Why Donald Trump should be President

Donald J. Trump is the Republican Party’s official nominee for President of the United States. The day after the Republican Convention ended, the Swiss press had few words of praise for the candidate. But Trump does have supporters in Switzerland. Ed Karr, Chairman of Republicans Overseas Switzerland, explains why he will be voting for Trump in November.

The Republican Convention is over. This convention was unlike any other Republican convention – controversial, energetic, and chaotic. These are some of the main characteristics of Donald Trump himself. Now that Trump has secured the Republican nomination, it’s time to look towards the November election.

Trump faces a formidable opponent in Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate donations. Mrs. Clinton is smart, experienced, and has a highly organised campaign machine. However, I believe Trump is the better candidate, and I will be voting for him as President in November. Here are a few reasons why.

Edward Karr was born in New York and currently lives in Geneva, where he works as an investment advisor. The 47-year-old is Chairman of Republicans Overseas Switzerland. Courtesy of the author

Trump is not a career politician

Ask the average American and almost everyone will agree that the country needs change. The political system is broken. Washington DC insiders are bought and paid for by special interests and big corporations. No longer is America the land “of the people, by the people and for the people” – it has changed over the last several decades into “of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations”.  The system needs change.

Trump is not a career politician. He is a self-made businessman, not afraid of shaking up the system and creating controversy. To take on something as big as the Washington insider game, the country needs an outsider who cannot be bought.

There were many qualified and quality candidates in the Republican primaries. Most of them, however, were dependent upon big donors for funding. So far, Donald Trump has predominantly funded his campaign himself. The donations he is currently receiving are mainly from small donors and not a few large, overly influential individuals. This independence scares Washington insiders on both sides of the aisle.

That’s a huge positive for me. It’s time for a change in America. A career lawyer and politician is not the solution the country needs. A deeply entrenched DC insider is not what the country needs. As a DC outsider, there is a real chance Trump will be the solution to shake up an incestuous, corrupt, insider-rigged system which concentrates power and money at the federal level through special interests. 

Trump is a businessman

Donald Trump is a self-made billionaire. He is the very definition of the American Dream. He has success, fame, personality, and a very supportive family. Of course Trump has had controversies in his business career – it’s hard to find any successful self-made entrepreneur who has not.

Trump believes in business and the power of the free market. More government is not the solution to making America great again. Jobs are the solution, and jobs come from entrepreneurs who are willing to take risks. Trump knows this and will use his business experience to make America even better.

A real economic boom is just around the corner. Trump will unleash the power of innovation, entrepreneurship and work ethic that makes America so unique. Advances in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, genetics, fintech innovation, robotics, clean energy, and customised medicine are all on the verge of exploding in a new wave of profound economic prosperity. Big government stifles innovation, however, and increasing bureaucracy and regulations reduce economic potential. Trump knows how to embrace the power of the free market to maximise the country’s potential. 

Trump is a tough negotiator

As a businessman, Trump has the necessary experience to lead the United States through a critical juncture in its history. The United States is bankrupt. The Obama administration has doubled the national debt to $20 trillion (CHF19.76 trillion). The country still runs trillion-dollar annual deficits and massive trade deficits. This path is unsustainable.

Trump has been through bankruptcy. He knows how to negotiate with creditors and get the best deal. I believe Donald Trump is the perfect person to handle the biggest bankruptcy workout in the history of the world – the future restructuring of the United States balance sheet.

Lots of countries unfairly take advantage of America’s generosity by manipulating currencies, dumping products on the markets, and unfairly competing on intellectual property, putting the United States at a major competitive disadvantage. This needs to change.

Donald Trump is highly intelligent. He is a Wharton School of Finance graduate and a successful deal maker. Trump will bring his strong negotiating experience to the international table to get the best deals possible for the country. 

Trump is the Republican nominee

As a Republican, I will support the Trump/Pence ticket. It’s amazing how successful Trump has been in the primaries. Many people dismissed him as a showman and didn’t believe he would be a serious candidate. This was a major mistake. Trump swept through the country and showed solid support across all categories and in all regions. He’s an incredible orator and has tapped into key swing voters who will determine the ultimate results in November. Trump’s choice of Governor Michael Pence for his Vice President brings solid conservative credentials to the ticket.

Now that the Republican convention is over, Trump will have the full support of the Republican National Committee behind him. He will galvanize the country, with the RNC providing field support at the local level and Republicans Overseas helping internationally.

Already, Republicans Overseas has managed to have the critical issues of repealing FATCA and returning to residency-based taxation included as part of the Republican platform. This is a huge step for all expatriate voters.

Trump is not boring

Finally, Donald Trump is anything but boring. He has made many controversial remarks in the campaign so far. Many of these have made the international community stand up and take notice. I believe Trump has made these remarks from the heart. First and foremost he believes he represents the best interests of America. Donald Trump deeply loves America, and I support a patriot for President. 

It will be an exciting race into the November elections. The Trump campaign and future Presidency will not be like anything the country has experienced in the past. Trump has managed to tap into the strong feelings across America that there is something wrong with the country and Washington, DC, needs change.

This is more than just a political campaign – it’s a true movement. The Republican Party is changing before our very eyes. The American people appreciate Trump’s straight talk and lack of political correctness, and overwhelmingly supported him in the primaries. Trump’s challenge will be to sustain his momentum into November and for the next four years in the White House. 

Is Trump controversial? Definitely. Will he be unpredictable? Without a doubt. Will he be boring? Never! 

We need a new start

The United States was founded upon both economic and personal freedoms. Those freedoms have been vanishing over the last decades as power has concentrated at the federal level. Washington is the problem, not the solution. If the Founding Fathers could see the current state of the country, they would be rolling over in their graves.

The choice for me is simple. Do I want to continue with the current corrupt system of entrenched insiders, or do I want to look for real change?

I believe the United States desperately needs change, and Trump is the best candidate to lead the country forward. That’s why I support Donald Trump and will be voting for him in November. 

The views expressed in this article are solely the views of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of swissinfo.ch.

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