After digesting the soundbites meant to catch the media headlines, does anyone really know what Donald Trump’s policies are if he should become president?
Trump is accused of making his policies up on the hoof and claims he was not involved in Republican policies of the past because he was too busy as a ‘world class business man’.
Looking at Trump’s campaigning web site, he has explained some of his ‘positions’ on policy areas.
Top of his list is renegotiating the US- China trade agreement because he claims Beijing are currency manipulators and trade treaties have meant America has lost millions of jobs as thousands of factories were forced to close against unfair competition from China’s subsidised industries.
His aim here is to divert attention away from internal US policy and blame outsiders for stealing American jobs.
Target groups
Vilifying China gives him a target for his supporters to fear – and is designed to gain support from the unemployed and those that fear losing their jobs.
Next on his list is healthcare for military veterans.
The Trump plan, he says, will be quick and will decrease waiting times, improve standards and make the journey from the military back to civilian life easier.
Again, he is aiming at a target group – service people and veterans.
Tax is the next target. 75 million households – equivalent to 50% of total US households – where the main earner has a salary of $25,000 or less or both earners have a combined salary of $50,000 or less will not pay income tax.
He also plans to lower personal and business taxes. This is a policy aimed at young families and small business owners.
The Second Amendment which gives the right to carry weapons will be bolstered, appealing to America’s huge gun lobby.
Scare tactics
Lastly, his other scare tactic is immigration – and that famous wall he wants to build to keep Latin Americans out of the USA across the border with Mexico.
Looking at Trump’s policies, it’s easy to see he has just picked several contentious issues and made promises to change them.
However, he does not explain how he intends to make these changes, cost them or let on where the money is coming from.
Dodging the issue by failing to turn up for live TV debates fosters the suspicion that he does not know the answers to these questions.
Trump’s campaign is all froth and no substance and sooner or later voters will see through the smoke and mirrors and recognise he is a candidate of no substance.