Issues Rising from Trump Decisions as President-Elect

 

Not a good decision

As the editor of this blog, I am trying to keep my opinions nutural, but it seems that I’m going to have to have so much to write about.  A couple of things have happened today in the news that people need to know about. In keeping with the reason for writing this blog, the decisions made by Donald Trump, I would like to highlight two issues with more details that Donald Trump may not necessarily want you to know about. Many people know that they are happening  because they hear Trump news being reported every day. But not in this detail.

FIRST ISSUE

Bahrain National Day which is held each day on December 16th. Each year, The country celebrates their independence from Britain in 1971. As a country, Bahrain has a terrible human rights record and recently there was a brutal crackdown on an Arab Spring uprising where thousands of people lost their lives and many were jailed by their government.

There is a Bahrain Embassy in Washington DC. Each year a full celebration to celebrate Bahrain National Day takes place. The reception celebration is held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. One year it was held at the Four Seasons Hotel.

This year, they have decided on a new venue. Instead of the Ritz, it will now the Bahrain Celebration will now be held at Trump’s D.C. Hotel, which is now raising ethical concerns. Details about this celebration to be held at one of Donald Trumps properties can be found in a POLITICO article,presented by Nolan D. McCaskill and Madeline Conway dated (11/29/16). Of course, why wouldn’t Bahrain not want to book their event anywhere except on a property owned by the President-Elect. I guess that the Bahrain formal orgainization does not want to meet President Elect Trump at the Ritz, and that could be understandable, not to mention that it may put a little cash in President-Elects pockets. Is there a conflict of interest here or not? Don’t you think they are trying to get in good with the President-Elect? Of course they are.

SECOND ISSUE

A day earlier on December 15, President Elect Trump had another tweet storm here are some of his tweets….

“to be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. While I am not mandated to …”

as stated on Donald Trumps Twitter feed account. He also states

” it is visually important, as President , that in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!”

Originally, Donald Trump mentioned that he was going to allow his kids run his businesses once he becomes president.

There is an office called The United States Office of Government Ethics that sets rules of conflicts of interest in the Executive Branch. They responded to Donald Trump’s tweet today about the Twitter announcement with great excitement but also with great sarchasism.

So now the Twitter war begins….

The Office of Government Ethics tweeted in return..

“OGE is delighted that you’ve decided to divest your businesses. Right decision! Bravo! Only way to resolve these conflicts of interest is to divest. Good call! This divestiture does what handing over control could never have done. We can’t repeat enough how good this total divestiture will be ….”

BUT, here’s the problem.  Who is fooling who here… President Elect Donald Trump never said that he is going to divest his business interests. He never said that he will rescind ownership of anything. What he is actually talking about is just turning over control to his kids.

Now if he did the right thing, for example, announce his divestiture, then for sure that would be a great deal in neutralising his conflicts of interest. If he doesn’t divest himself, in essence, he will be taking a bribs, which what is indicated for the celebration at his hotel. He still is benefiting from his private businesses, monies that he receives specifically because he is going to be President.  That is the definition of ‘conflict of interest‘. It is specifically prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, even if you are president.   But he has made no statement that he will divest his businesses.  He does not plan to isolate himself in ANY way from his financial interests, except that he says his kids will run the businesses. You can read more on his businesses ties and his business empire that he has across the world right here.

To get right with the law, the president-elect intends to sell his assets, and put his funds of his assets in a Blind Trust  to get right with the law. But to date, neither he or his transition team is saying anything of the such.

Trump to Pick 1 out of 4 Possibilities – to be Secretary Of State

The hunt for a new Secretary of State to be chosen by Donald Trump is still on. Most likely by the end of the week, Donald Trump will pick the candidate that most certainly will get a gruelling go-over by the U.S. Senate. Now there are four candidates in the running. 

The favoured is Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee who met with Donald Trump for the third time today.

Next in line is Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor who also met with Donald Trump and has opened voiced that he expect the nomination.

