Donald Trump The 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate: View From Turkey – OpEd

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Donald Trump is now the GOP’s candidate in the upcoming 2016 US Presidential elections. Donald Trump is a clever, well-educated businessman who is very perceptive and obviously narcissistic. He was born in 1946 in New York City. He attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his bachelor’s degree in Economics. Donald Trump is a successful real estate tycoon, owning luxury hotels, prestigious business towers, golf courses, entertainment enterprises, TV stations, and publishing companies. He was even the name behind Trump University, which was supposedly intended to offer an education in real estate, however the enterprise is now being investigated for fraud.

Donald Trump has married three times. He has five children. He is Presbyterian. His monetary wealth is estimated to be more than US $4.5 billion. He has licensed the “Trump Tower” concept in Istanbul. He has filed for bankruptcy (Chapter 11) four times in his lifetime. Over the years, his business practices have generally been found unethical. If Donald Trump were to become the next US president following the 2016 presidential elections, it is for sure that the world would face a very interesting, unprecedented business-style of politics on the global stage.

US political analysts did not think that the late Ronald Reagan stood a chance to become the US president in the beginning. He surprised everyone when he won the 1980 presidential elections, defeating then sitting Democratic President Jimmy Carter. During Jimmy Carter’s time in office inflation and unemployment soared. Throughout his two-term, 8-year tenure, Ronald Reagan made not only his voters happy, but all Americans. He successfully ran the economy and made peace with the US’s rival super power Russia.

Under President Obama, US inflation has now fallen to less than 1.9%, and the unemployment rate is now less than 5%. Public spending is low. Since Obama took office, US military involvement in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan have been minimized. The US economy is running smoothly. Considering this, is there any chance that Trump could win the presidential race in 2016? Who knows? Nonetheless it can be said with certainty that Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner Republican candidate. Donald Trump says he will deport millions of Mexicans and bar Muslims from entering the country. If president, his foreign policy and war efforts would be unpredictable to say the least.

He says he would not hesitate to use military force when US interests are in jeopardy. He would go to war to protect these interests whether they be energy resources or the object of a power dispute.

Moreover, Donald Trump doesn’t believe in climate change or global warming. He will continue to pursue policies that support fossil fuel firing thermal power plants.

Donald Trump uses very simple and very abusive language in debates and in his public speeches as he is projected to win the Republican nomination in any case. Donald Trump is simplistic, demagogic, opportunistic, and sarcastic toward his rivals. He cannot speak any languages other than his own mother tongue. Even though he has limited knowledge of world affairs, in his latest speech on foreign relations he used very simple and carefully worded sentences to address the world around him.

Donald Trump is a well-educated business personality. He has never held any political post and has no political experience.

He does not drink. He fears alcohol because his older brother died of alcoholism at the age of 43. He is a clever manipulator of the base impulses of an ignorant American electorate.

Donald Trump is willing to exploit the fears and prejudices of certain segments of the electorate in a bid to win the US presidency. Will we still be comfortable when Donald Trump takes the presidency, or will we be sorry in the end?

The GOP itself is uncomfortable with his candidacy, and some moderate GOP voters may vote Democrat in the presidential election. For Donald Trump, everything is black and white: a nuclear North Korea is a Chinese problem, and the Syrian Civil War a Russian problem.

If he were able, this author would be voting for Bernie Sanders on the basis of his social democrat solutions. However, it is apparent that Bernie will not be chosen as the final Democratic candidate. Here, your writer feels that Hillary Clinton would be the next best choice for the presidency, not only for US voters but also for the world. However, let us face the reality that Donald Trump is now a serious presidential contender for the upcoming election in 2016.

We all wonder what Donald Trump’s impact would be on our Middle Eastern geography with his limited political and international experience. Turkey may face bitter relations with the US under Trump administration, and we already have uneasy relations with our Russian neighbors. We are also facing an intractable war on our southern border. Yet in the end we should understand the reality that we should be prepared for anything and position ourselves accordingly.

Haluk Direskeneli

Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP, Entergy), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

One thought on “Donald Trump The 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate: View From Turkey – OpEd

  • May 11, 2016 at 10:25 pm
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    To me he is or has run on the writings of what was Hitler’s stand the German citizens wanted a change(our republicans)and the homeless fool ( at his time) gave it with both barrels pointed at 6 million Jewish people.trump has no empathy or sympathy for no one .not even his own .I believe he ran out of projects on his bucket list so figured ” hey why not” He will make the white house a house of horror to the world .oh yeah Bill Clinton has nothing on him

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