Those of us opposed to Mr. Trump are pressed to explain our opposition, and we should respond factually.
Since Mr. Trump has no experience in public office, no voting record, and no track record, we must rely on his words and his behavior to evaluate whether or not his promises are trustworthy, for his promises are many, and they are frequently monumental.
Here are some of the reasons many people do not have a great deal of trust in what Mr. Trump promises, hence our opposition.
Mr. Trump promised to release his tax returns. Now he is refusing to release those returns.
He promised his campaign would be self-funding. It is not self-funding.
He promised to uphold the Constitution, saying it is “set in stone”, and then later said the Constitution does not always apply, that “everything is negotiable”.
He once said he is totally pro-choice, and now says he is totally pro-life.
He promises to make Mexico build a wall but legal experts wonder how he will fulfill that promise when a president cannot unilaterally demand anything of another country, and the Mexicans have told us to pound sand, they won’t write the check.
Mr. Trump promised to find and kill family members of terrorists, then walked it back when it was pointed out that would be a war crime.
He promised to unilaterally employ real torture to get intelligence, but when it was noted that would be a violation of law, he said he would violate the law, and then he walked that back, saying he would make sure whatever he does is legal.
He said he was “neutral” on Israel, but within a short time he became very pro-Israel.
He claims he supports the Tea Party but funded Sen. McConnell’s efforts to undermine the Tea Party.
He says Clinton is “crooked”, and she is, but he praised her for years and funded her political activities for years. She was wonderful in his eyes for years, but now, all of a sudden, she’s the devil’s daughter in his eyes.
Mr. Trump promised to be an advocate for free trade, then proposed restrictive tariffs on imports and suggested executive interference with the private business decisions of American companies.
He says he is a conservative but promises to tax the rich to pay for expanded government programs.
He promises to single-handedly “Make America Great Again”, promising to do so overnight, saying it doesn’t matter if the Republicans lose the Senate this cycle.
These are some of the reasons so many of us find it impossible to trust Mr. Trump, aside from his long pattern of immoral proceedings in business and in his personal life. The evidence tells us it is rational to be very wary of his promises because so many of them, even in the space of the last few months, evaporate quickly.
The NeverTrump crowd is roundly criticized, ostracized and condemned for its opposition, an opposition grounded in facts, and observable behaviors. There is little if any reason to have confidence in such a man for his promises are so often found worthless. It is reminiscent of a presidential candidate that also made voluminous promises, such as “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” and “I promise to keep America safe.”
After all, he told us he has perfected the art of telling folks what they want to hear, and that sounds like the con man’s self-revelation.
The one deserving criticism is the one playing games.
photo credit: Donald Trump via photopin (license); Gage Skidmore
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