Next there is David PetrausHe highly decorated but scandal-scarred former military commander, who has emerged as a new contender for secretary of state after days of bitter internal feuding over who will get the coveted post. It is not known at this time that he can hold top secret clearance because of prior issues, which would disqualify him from the job.

Between Giuliani and Romney, Giuliani stood by Trumps side through thick or thin. Unfortunately, the word is that he does not have the experience for the job. Even so, he has been openly stating to the media that he is qualified, and openly states that this is the position that he wants the most.  Again, he will have an extremely difficult time getting through confirmations in the Senate.

Romney was Donald Trump’s, most scathing foe on the political circuit during the primary campaign and throughout the general election process. It looks as if Trump is still willing to bury the hatchet after all the comments that Romney made. He should have less of a problem getting confirmed by the Senate, but there is still another dark-horse that may surprise everyone and get the nomination, and that would be Bob Corker, U.S. Senator from Tennessee. He is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump at Trump tower later today and then we should know shortly after who will become the next Secretary of State.

Big decision by Donald Trump – Secretary of State Choice

 

Decision is out on this one

This week, it is expected that President-Elect Trump will select his Secretary of State. He has several people in mind, but the two at the top of the list are Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. Romney will have the easiest path to get through the U.S. Senate, even though as stated in a prior article that Mitt Romney refused to support Trump before his election as President-Elect. Now, he is applying for the top Cabinet pick – Secretary of State. On the other hand, you have Rudy Giuliani, who supported Trump throughout his primary campaign, and also through the general elections. But ironically, it appears that Rudy Giuliani does not have the qualifications to become Secretary of State, even though he has out-rightly stated that this was the job that he wanted. He will have a very difficult time getting past the Senate and may be rejected.

Does Donald Trump want someone in his Cabinet as Secretary of State that outrightly refused to support him in the past and condemned him to be president, or does Trump want someone totally unqualified as Secretary of State ? Trump has made other appointments that are questionable, but again these are his decisions to make. The Federal government is totally at his mercy.  He gets to choose who is in, and who is out.

The decision of Trump on this issue again most likely will come this week. Regardless of which of these two candidates he chooses, there will be some backlash from supporters. This will be explained more in detail after the nomination of the candidate for Secretary of State. Other people are qualified and have applied for the position.

Trump Tax Returns

Not a good decision

Donald Trump has made the decision all during the election to not show his tax returns. Now that he is President-Elect, what are the chances that he will voluntarily present his tax returns? If you believe as I do that there may be damaging information in the returns that can affect his presidency,  you can say that he will not voluntarily show his taxes. The answer to this issue may be in the form of a question.
If by chance that Trump’s returns showed him to be engaged in all kinds of profitable businesses, a generous donor to worthy causes, and hugely wealthy, do you think he’d hesitate for an instant before releasing them? Of course he would not hesitate.But because there is a dark side to his taxes, we’re never going to to see them, even if Trump claimed that he will publish his tax returns once the audit on his taxes are complete. Now that he is President-Elect and soon to be president, all bets are off.

Trump Cabinet and Advisor Picks To Date

President-Elect Donald Trump spent Thanksgiving Day at his famous resort called the Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach Florida. This was after a week of very serious work as he continued to pick people to fill his Cabinet. Even while he was at his retreat for the holiday, Trump was expected to keep fishing through the hundreds of people and the positions that those people must fill in the Federal Government. It has been confirmed that he has made another two picks for his cabinet the day after Thanksgiving. Most of his Cabinet positions must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

But before we go further, let’s outline to date who Donald Trump has selected for his Cabinet and Advisors to date…. as Trump has said repeatedly that is it very important to him as he stated from a reputable source – The New York Times when he said..

“We’re trying very hard to get the best people. Not necessarily people that will be the most politically correct people, because that hasn’t been working. So we have really experts in the field.. Some are known and some are not known, but they’re known within their field as being the best. That’s very important to me.”

