Yes, Donald Trump.
For all his flaws (and there are many), the businessman, reality TV star, former U.S. president and current Republican presidential candidate is a far better option over Vice-President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, in the Nov. 5 election. By a long shot, in fact.
“Ah-ha!” some of you are thinking. “You’re a Trump supporter! We knew it all along!”
No, I’m not. I would certainly be a Republican if I lived in the U.S., but I‘ve been fairly middle-of-the-road about Trump since the very start. I don’t regard him as either a conservative or Republican. I also don’t regard him as “fascist,” “racist,” “far right” or the “devil in disguise.”
So, why am I endorsing him? Trump is a far more competent political leader on his worst day than Harris would ever be on her best.
Harris, a one-term California Senator of little importance, has long been regarded as a left-wing political lightweight. She ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries and was polling in the single digits before dropping out. She only became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 when a weak, ineffective and feeble Joe Biden stepped aside on July 21 and endorsed her.
Harris leads Trump by less than 1 per cent on average in the popular vote. He never won the popular vote against Hillary Clinton (whom he beat in 2016) and Biden (who beat him in 2020), so that’s no surprise. In the all-important electoral college, most models show a slight lead for either Harris or Trump, with a significant number of toss-up states in play that will determine the final outcome.
Why hasn’t Harris been able to make significant gains against Trump? She’s weak and ineffective, too.
Her political and economic views are horrendous. Pro-abortion, pro-affirmative action and pro-gun control. She favours higher corporate taxes, is soft on illegal immigration and crime rates, and believes in more state-centric policies like public health care, sanctuary states and a Green New Deal. Harris is clearly a progressive’s progressive.
As for foreign policy, Harris is completely inexperienced and hopelessly inept. How would she be able to handle major wars between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Hamas? How could she strike fear in the hearts of totalitarian regimes, rogue nations and terrorist organizations that want to obliterate the U.S. and its allies? That’s the problem — she couldn’t. America and the world would therefore be far less safe with Harris as president.
This wouldn’t be the case with Trump in the White House.
It’s no secret that Trump can be volatile and unpredictable. He often marches to the beat of his own drummer. He will argue with world leaders, the media and even members of his own cabinet. He doesn’t pay strict attention to briefing notes, and believes he knows more than the experts do. He’s expressed levels of admiration for controversial leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He handled the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol poorly. He faced impeachment not once, but twice.
In spite of all this, the former president is better equipped to handle the burden of leadership than his political rival.
Trump wouldn’t be the second coming of former president Ronald Reagan or former Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater with respect to economic conservatism. He tends to favour using economic nationalism and the short-term implementation of tariffs as bargaining tools, which has frustrated many conservatives.
Nevertheless, Trump is more supportive in principle of free markets and private enterprise than Harris. Like most Republicans, he respects the need for tax cuts, economic growth, profitability and a competitive marketplace. He would also support fair trade policies, work with farmers and trade unions, and help middle-class Americans achieve greater economic success and prosperity.
Trump would be a stronger advocate for safety and security than Harris. He supports hard-working legal immigrants, and wants to crack down on illegal immigration. He will eliminate the black market for illegal weapons and drugs, appoint more right-leaning judges and make cross-border travel and trade quicker and more efficient. In that same vein, he would also push for more individual rights and freedoms. This includes his strong support for free speech and greater protections for Christian, Jewish and moderate Muslim communities across America.
As well, Trump would be a much stronger and more confident political leader on the international stage than Harris. He created a tense environment at times with some world leaders and international organizations. Nevertheless, he’s achieved more than his fair share in foreign affairs. He’s staunchly defended Israel and supported a new Middle East peace plan. He withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, left the Paris Agreement, rolled back relations with Cuba and launched airstrikes against Syria. He pushed back against NATO, the G7 and the United Nations to make them more accountable, and became the first U.S. president to visit North Korea. Not a bad record, all things considered.
The 2024 presidential election could end up being one of the closest in American history. Many voters will likely bite their tongues when they go to the ballot boxes. In this battle of imperfect political candidates, the best choice is to give Trump a second (and final) term in the White House and make America great again.
National Post