Crippled America
How to Make America Great Again
by Donald J. Trump


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

Donald Trump's critics say he has no foreign policy experience, no domestic policy experience, and no serious policy stances at all. Trump's campaign theme--"I'll make America great"--implies that voters should simply trust that Trump can get it done, without Trump having to get his hands dirty with specifics.

This book demonstrates otherwise. Trump lays out specific policy choices, in his own inimitable style, with real specifics and real substance, and he elaborates on how he came to the conclusions he did. Will that quiet his critics? No, of course not; they'll simply assert a little louder "But he has no serious policy stances!" The louder the critics, the more serious voters should ignore them. Trump is very good at asserting things a little louder--he has a very loud megaphone as a presidential candidate--and Trump perhaps might get a little louder about the specifics rather than just the simplistic assertions. But Trump uses his presidential megaphone to push his own leadership skills, rather than his policy stances--he expects interested voters to read about the details elsewhere. "Elsewhere" includes this book. A sample of some specifics:

What Trump's critics mean when they shout "he has no serious policy stances" is that "I disagree with his policy stances." Or perhaps "I disagree that someone like Trump should run for president." Or perhaps "Trump hasn't paid his dues in the Republican Party." Trump's critics should say what they mean--Trump certainly does--which is why Trump is more popular than his critics!

Unbiased observers might know that Trump has two previous policy books as well: The America We Deserve, written for the 2000 presidential race and Time to Get Tough, written for the 2012 presidential race. Biased observers ignored those book in 2000 and 2012, pretending that they didn't exist when Trump considered running for president in those races. And those same biased observers will ignore his new book in 2016. Say what you want about disagreeing with Trump's policies, but he DOES have policies!

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, January 2016

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Civil Rights     Promoted gender equality in a male-dominated industry.

Corporations     Any business of any size will pay no more than 15% tax.

Education     No federal government profit from student loans.     Dept. of Education runs top-down one-size-fits-all system.     Let schools compete: charters, vouchers, and magnets.

Energy & Oil     Green energy is just an expensive feel-good for tree-huggers.     We have 2 trillion barrels of oil; enough for 283 years.

Families & Children     Happiest people have great families & God in their lives.

Foreign Policy     Ignore career diplomats who insist on nuance.     Opening gates to Syrian refugees invites in ISIS.

Free Trade     Chinese are savvy businesspeople: our enemy who need us.

Government Reform     Mutually profitable 2-way relationship with the media.

Gun Control     Make concealed-carry permits valid across all states.

Health Care     Insurance companies love a lack of competition.

Homeland Security     Building up military is cheap when you consider alternative.     VA is one of the most incompetently-run agencies.

Immigration     351,000 criminal illegal aliens in our prisons.     Cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities.     Building 1,000-mile wall is possible, if we make commitment.

Jobs     Teachers unions are obstacles to improving schools.     Rebuilding America will create 13 million jobs.

Principles & Values     Our flag represents equality, hope, fairness, & courage.     I give people what they need and don't get: The Truth.     Who in the world is offended by "Merry Christmas"?     I love God, and I love having a relationship with Him.

Technology     Crumbling infrastructure costs $200B in reduced productivity.

War & Peace     Blunder to announce withdrawal timetable from Afghanistan.     We should have demanded a deal with Kuwait to liberate them.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Donald Trump