So, Trump ...

[Platypus]

the UK has voted for isolation and a backwards looking "Little England".

Piffle. The UK has voted to remove itself from the isolation that is the EU, to look outwards not inwards.

[LondonManc]

Why is escaping from restrictive EU trading arrangements to better trade with the rest of the World being a "Little Englander"?

and why aren't Scots keen, like you, on independence from the UK not "Little Scotlanders"?

Oh, he's a "little Scotlander", NLyUK told me.

[sasguru]

Piffle. The UK has voted to remove itself from the isolation that is the EU, to look outwards not inwards.

Unfortunately it's decided to do that just when the biggest economy in the word has decided to look inwards

[tomtomagain]

I was in the States back in July and I watched Trump live at the Republican Convention accepting the nomination to stand as their candidate ( from the safety of a friend's home in Seattle ).

If you have only ever seen Trump on the news, seen a few seconds of soundbites or read a couple of secondhand articles on him, then I'd suggest watching a full 90 minute Trump speech. It was awful, truly awful.

You might be thinking : "Hey, this guy is going to shake things up a bit. Sure, he'll get a few things wrong whilst he learns the ropes. But in the long run, he'll calm down and it'll be OK."

I think : No way. He's completely off the scale. His ego is so fragile that he cannot take any criticism. He is so inexperienced that there's a huge chance that he'll completely screw up.

He thinks he's a great deal maker. But doing a property deal is one thing, dealing with Geo-politics is another. In property, if you don't like the deal, you can always walk away and find another one. If Russia invades Ukraine you have to do something.

He is pretty transparent though. He wants to do what he said he'd do.

Build a wall. Ban Muslims, Drain the Swamp, make the EU pay for NATO and return Manufacturing jobs to the USA.

And it's clear he's going to attempt these by a combination of bullying, bribery and firings.

He wants to be known as the best President ever. If he forces the return of manufacturing jobs to the US rust belt we'll be looking at 8 years of Trump instead of only 4.

[lilelvis2000]

He's doing what he said he was going to do - which is admirable.

But some of his actions are too extreme.

However, these executive orders will start to tangle, and the complexities of the job are bound to slow him in his tracks.

This appears to be seat of the pants stuff. But I wonder if behind the scenes the Repubs are encouraging Trump to use them. Perhaps to use against him down the line?

I also expect to see a democratic cave any day now.

[lilelvis2000]

I was in the States back in July and I watched Trump live at the Republican Convention accepting the nomination to stand as their candidate ( from the safety of a friend's home in Seattle ).

If you have only ever seen Trump on the news, seen a few seconds of soundbites or read a couple of secondhand articles on him, then I'd suggest watching a full 90 minute Trump speech. It was awful, truly awful.

You might be thinking : "Hey, this guy is going to shake things up a bit. Sure, he'll get a few things wrong whilst he learns the ropes. But in the long run, he'll calm down and it'll be OK."

I think : No way. He's completely off the scale. His ego is so fragile that he cannot take any criticism. He is so inexperienced that there's a huge chance that he'll completely screw up.

He thinks he's a great deal maker. But doing a property deal is one thing, dealing with Geo-politics is another. In property, if you don't like the deal, you can always walk away and find another one. If Russia invades Ukraine you have to do something.

He is pretty transparent though. He wants to do what he said he'd do.

Build a wall. Ban Muslims, Drain the Swamp, make the EU pay for NATO and return Manufacturing jobs to the USA.

And it's clear he's going to attempt these by a combination of bullying, bribery and firings.

He wants to be known as the best President ever. If he forces the return of manufacturing jobs to the US rust belt we'll be looking at 8 years of Trump instead of only 4.

And changing of voting rules to restrict democratic voters.

Shifting of school funding to Private and Catholic schools.

Bringing religion into the judiciary.

[OwlHoot]

If he forces the return of manufacturing jobs to the US rust belt we'll be looking at 8 years of Trump instead of only 4.

Unfortunately, he'll realise sooner or later that it is futile the US trying to re-onshore jobs when other Western countries continue to employ 3rd world manufacturing, because those countries will then have a competitive advantage over the US.

Rather like trying to stem water from leaks all round you, it's no use plugging one leak only to find the water still swirling round your ankles from several others!

His logical next move will probably then be to penalize with tariffs other countries that continue to use cheap 3rd World labour, and the whole trading system risks seizing up.

I say all this as someone pretty sympathetic with his aims and outlook, and not a Trump hater at all. But I doubt if the direct approach he has adopted so far will work, especially longer term.

[tomtomagain]

He's moving so fast the Democrats cannot lay a finger on him.

They're still up in arms about the "Muslim Ban" ... that was two days ago, old news, he's moved on from that and is busy tearing up other things.

[d000hg]

I was in the States back in July and I watched Trump live at the Republican Convention accepting the nomination to stand as their candidate ( from the safety of a friend's home in Seattle ).

If you have only ever seen Trump on the news, seen a few seconds of soundbites or read a couple of secondhand articles on him, then I'd suggest watching a full 90 minute Trump speech. It was awful, truly awful.

You might be thinking : "Hey, this guy is going to shake things up a bit. Sure, he'll get a few things wrong whilst he learns the ropes. But in the long run, he'll calm down and it'll be OK."

I think : No way. He's completely off the scale. His ego is so fragile that he cannot take any criticism. He is so inexperienced that there's a huge chance that he'll completely screw up.

He thinks he's a great deal maker. But doing a property deal is one thing, dealing with Geo-politics is another. In property, if you don't like the deal, you can always walk away and find another one. If Russia invades Ukraine you have to do something.

He is pretty transparent though. He wants to do what he said he'd do.

Build a wall. Ban Muslims, Drain the Swamp, make the EU pay for NATO and return Manufacturing jobs to the USA.

And it's clear he's going to attempt these by a combination of bullying, bribery and firings.

He wants to be known as the best President ever. If he forces the return of manufacturing jobs to the US rust belt we'll be looking at 8 years of Trump instead of only 4.

Actually not a bad summation. I watched the TV debates though gladly none of his campaign speeches, and the issue of his thin skin is perhaps amongst the most worrying... nobody knows what he'll do including himself. Well, the pathological lying too - you might say that's just part of being a politician but they avoid saying things you can pin on them later, whereas he'll make bold, testable claims and then just claim he never said them when he changes his mind.

[tomtomagain]

Unfortunately, he'll realise sooner or later that it is futile the US trying to re-onshore jobs when other Western countries continue to employ 3rd world manufacturing, because those countries will then have a competitive advantage over the US.

I agree.

But I don't think that's going to stop him trying.

Big tax cuts for domestic producers, tariffs on foreign competitors. It's just classic protectionist actions. And he's said he'll do it, and what we've seen so far is that he actually does what he says.

It's clearly why he's got it in for Germany. They make and sell too much. He going to help himself to a nice big slice of their pie.

I think that's why he's making noises about the Euro being undervalued and angling for a breakup of the EU.

This is what I think he'll do :

Enter into a FTA with the UK - to sell us American cars at the expense of German cars.

Force NATO members to spend 2% of their budgets on weapons ( most of which will need to come from the US in order to be "compatible" with NATO standards )

Tax amnesty for US firms such as Apple, Microsoft to bring home their cash piles ( what that will do to the countries where the cash is currently piled up God knows )

Pressure the EU over the value of the EURO and their internal stability to keep them on the back foot, unable to respond effectively.

Openly support "separatists" within EU. Again to keep the EU on the backfoot.