A different way of thinking about President Donald Trump

May 5, 2026

President Donald J. Trump is an enigma. He is liked and respected by many, and disliked and the subject of negative wishes by many others. In fact, the high degree of dislike for him by his political foes causes many of them to be unable to objectively judge the things he does. Instead, an automatic response to his actions is, “that is horrible, stupid, Hitlerian, fascist, Nazism,” etc.

His supporters, however, even though many do not automatically endorse his every move, like most of what he does. This is because they are not blinded by hatred, and are able to see positive results from many/most of his actions.

A really good, sensible, and objective analysis of Trump was offered during his first term as President by Charles Krauthammer.

In case you don’t know, Krauthammer was a brilliant, respected, and widely published political columnist who started out as a moderate liberal and later turned independent conservative. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his columns in The Washington Post in 1987, and is credited for writing this fine column in March of 2018, not long before he passed away.

Not blinded either by love or hate, Krauthammer’s estimation of Trump was this: “Trump Is Not A Liberal or Conservative, He's a ‘Pragmatist.’ (Definition: A pragmatist is someone who is practical and focused on reaching a goal. A pragmatist usually has a straightforward, matter-of-fact approach and doesn't let emotion distract him or her.)”

Clearly, and thankfully, Trump is not a liberal. And many of those on the right criticize him for not being conservative enough. So, Krauthammer’s view makes sense.

He goes on to mention problems with both the liberal and conservative perspectives, and how Trump sees things. “I stated it was my opinion that Trump is a pragmatist. He sees a problem and understands it must be fixed. He doesn't see the problem as liberal or conservative, he sees it only as a problem. That is a quality that should be admired and applauded, not condemned. But I get ahead of myself.

“Viewing problems from a Liberal perspective has resulted in the creation of more problems, more entitlement programs, more victims, more government, more political correctness, and more attacks on the working class in all economic strata. 

“Viewing things according to the so-called Republican conservative perspective has brought continued spending and globalism to the detriment of American interests and well-being, denial of what the real problems are, weak, ineffective, milquetoast, leadership that amounts to Barney Fife Deputy Sheriff, appeasement oriented and afraid of its own shadow.”

And, as an example, he cites a problem current in 2018. “Trump uniquely understands that China's manipulation of currency is not a Republican problem or a Democrat problem. It is a problem that threatens our financial stability and he understands the proper balance needed to fix it.

“Here again, successful businessmen, like Trump, who have weathered the changing tides of economic reality understand what is necessary to make business work, and they, unlike both sides of the political aisle, know that if something doesn't work, you don't continue trying to make it work hoping that at some point it will. 

“As a pragmatist, Donald Trump hasn't made wild pie-in-the-sky promises of a cell phone in every pocket, free college tuition, and a $15/hour minimum wage for working the drive-through at Carl's Hamburgers.”

Next, he cites five reasons why people don’t, or may not, like Trump:

“(1) he is antithetical to the ‘good old boy’ method of brokering back room deals that fatten the coffers of politicians;

“(2) they are unaccustomed to hearing a president speak who is unencumbered by the financial shackles of those who he owes vis-a-vis donations;

“(3) he is someone who is free of idiomatic political ideology;

“(4) he says what he is thinking, is unapologetic for his outspoken thoughts, speaks very straightforward using everyday language that can be understood by all … making him a great communicator, for the most part, does what he says he will do and;

“(5) he is someone who understands that it takes more than hollow promises and political correctness to make America great again.”

Instead of viewing Trump as a rich guy intruding into the “sacred” world of politics, viewing him as an apolitical problem solver could result in less radical, and more calm reactions to his efforts to resolve America’s problems. And be realistic: nobody is always wrong. Even Joe Biden and Barack Obama weren’t always wrong.

Put aside the fervent desire to replace our unique and superior governmental system with a failed socialist/communist system that puts nearly everyone at the mercy of a few authoritarian “leaders” who care nothing about rights and freedoms, and who care only about themselves.

Krauthammer’s idea of a pragmatist being precisely what the country needs at this time should be appreciated. Don’t let Trump’s often offensive comments prevent seeing the beneficial things that are happening.