Already Selected…

Stephen K. Bannon – Chief Strategist… a right-wing media executive and the chairman of the president-elect’s campaign. Many have denounced the move, warning that Mr. Bannon represents racist views. Stephen K. Bannon was also considered for chief of staff, but Mr. Trump instead named him chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House, saying that he and Mr. Priebus would be “working as equal partners” in the administration.

Mike Pompeo  – CIA Director… Representative of Kansas and a former Army officer. Mr. Pompeo is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton during the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Mr. Trump takes over at a time of diverse and complex threats to American security. The new C.I.A. director will have to decide whether to undo a C.I.A. “modernization” plan put in place this year by Director John O. Brennan, and how to proceed if the president-elect orders a resumption of harsh interrogation tactics — which critics have described as torture — for terrorism suspects.

Jeff Sessions – Attorney General… Senator of Alabama. Mr. Sessions is a strong proponent of strict immigration enforcement, reduced spending and tough-on-crime measures. His nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986 was rejected because of racially charged comments and actions, which are very likely to become an issue as he faces another set of Senate confirmation hearings.

Michael T. Flynn – National Security Advisor… retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. General Flynn has been outspoken about his view of the threat posed by Islamist militancy and was an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump during the campaign. The national security adviser, although not a member of the cabinet, is a critical gatekeeper for policy proposals from the State Department, the Pentagon and other agencies, a function that takes on more importance given Mr. Trump’s lack of experience in elective office.

Reince Priebus – White House Chief of Staff – was the chairman of the Republican National Committee. The chief of staff manages the work and personnel of the West Wing, steering the president’s agenda and tending to important relationships. The role will take on outsize importance in a White House run by Mr. Trump, who has no experience in policy making and little in the way of connections to critical players in Washington.

Betsy DeVos – Education Secretary…. a former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and an education activist who is a passionate believer in school choice.

Nikki R. Haley – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations…  the governor of South Carolina. The daughter of immigrants from India, she was a prominent and frequent critic of Mr. Trump early in his run. Outspoken for her dislike of Donald Trump, and urged Republicans to reject him in the State of the Union Address earlier this year, and supported both Marco Rubio and then Ted Cruz when Rubio dropped out of the race. On a side note here, as Trump has stated, it is important for him to get experts in their field, so what he as done is tap into someone with virtually NO experience in international diplomacy. She claimed that she accepted the position out of “a sense of duty”.  If the President-Elect asks, then she was compelled to accept.

Don McGahn – White House Counsel – Trump’s campaign lawyer and advisor of the transition. He worked at Jones Day. He served 10 years as the counsel for the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee). He was a former chairman of the FEC(Federal Election Commission). One of his main jobs will be to showcase his ability to seperate the business of the Executive Department from Donald Trump’s businesses abroad to avoid a conflict in interest.

K.T. McFarland – Deputy National Security Advisor – a prior FOX NEWS Security Analyist, serving under Michael Flynn. She serverd as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration and was a former aide to a past Secretary of State – Henry Kissinger. She ran for a New York Senate Seat in 2006 against non-other than Hillary Clinton and lost the election. One of the reason why she did not make it over Hillary Clinton was that she was accused of over-inflating her resume. She was a speech writer for Casper Weinburger. She has been very highly critical of President Obama stating that he does not recognize  radical Islamic terror.

 

Being Considered – But not yet confirmed by Donald Trump…

Mitt Romney – Secretary of State – became the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former governor of Massachusetts who lost the 2012 election to Barrak Obama. He was a former Governor of Masachusetts, and back in 2002 became the 2002 Winter Olympics Host Committee Chair. Also, he is the founder and Chief Executive of Bain Capital.  As being one of Donald Trump’s most hostile opponents in the Republican primaries and again when Trump became the Republican nominee for President to run against Hillary Clinton, he could not get behind and support Donald Trump. The negative Romney quotes agains trump are many.  

