Now, when we don't know if he will become the president that changed America; now, when he might be forever condemned as a mistake of the American election system; now, when no one can know whether or not he will be able to complete the revolution he started or whether it might crumble away; now – a week before we celebrate or weep – we should take a moment to think about Donald Trump's legacy and philosophy.
Yes, despite the mockery of left-wing circles in Israel and the west, the 45th president has consistent views about the role of America, in both domestic and foreign policy, according to which he has operated in recent years.
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Trump is fundamentally anti-establishment. The waves of Americans' hatred for Congress, "Washington," and the establishment that doesn't serve them, Trump is making it clear in 2020, too, that he is an outsider. As such, he is free from other obligations and available to work for the American public. "In four years in Washington I did more than he's done in 47 years," Trump has said repeatedly about Joe Biden. That is the core of his vision.
Being anti-establishment, Trump could smash a lot of conventions that other politicians – even Republicans – wouldn't have dared to. He comes from the world of business and he will go back to it when he leaves the White House. So he doesn't care about breaking the dialogue of the politically correct, admiring the military and veterans, saying things about illegal immigration, taking a stance against NAFTA, the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, and the nuclear deal with Iran, which was designed to prevent it from securing nuclear weapons but actually paved the way for them.
The agreements and perceptions that Trump has challenged were put together by research institutes and experts from both parties. Trump, free from any constraints, opposed or improved them.
Above all else, Trump has broken the silence about China. Today, there is widespread agreement in the entire western bloc that trade with China benefits it and hurts the free world. It's hard to believe, but before Trump stormed American politics, almost no one was talking about that. Democrats and Republicans alike shut their eyes to the unchecked rise of Beijing. Only someone like Trump could have put the subject in the spotlight.
As a president who thinks and acts outside the box, Trump could give Israel the special treatment it has enjoyed in his term. Professional politicians from both parties never dared, for example, to take the step of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The US defense and diplomatic establishment warned them of the possible ramifications, and for 22 years none of his predecessors dared to swim against the stream. Because of Trump's philosophy and personality, he did.
The same crude, provocative personality is the subject of most of the attacks on Trump. "He isn't presidential," his critics say, and we can understand what they mean. Still, supporters of the president realize that we can't separate the book from its cover. The content and the wrapping are a package deal. Whether their support is enough for another four years or not, the message is clear.
In any free country, the leader has to serve the people, not the establishment and not the forces of political correctness. If the public gets the sense that the leadership is detached, someone like Trump who breaks with convention will enter the vacuum. That is how democracy works.
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