“Donald Trump put his total financial empire at risk in running for president and certainly did not need or possibly even want the job,” Krauthammer wrote. “He wants success for the U.S. and her citizens because he loves his country.”

Last Saturday was an interesting, busy and unusual day!

June 21, 2025

On Saturday, the nation celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which actually shares a birthday with President Donald Trump. This important point escaped the notice of many leftists.

But the left instead celebrated a new “holiday” called “No Kings.” This was enjoyed by celebrants at protests across the nation to complain about the “King,” the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America.

There were many responses to this “holiday” on social media, in emails and elsewhere. Here are a few examples: “Half his orders are tied up in the judicial branch and he cannot get his budget through the Senate his party controls. That doesn’t sound like a king to me.”

“Is a king a President who is caught having stolen classified documents but doesn’t get prosecuted because he is a ‘well-meaning old man with a poor memory?’” 

“A king might be a man who ignores immigration laws and invites anyone to come into the country.”

“A king is a man who allows foreign countries to fly spy balloons over military bases and won’t let the army shoot them down.”

Many on the left are busy financing or participating in violent “protests” resulting in injuries and property damage and destruction on the basis of their belief that illegal aliens — many of whom have been convicted of violent crimes, or charged with them — should not be deported without additional and unnecessary legal proceedings, despite their being known criminals by virtue of the having entered the country illegally, and existing charges and convictions.

Instead, they blame “King” Trump for using federal authorities to find and remove the illegal aliens, as they are required to do by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.

At one of the “protests,” there was a poster attached to a speaker stand that said, “No Kings,” and below that are the numbers “8647.” In case you are unaware, 8647 means to eighty-six (murder) president number 47.

But the best idea of all is that in a land that actually was ruled by a king similar to the one the left tries to convince us is in charge of the U.S., there would be no protests championing “No Kings.” Or if there were, particpants would be jailed or shot. Maybe the “king” was unaware of this activity.

Also on Saturday, two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot in a horrible assassination attempt “by someone impersonating a police officer,” as reported by Fox 9, Minneapolis/St. Paul. 

“Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were taken to a hospital for surgery.”

“Gov. Tim Walz called the incident ‘an unspeakable tragedy.’ This was an act of targeted political violence. Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint," Walz said.

“Authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who remains at large,” Fox 9 reported. And early comments and reports showed different ideas about the suspect’s connections and motives.

A Facebook friend happily posted a video with the person saying that Boelter “has been confirmed to be a strong Trump supporter, who voted for Donald Trump, as well as a registered Republican.” He showed information that convinced him that Boelter is “a right-wing Christian, nationalist.”

He showed a photo of the New York Post newspaper that said Boelter was registered as a Republican. He also strongly condemned those on the right, whom he said rushed to judgement to blame someone on the left for these horrible crimes.

Soon thereafter, a report from NPR said, “Records from the state's secretary of state indicate that Boelter was a member of the Governor's Workforce Development Board once from 2016 until 2018 and again from 2019 until early 2023. State records indicate that he was not registered with any political party.”

“At a press conference, Col. Christina Bogojevic of the Minnesota State Patrol said flyers reading "No Kings" were found in the suspect's car, though she added that there were no direct links beyond that that authorities knew of,” the NPR report continued.

So, which report do we believe: The New York Post that lists Boelter as a Republican, or NPR that said there was no evidence of political affiliation, but that the suspect had worked for state Democrat administrations?

An additional piece of information is that the two Democrat lawmakers who were targeted were voting against their party on an important issue. Both had crossed party lines to vote against continuing free healthcare for illegal immigrants last week.

That fact, and the fact that “No Kings” material was found in the suspect’s car suggest a liberal position for Boelter. However, a list of potential future targets found in Boelter’s car had Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice organizations and people.

It appears that the murders were politically based, although the evidence available does not make it clear which side was behind it.

The level of political-based violence in this country is unacceptable in this country, which highly respects the freedom to hold whatever political positions one chooses. Here, political decisions are made at the ballot box, not through the use of force.