The following are just some of the quotes from Mitt Romney made about Donald Trump…

“I believe with all my heart and soul that we face another time for choosing, one that will have profound consequences for the Republican Party and more importantly, for the country,” Romney said in Utah at the Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum. “His domestic policies would lead to recession. His foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.”

Then Romney made these quotes agains Donald Trump….

  • On his businesses: “His bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and women who worked for them. He inherited his business, he didn’t create it. And what ever happened to Trump Airlines? How about Trump University? And then there’s Trump Magazine and Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks, and Trump Mortgage? A business genius he is not.”
  • On foreign policy: “Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart. I’m afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart.”
  • On his character: “Dishonesty is Trump’s hallmark: He claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into Iraq. Wrong, he spoke in favor of invading Iraq. He said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong, he saw no such thing. He imagined it. His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader.”
  • On his wealth: “I predict that there are more bombshells in his tax returns. I predict that he doesn’t give much if anything to the disabled and to our veterans. … And I predict that despite his promise to do so, first made over a year ago, he will never ever release his tax returns. Never. Not the returns under audit, not even the returns that are no longer being audited. He has too much to hide.”
  • On his morality: “Mr. Trump is directing our anger for less than noble purposes. He creates scapegoats of Muslims and Mexican immigrants, he calls for the use of torture and for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists. He cheers assaults on protesters. He applauds the prospect of twisting the Constitution to limit first amendment freedom of the press. This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss.”
  • And then there was this: “Donald Trump says he admires Vladimir Putin, while has called George W. Bush a liar. That is a twisted example of evil trumping good.”

Rudy Giuliani – Secretary of State – Ex. Mayor of New York City, and very loyal to Donald Trump even when the Republican party was walking away from Trump during difficult times, and supported by the Republican base. He ran for President in 2008 and is a former U.S. Attorney and former Associate Attorney General.

General John Kelly – long-shot to be Secretary of State –  A Marine and was a former commander of the U.S. Southern Command, one of the highest ranking positions in the military.

 

Dr. Ben Carson – the Secretary of HUD (Housing and Urban Development) – former neurosurgeon and presidential candidate. Mr. Carson has said that he does not want to work in government, and it was not clear whether he had accepted the offer. The secretary oversees fair-housing laws, the development of affordable housing and access to mortgage insurance. As a real-estate developer, Mr. Trump is very attuned to the tax breaks for housing development. Origianlly he was selected by Trump to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that he’s not qualified for. Really! a world renouned Neurosurgeon..!?/!$%?!!???

As a side note, his selection as Secretary of HUD if confirmed by Donald Trump would be a truly remarkable choice. The fact is that Ben Carson has zero relative experince in the field that Trump may soon bestow on him. Trump once compared Carson with pathological temperment – that of a child molestor. As Trump was quoted on the campaign trail in Fort Dodge Iowa on November 12, 2015..

“I do not want a person thats got pathological disease, I don’t want it. Now I’m not saying that he’s got it, he sait it. This isn’t something that I’m saying…Oh he’s a pathological liar, I’m not saying it. He said he’s got pathological disease.”

OTHER POSSIBLE CABINET PICKS….

Commerce Secretary  

The Commerce Department has been a perennial target for budget cuts, but the secretary oversees a diverse portfolio, including the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wilbur Ross  – Mr. Trump is expected to select the investor, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes to be $2.9 billion. Mr. Ross has said the United States must free itself from the “bondage” of “bad trade agreements,” and advocated threats to impose steep tariffs on China.

Treasury Secretary

The secretary will be responsible for government borrowing in financial markets, assisting in any rewrite of the tax code and overseeing the Internal Revenue Service. The Treasury Department also carries out or lifts financial sanctions against foreign enemies — which are key to President Obama’s Iran deal and rapprochement with Cuba.

