Donald Trump

Donald Trump

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I still need to add examples and more information.
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Donald Trump may be ahead in the Republican race for the presidential candidacy, but that doesn’t guarantee he is the best choice. Let’s look at these principles of unity and see where he seems to stand.

Charity for all
It seems pretty clear from statements Mr. Trump has made that he doesn’t give a strong place to “charity for all.”

He has spoken of banning Muslims from the country. Whether that would be temporary or not, he singled out a whole religious group based on the actions of a small fraction of the group. Islam is the faith of over 1.5 billion people on the planet. The various extremists groups only account for a very small part of that. We could probably find a similar ratio of total Christian population to white supremacists who claim to follow the Bible. It would seem the actions of a few gave Mr. Trump enough justification to ban a group he likely already disfavors.

He speaks of illegal immigrants from Latin America as if they aren’t people worthy of respect and dignity. He could just as well be speaking of animals. His talk sounds like what we could have expected from the slave owners of America’s unsightly past. Again, as with Muslims, it seems he would rather callously turn people away than find ways to help them with their plight while balancing that with our own needs.

Mr. Trump has also repeatedly belittled various women. His attitude toward women seems to suggest either that they are beneath him or their value is mainly to satisfy his own lust.

Seek and share truth
I’m not sure truth has a major place in Mr. Trump’s agenda or his value system. He will probably seek any truth that he believes will further his own causes and goals. But will he seek for truths that could turn out against his own agendas, for the sake truth itself? Will he seek truth that would help him understand others’ viewpoints that might also lead him to change his own viewpoint? Once he discovers truth that might not support his agenda, would he still reveal it? I’m afraid his answers to these would often prove disappointing, depending what he might gain or lose.

If all his extremist talk reflects his true personal feelings and thoughts, then perhaps he does value truth to some degree. But I think while he may have some attitudes that are somewhat like the things he is saying, the extreme levels that he takes them to during this campaign is more likely aimed at the extremes of the right wing people, to get their support, rather that reflecting his true nature. If that is the case, it is evidence of somewhat lower desire to share truth. In his book, The Art of the Deal, he made mention of using hyperbole to emphasize on a larger scale, something that was much less significant.

Keep desires and passions in their proper place
Mr. Trump apparently has a history of chasing after women. So, it may be that before even entering the
White House, Mr. Trump will have surpassed President Clinton’s inability to keep desires for women in the proper place. He also seems not to be able to keep his desire to win this election in its proper place, leading him to resort to attacks on other candidates as well as other public figures. He has not given a lot of detail to support plans he claims he will pursue; we have to wonder if these really are his plans or just false sales pitches.  And he has resorted to extreme positions to stir up the public, rather than seeking more moderate positions that might actually make America great for more people.

Unity overall
With his disparaging of various significant groups in the United States, his potential to be close-minded regarding truth, and his tendency for letting his desires get out of their proper place, I would rate Mr. Trump pretty low for uniting our people based on positive values. He may be able to unite Americans by helping us all to see a common enemy to fight (real or fictional), but that sort of unity likely will dissipate after the enemy is defeated. There could also be a lingering sense of unity among those who fought the enemy together, but again this may only last until the youngest generation of people among those in the battle are gone.

Political insights – Support for Marxism – Support and defend the Constitution
Mr. Trump has shown that he really doesn’t quite understand the nature of a public service position. He seems to believe that if he wins the presidency, he gains one of the greatest positions of power in the world; I’m not sure he realizes that power carries the responsibility to serve U.S. public and national interests, and that he will be accountable to the people regardless of party affiliations. I feel he has a dictatorial desire for the top power position in the country. Could he grow up to be a Hitler-type of person, persecuting, with his federal power, specific groups?

Does he value the first amendment? Freedom of religion is apparently not a major concern.