The Speech
President Trump’s inauguration speech was perfect for his supporters and jarring for the political establishment.
Were you expecting him to change? A number of folks said he is still campaigning. And he may have to — to get things done.
He clearly spoke to the people who voted him into office, namely those voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
He is definitely keeping his word to them.
Bernie Could Have Said That
Charles Krauthammer on Fox News nailed it when he said Trump sounded like our first Third Party President.
He bashed the GOP and the Democrats. There was no mention of healthcare reform, but he emphasized infrastructure spending.
He could be working with or against everyone in Congress. And that means he has to push his campaigns on them.
Trump Nod To Hillary
Although his speech seemed to trash much of Obama’s legacy, Trump was gracious to Obama during the speech and he was also gracious to Bill and Hillary Clinton at the dinner.
I wonder how many folks will think this was a heart-felt gesture or if some folks think this is just politics as usual, honor among thieves?
Foreign Policy Chaos
His “America first” theme had to shake-up folks in China, Europe, and Mexico.
Conversely, someone tweeted their Russian grandmother watched the entire inauguration on television in Moscow.
Here’s a CNN story on the world’s reaction to Trump’s inaugural.
Trump could be causing more problems internationally or forcing them to bend to his will. But he also may be forcing us as a nation to decide if we are heading towards isolationism while at the same time we’re increasing our military muscle.
Here are two books that give you both viewpoints that I reviewed last year but still relevant today.
Contraditions Or Deal-making?
Can anyone pinpoint what his domestic and foreign policy is? A lot of contradictions.
But, again this is a president who negotiates deals. And to get a good negotiation you have to leave your ideologies at the door.
Where is all this going?
Who knows.
A great book predicted a lot of this. It is called The End of Power. Here is my review. The world is a much harder place to govern or run whether it is a country or a company. Technology gives power and voice to so many more people making consensus difficult.
And Trump, like Obama, will have difficulty getting through the entirety of his policies. But I think Trump knows that and he is open to many options in this topsy-turvy world.
I still think some international incident, not necessarily encouraged by Trump, will play a major role in his presidency.
Find The Most Important Journalist In Your Mirror
Prepare yourself for chaos or at least a bumpy road ahead.
You can’t label or pinpoint him on any of his policies. And that might be good policy because the world is changing so drastically and quickly. A lot of it has to do with technology. Another major factor is that many societies are aging.
No country has really figured out how to distribute wealth fairly.
Right now, anyway, it looks like the world will get its first set of rules from Donald Trump.
That means all of us need to be diligent and informed.
Give me your thoughts on the inauguration speech.
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