Thomas Barrack Jr. Founder, chairman and executive chairman of Colony Capital; private equity and real estate investor

Jeb Hensarling Representative from Texas and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee

Steven Mnuchin Former Goldman Sachs executive and Mr. Trump’s campaign finance chairman

Tim Pawlenty Former Minnesota governor

Defense Secretary

The incoming secretary will shape the fight against the Islamic State while overseeing a military that is struggling to put in place two Obama-era initiatives: integrating women into combat roles and allowing transgender people to serve openly. Both could be rolled back.

Tom Cotton Senator from Arkansas who saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army infantry officer

Stephen J. Hadley National security adviser under George W. Bush

Duncan Hunter Representative from California and Marine reserve officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Jon Kyl Former senator from Arizona

James N. Mattis Retired Marine Corps general and former commander of United States Central Command

Director of National Intelligence

Requires Senate confirmation

The person who holds this post is the president’s principal adviser on intelligence and oversees the entire military and civilian intelligence apparatus. The coordination between the intelligence agencies of the military and civilian wings will be vital for the war on the Islamic State.

Rudolph W. Giuliani Former New York mayor

Interior Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The Interior Department manages the nation’s public lands and waters. The next secretary will decide the fate of Obama-era rules that stop public land development; curb the exploration of oil, coal and gas; and promote wind and solar power on public lands.

Jan Brewer Former Arizona governor

Robert E. Grady Gryphon Investors partner

Harold G. Hamm Chief executive of Continental Resources, an oil and gas company

Forrest Lucas President of Lucas Oil Products, which manufactures automotive lubricants, additives and greases

Sarah Palin Former Alaska governor

Agriculture Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The agriculture secretary oversees America’s farming industry, inspects food quality and provides income-based food assistance. The department also helps develop international markets for American products, giving the next secretary partial responsibility to carry out Mr. Trump’s positions on trade.

Sam Brownback Kansas governor

Chuck Conner Chief executive officer of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

Sid Miller Texas agricultural commissioner

Sonny Perdue Former Georgia governor

Labor Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The Labor Department enforces rules that protect the nation’s workers, distributes benefits to the unemployed and publishes economic data like the monthly jobs report. The new secretary will be in charge of keeping Mr. Trump’s promise to dismantle many Obama-era rules covering the vast work force of federal contractors.

Victoria A. Lipnic Equal Employment Opportunity commissioner and work force policy counsel to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Health and Human Services Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The secretary will help Mr. Trump achieve one of his central campaign promises: to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The department approves new drugs, regulates the food supply, operates biomedical research, and runs Medicare and Medicaid, which insure more than 100 million people.

Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas governor and 2016 presidential candidate

Bobby Jindal Former Louisiana governor who served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals

Tom Price Representative from Georgia

Rick Scott Florida governor and former chief executive of a large hospital chain

Energy Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

Despite its name, the primary purview of the Energy Department is to protect and manage the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons.

James L. Connaughton Chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush

Robert E. Grady Gryphon Investors partner

Harold G. Hamm Chief executive of Continental Resources, an oil and gas company

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Requires Senate confirmation

The secretary will face the task of improving the image of a department Mr. Trump has widely criticized. Mr. Trump repeatedly argued that the Obama administration neglected the country’s veterans, and he said that improving their care was one of his top priorities.

Scott Brown Former senator from Massachusetts

Jeff Miller Retired chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee

Homeland Security Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The hodgepodge agency, formed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has one key role in the Trump administration: guarding the United States’ borders. If Mr. Trump makes good on his promises of widespread deportations and building walls, this secretary will have to carry them out.

Joe Arpaio Departing sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz.

David A. Clarke Jr. Milwaukee County sheriff

Rudolph W. Giuliani Former New York mayor

Kris Kobach Kansas secretary of state and a top adviser to Mr. Trump on his hard-line immigration policies

Michael McCaul Representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee

E.P.A. Administrator

Requires Senate confirmation

The Environmental Protection Agency, which issues and oversees environmental regulations, is under threat from the president-elect, who has vowed to dismantle the agency “in almost every form.”

