald Trump tried to avoid talking about Ron Paul during the interview. When asked about the republican leadership, he responds about his doubts about Mitt Romney. That somehow makes no sense because he only came in second to Ron Paul during the CPAC or Conservative Political Action Conference. I am not saying that it's a sure signifier of one's nomination. What I am saying is that Ron Paul and his political positions and strong defense of liberty are relevant issues that Donald Trump is trying to avoid.
Political Positions of Donald Trump
There is a joke going on about how Donald Trump is an expert at bankruptcy and this is why he is the perfect guy to manage the US after all the debt, overspending, and the Federal Reserve's destruction of the dollar. At first glance, he is seemingly perfect for the job. I mean, I am sure he is an expert in finance and accounting and would choose to have a balanced budget and be wary of the national debt.
But another surprising thing during the interview would be that he would even increase the spending in military and defense! He talks about how he would pull out the troops in Iraq and yet choose to invade Pakistan. US policing of the world isn't really "defense" but more of offense. And this is a section of their budget that could use a significant cut! They've been overspending for these perpetual wars and policing of the world and it's one of the main reasons why they are running out of money.
It's nice to compare them to China, who doesn't go spending on policing the world and just focus on liberalizing their market and attracting more investors. This could be the real reason that China has become Donald Trump's "enemy". Because instead of wasting billions on military spending, they would just rather trade with other nations. Their prosperity comes from valuing their trading with other nations. And as I have said, this is something that Donald Trump should know by heart.
So much can change and we are really unsure of what will happen. I am sure we will discover more about the political positions of Donald Trump if he decides to run. As for now, it is really a bit early to predict anything. But for the sake of the peace and prosperity in the world, I do hope with all my heart that the American people vote for Ron Paul in 2012.
