Trump Party

“We are proud to have a President whose jobs agenda is guided by the principles to buy American and hire American! #MadeInTheUSA”

Above is an excerpt from the introduction on Donald Trump’s website.

 Hm. Interesting.

There are actually a lot of interesting things you can find on his website, but fascinatingly…there is no page dedicated to his plans for the country or his platform on the issues.

Thankfully, the Internet does not forget, which allows us to measure up Trump’s previous statements to his party’s principles.

Trade

As Trump said in his inaugural address,

“From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.”

            The traditional GOP member would likely agree with such a statement. However, the strategies manifested out of such beliefs are pretty unique. In opposition to his party, Trump has criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trans Pacific Partnership. Trump functions under the opinion that Americans would be better off paying for more expensive goods made within the US than partner with other countries on trade. It is precisely this kind of discrepancy that gives him a reputation as a non-traditional, or un-republican politician. 

Immigration

"I will build a great wall -- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me --and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

Such a familiar phrase.

However, the Republican Party does not want to be known by such brash statements.

             According to LATimes, “Party leaders, in a postmortem following the 2012 election, called for an end to divisive rhetoric and for passing an immigration overhaul that could provide a pathway to citizenship for about 11 million immigrants in the country illegally.”

It seems much of the party had their fair share of cognitive dissonance in voting Trump this election.

Social Security

             An important and longstanding element of Donald Trump’s rally speeches were his promises to leave social security alone along with his refusal to cut benefits. This is a major way he and his party differ. As explained in the Time article, Donald Trump and the GOP Have Different Plans for Your Money, “almost every GOP office holder avers that Social Security is on the edge of a financial cliff. Fixing Social Security is a cornerstone of Republican philosophy. In 2012, replacing Social Security with private accounts was a key part of the GOP platform.” 

that kind of party.

              It almost seems like our President isn’t on the same page as his party. I don’t really think you can lump Republicans in with Trump supporters. I think Trump is more his own party, and Trump supporters and Republicans should not be assumed to get along.