Myron Ebell A director at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a prominent climate change skeptic

Robert E. Grady Gryphon Investors partner who was involved in drafting the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

Jeffrey R. Holmstead Lawyer with Bracewell L.L.P. and former deputy E.P.A. administrator in the George W. Bush administration

U.S. Trade Representative

Requires Senate confirmation

The president’s chief trade negotiator will have the odd role of opposing new trade deals, trying to rewrite old ones and bolstering the enforcement of what Mr. Trump sees as unfair trade, especially with China.

Dan DiMicco Former chief executive of Nucor Corporation, a steel production company, and a critic of Chinese trade practices

Decisions about Promises that Donald Trump Cannot Keep

Not good decisions

Trump is already making decisions about promises that he made during the election  that he is not willing to keep.

Originally, Trump made the decision to totally gut ObamaCare stating  “On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare.”  Now he is backing off at the moment. He signalled last Friday that he is now willing to keep parts of ObamaCare, namely the ‘Pre-existing conditions’ and ‘Children staying on parents insurance policy until age 26’ clauses. I highly doubt if Donald Trump completely understands ObamaCare, but the fact is that in order for him to keep these parts from ObamaCare, there is no way he can gut any it. To fully dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Republicans would have to secure 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a Democratic filibuster. Now, even with the majority, those votes remain out of reach. Besides, it would be such a headache for him if he even tried. There is not a single Democrat of the 48 in there who would vote for that. He also claims that he will be able to roll his new new insurance package in place of Obamacare without any lapse in coverage, as everyone covered now will have continuous coverage during a transition period.

So now it appears that Donald Trump does not have any real advisers on this subject, but hopefully he will have them in place by his formally accepting the Presidency as the 45th President of the United States on January 20th, 2017. Donald Trump may again change his mind, and most likely will. So it is hard to truly believe what he will plan to do with medical insurance until when he actually implements one approved by the U.S. Congress. Trying to gut Obamacare would waste too much of his time. It is very well known by now that Trump will enjoy passing many laws handed for his signature from the Republican dominated House and Senate. Within the last year, The Republican controlled Congress did turn in a bill to overturn ObamaCare within the last year, but Obama promptly administered a veto to keep ObamaCare in place. It was just a formality, as not even the Republicans believed that Obama would kill his signature legislation. Even if the Republicans wanted to kill ObamaCare, how will they insure all the millions of people now receiving coverage from ObamaCare?   Killing ObamaCare is just another promise that he cannot keep. 

The next decision he has made that he does not plan to keep is to prosecute Hillary Clinton for her email problems. He is taking credit for now saying that he would rather move forward and get the country on the right track, then to look back and make decisions about Hillary Clinton, even though he said publicly at one of the presidential debates that he would have her prosecuted.

Now this decision of his is quite interesting. Why? Because Donald Trump would never have the right or the power to prosecute Hillary Clinton. His promise was hollow, and just rhetoric. The FBI already stated that they would not prosecute Hillary Clinton. So who is Donald Trump fooling. He acts like he is doing her such a favour. Hillary knows that Donald Trump could never prosecute her without the decisions made by the FBI, and they have already made their decision on the matter of her emails, and Benghazi. She is in the clear. What Donald Trump really needs to be concerned about is all the lawsuits that will surface even after he becomes President of the United States.

The next decision he is apparently making is that he does not plan to carry out a Muslim ban. He drew an outrage by many people when he claims that all Muslims needed to leave the country and he would do just that if elected President.   At the moment, he is President-Elect, but now he seems to be backing off the Muslim ban. He originally modified his decision claiming that there will be “extreme-vetting’. On Capitol Hill last Thursday, President-Elect Donald Trump was asked if he would “ask Congress to ban all Muslims from entering the country.” He just walked away, and would not comment that he would ban Muslims.

