I’ll need to think up a term for this, but it’s a practice that I’ve witnessed Donald Trump partake in.
Most politicians, they’ll present an endless list of problems and ailments, but rarely if ever will they propose a way to solve these problems.
Trump will speak on a problem, and then he’ll pitch a solution. In his White House Inauguration Day (off the cuff) Press Conference he addressed the tiktok issue. He first stated how tiktok is an app for young people, and as such is not going to produce any vital national security information for China to exploit; that’s not actually relevant here it’s only a great point and he’s a genius for it. He then went on to say how tiktok provides a great value opportunity for the United States to seize. So here we might impose that the issue is, we aren’t seeing any profit shares as a country from tiktok. And all of a sudden, boom, Trump proposes a solution. And a digestible one at that: we split it 50/50; a joint venture. It’s outstanding. And his solution is what makes real the problem at all.
A better example can be found in his Post-Election Interview with NBC’s Meet the Press. He was addressing the issue of drugs coming in through the Canadian border. Uh oh, that’s a problem. But it’s easy to talk about problems. It’s easy to classify something as a problem. Yet the only way to legitimize something as indeed a problem to be solved is by presenting and implementing an action to solve said problem. Otherwise, if you need not or can afford not.. to actually solve it— it probably wasn’t that big of a deal to begin with. Alas! Trump did present a solution. Threaten Canada with tariffs if they don’t figure out how to limit the amount of drugs coming into the states from their country. You can make the argument “oh tariffs are no real solution” but then at least it’s something!! At least it’s vigorous. At least is actionable. At least there is some probability of success. “We need to do something about the billionaire class” will be Bernie Sander’s refrain til he slips into his grave. And every election he’ll win because the people of Vermont have no real need to solve this “problem” he continues to present them. Why they fall for the ruse and why they perhaps want to fall for it is another story. But the fact remains he’ll never be a leader because he’s not a solutions guy, he’s a frown in his chair whine and complain two-faced problems guy. I’d rather Trump any day.
J.W. 