Trump Takes his First Beating with More to Come

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken his first beating. His ill informed and contradictory statements make for easy fodder. Thinking people recoil in horror at Trump’s populism. The man known as “The Donald” has been variously described as a con-man, pathological liar and fascist. On June 2nd the likely Democratic Nominee Hilary Clinton lashed out at the Republican presidential nominee. The verbal lashing was the first time that a rival has taken on Trump since failed GOP contender Ted Cruz took his best shot.

By most accounts Hilary KOed Trump in what promises to be his first of many beatings. It is not that Hilary is such a great orator, it is simply that Trump’s litany of absurd statements make him especially vulnerable.

“He’s not just unprepared — he’s temperamentally unfit” Hilary said. She is not the first to suggest he is unfit to be president. There have been many serious commentators who have questioned Trump’s ability to be president. This point was reiterated in a recent Washington Post op-ed that said essentially the same thing.

“Donald Trump’s ideas aren’t just different — they are dangerously incoherent,” Clinton said. “They’re not even really ideas — just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds, and outright lies.” Clinton said in her speech. “We cannot put the safety of our children and grandchildren in Donald Trump’s hands. We cannot let him roll the dice with America.”

Hilary pointed to the stark differences between her and her rival. She described the forthcoming presidential election as a a choice “between a fearful America that is less secure and less engaged with the world, and a strong America that leads to keep us safe and our economy going.”

All around the world Trump is perceived as an offensive joke. As Mexican
reporter Luis Kaim Gebara wrote: “It is difficult for a person of his ilk to be taken seriously,”

President Obama said that the Trump presidential bid has “rattled” world leaders. As the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nations were meeting in Shima Japan, the President told reporters that the leaders of G7 nations (Italy, Japan, Britain, Canada, France and Germany), are “rattled” by Trump. He added “and for good reason. I think it’s fair to say that they are surprised by the Republican nominee; they are not sure how seriously to take some of his pronouncements.”

Obama went on to explain that

“A lot of the proposals that he’s made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude or an interest in getting tweets and headlines instead of actually thinking through what it is that is required to keep America safe and secure and prosperous and what’s required to keep the world on an even keel.”

At the end of the summit Obama said: “[Trump] doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean Peninsula or the world generally. We don’t want somebody in the Oval Office who doesn’t recognize how important that is.”

While the Republican nominee may be reviled by heads of state around the world he has received an endorsement from North Korea. An editorial in the state-owned DPRK Today praised Trump as a “wise politician” and “far sighted presidential candidate.”

At the end of May Trump shared his views on America’s energy future at the North Dakota Petroleum Council conference in Bismarck. He derided the Obama administration for blocking production of oil and natural gas and he indicated that he would dismantle the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

“Here is my 100-day action plan: Rescind all the job-destroying Obama executive actions, including the climate action plan,” Trump said.

Trump went on to explain that his “America First” energy policy would exploit “$50 trillion” worth of untapped coal, oil and gas by dismantling safety and environmental regulations. Saying that “Federal regulations put coal miners out of business,” and his plan would put coal miners back to work. He would also review the Keystone XL pipeline.

Trump said of the COP21 deal: “We’re going to cancel the Paris climate treaty.” While the agreement worked out at COP21 may be hard to cancel, by not honoring it he can effectively kill the deal.

“We are going to turn everything around,” Trump said “and quickly, very quickly.”

Trump further indicated his eagerness to kill any form of climate assistance to developing nations. “We have deep problems and we can’t be sending our money all over the world,” he said.

Among his many dishonest statements, Trump saved some of his biggest lies for the wind industry. He disparaged wind turbines by saying they kill millions of birds. He also stated that “wind is very expensive.”

Lets be clear, a Trump Presidency would signal the death knell for climate action capable of keeping the world from warming more the the upper threshold limit of 2 degrees Celsius.

“Trump’s energy policies would accelerate climate change, protect corporate polluters who profit from poisoning our air and water, and block the transition to clean energy that is necessary to strengthen our economy and protect our climate and health,” said Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist.

Trump’s hypocrisy and opportunism are revealed in his dismissal of global warming as “bullshit” on the one hand and efforts to protect his own assets on the other. All this while while promising to undue protections for Americans.

In response to rising seas attributable to global warming, his seaside golf resort, Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, has applied to build a sea wall.

As reviewed in Politico:

“Trump’s company has warned not only the county council of the perils of
climate change, but also local residents.”

Trump’s presidential aspirations do not appear to be helping his brand. In a classic case of people voting with their wallets, bookings at Trump Hotels have plummeted by almost 60 percent since he became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.