What else will Donald Trump walk-back on? Was anything he said honest and true and planned to keep his word? Apparently not when it comes to ObamaCare, Hillary Clinton and Muslims. I wonder how many followers he is upsetting when one of his follows main chants at his rallies was “LOCK HER UP”.

Donald Trump Looses the Popular Vote by Over 2 Million Votes

Donald Trump has won the 2016 presidential election fair and square. He solidly won the electoral vote, needing 270 to win. But now as votes are still rolling in, Hillary Clinton has developed a 2 million vote lead in the popular vote. So it should be hard for President-Elect Donald Trump to declare a mandate on his decisions. Donald Trump should think twice before putting a law in place or an executive order in place and should always consider decisions made public before making a final decision and signing a law or executive order, because he did not receive the largest popular vote and his decision may not be the will of the people. Most of the people who voted may not like what he plans to mandate. If he would have won the election with both the electoral vote and popular vote, then you can say that his decisions may likely be within the will of most Americans and he should less likely be subject to disclose his decisions before making them. He needs to be fully transparent will all decisions he makes directly to the American people. 

Pre-Thanksgiving Trump Cabinet Picks

Donald Trump has thousands of Federal government jobs that he has to fill but making news on a daily basis meeting and choosing his cabinet positions. The positions can be found in a U.S. Government publication titled ‘The Policy and Supporting Positions’, known as the Plum book. In it contains every job that the United States Federal government has to fill. It is used by the incoming administration, and is used extensively by prospective upcoming holders of these positions so they can ‘plum’ their way through all Federal Government positions and apply for the one of their choosing. It takes months to get all of these jobs filled and even up to a year or so if the job requires Senate confirmation, so you would think that the Trump transition team would be frantically working on people to fill these positions at a faster pace. This is so because all of the jobs require an FBI background check, and believe it or not, the disclosure of Federal tax returns of everyone being considered for a Federal government position, something that the man himself, Donald J. Trump – President-Elect, has yet to do. Donald Trump claims that his tax returns are presently under audit, and he will disclose them after the audit. If his tax returns become available to the public, they will be published on this blog.

The Donald Trump transition team is approaching this task with less professionalism and speed than any other previous administration. They are far behind schedule. Most likely many of the people that hold those positions now may stay until the job can be transitioned over to the next official that will hold the position.

What are some of these jobs that may have already been ‘chosen’ and others called ‘tapped’ as they are amongst the ones that the  Donald Trump’s top positions obviously are being chosen first. Here are the pics announced so far.

Attorney general

President-elect Trump has tapped Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general.

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Trump has chosen Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo for the job.

White House National Security Adviser

Trump has picked Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn for national security adviser.

The following is a list of likely contenders and will be frequently updated as new information becomes available.

Secretary of State

Mitt Romney, obviously now the leading candidate for Secretary of State, is the most suprising of possible choices. Mitt Romney was and openly fierce critic and negative working against Donald Trump during the primaries and main election. Mitt met with Trump in a meeting.

New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s loyal supporters, is another candidate for Secretary of State, along with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker has long been mentioned as a front-runner for the job.

Also still in the mix is Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Treasury secretary

Steven Mnuchin, a 17-year-veteran of Goldman Sachs who now works as the chairman and chief executive of the private investment firm, Dune Capital Management, is a leading contender for the job.

House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, who is set to meet with Trump on Thursday, is another possibility for Treasury Secretary, as is JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon.

Secretary of Defense

Former George W. Bush National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are in the mix.

Former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) Clinton CIA director Jim Woolsey and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) have also been mentioned as possible candidates.

Ambassador to the United Nations

Donald trump has chosen Governor Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina as ambassador to the United Nations.

Interior secretary

Trump’s presidential transition team is eyeing venture capitalist Robert Grady, a George H. W. Bush White House official with ties to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Forrest Lucas, the 74-year-old co-founder of oil products company Lucas Oil, is also seen as a contender for Interior Secretary.

