Trump can bring a refreshing honesty to the table

Nathan Cheiman

While Bernie Sanders has accused Israel of a disproportionate response to rockets fired by Hamas, Trump sturdily defended Israel’s actions by saying: “If your enemy is firing rockets at your capital, I don’t know what a disproportionate response is.”

Prior to attending a monetary meeting last week (and meeting the Pope) in the Vatican City, Sanders also inaccurately referred to a figure of 10 000 killed in the Gaza/Israel war. His knowledge of Middle East matters is decidedly lacking.

Both Trump and Sanders differ significantly on various aspects of American policy, such as trade, military and immigration. On individuals rights they are poles apart.

On abortion, Trump disagrees that it is a woman’s unrestricted right to abort. He disagrees on same sex marriage and he strongly argues that G-d should be kept in the public sphere.

Sanders conversely disagrees with Trump on all those views, curiously, because America is largely a Christian and principled country.

In a JTA commentary in March, Heilman writes: “To understand American Jews who support Trump, they see the candidate as refreshingly honest, unafraid to challenge political orthodoxies, which they say is what a president needs.”

He cites many Jews voting against Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton “because of her support for the Iran nuclear deal and her infamous (1999) embrace of Yasser Arafat’s wife, Suha, and the support given to the Clinton Foundation from Arab donors”.

It is said that Donald Trump and Charles Kushner (Jared’s father) resemble each other. Both grew successful and large real estate empires and both had a similar urge to see their surname on the sides of buildings.

Trump has many flaws but can bring a refreshing honesty to the table. He has commercial experience, unlike Sanders and Clinton, who, during their lives, have only run for government office. Trump’s articulation is easy to decipher, unlike that of Sanders or Clinton.

American comedian George Carlin once said: “By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.” There may be truth in that platitude.

Northcliff, Johannesburg