Meanwhile, a person who spoke to the Trump campaign told POLITICO that aides have also discussed tapping Sarah Palin for Interior Secretary, though she is increasingly seen as a long-shot pick. Trump has said he’d like to put Palin in his Cabinet, and Palin has made no secret of her interest.

Trump aides are also eyeing Mead Treadwell, the former lieutenant governor of Alaska, for the job, a source told POLITICO.

Other possible candidates include: former Republican Rep. Richard Pombo, who chaired the House Natural Resources Committee from 2003 to 2007; former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer; Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin; Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis; and Oklahoma oilman Harold Hamm.

Agriculture secretary

There are several names being considered by Trump aides for Agriculture secretary, according to multiple sources familiar with the transition. The president elect has a deep bench to pull from with nearly 70 leaders on agricultural advisory committee.

The most controversial name on the transition’s current short list is Sid Miller, the current secretary of agriculture in Texas, who caused a firestorm just days ago after his campaign’s Twitter account referred to Clinton as a ‘c—.‘ Miller said it was a staffer mistake and apologized.

Other names include a sitting governor, Sam Brownback of Kansas, and three former governors: Dave Heineman (Nebraska), Sonny Perdue (Georgia) and Rick Perry (Texas). Also in the conversation are Charles Herbster, a Republican donor and agribusiness leader who chairs Trump’s agricultural advisory committee, and Mike McCloskey, a dairy executive in Indiana.

Bruce Rastetter, a major Republican donor in Iowa, and Kip Tom, a farmer who ran for Congress in Indiana this year but was defeated in the primary, are also among those being considered.

Other top Republican insiders expect that Chuck Connor, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Don Villwock, president of the Indiana Farm Bureau and Ted McKinney, the current director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture in the Pence Administration, are also likely to be in the running for the post.

Commerce secretary

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, a Trump economic adviser, is seen as Trump’s leading contender for the job.

Investor Lew Eisenberg, who co-founded the private equity firm Granite Capital International Group, is another top candidate.

Dan DiMicco, the former CEO of steelmaker Nucor Corp and a Trump trade adviser, is another possibility, though he could also be tapped as U.S. Trade Representative.

Labor secretary

People tracking the transition say Victoria Lipnic — the Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since 2010 who also served as an an assistant secretary of Labor for employment standards from 2002 until 2009 — is the most likely candidate for Labor Secretary. The Romney transition team reportedly also considered her for a top Labor post back in 2012.

A possible private sector pick is Andrew Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Green Burrito and Red Burrito.

Health and Human Services secretary

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the chairman of the House Budget Committee and an early Trump backer, is being considered for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is another possible candidate for the job.

Ben Carson, who had been mentioned as a possible HHS Secretary, has said he will not serve in the Trump administration.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary

Trump has his leading pic for HUD Secretary in his primary election rival named Ben Carson who is a retired neurosurgeon. At this point, it is uncertain that he will accept the position, as he has previously stated that he may not be qualified for any cabinet positions.

Trump supporters Bud Albright and Scott Keller have been reaching out to housing advocates to take their temperature on a HUD nominee.

Names being circulated include Pam Patenaude, the president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and former New York Rep. Rick Lazio (R).

Transportation secretary

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), who just lost reelection bid, is interested in becoming Transportation Secretary. He told POLITICO recently that he’s talked to top Trump aides about the job, adding he’s received “encouraging” signs about his candidacy.”

Other possible candidate: James Simpson, the former commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Transportation and the former head of the Federal Transit Administration during the George W. Bush administration; and Mark Rosenker, the former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster told POLITICO recently he’s not interested in the job.

Energy secretary

Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm has long been seen as a leading candidate for Energy Secretary. Hamm, an Oklahoma billionaire who has been a friend of Trump’s for years, has been the leading influence on Trump’s energy policy during the campaign. But Hamm has said he plans to stay at Continental.

If Hamm passes, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Trump energy adviser, could be offered the job though he’s begun to douse cold water on that idea recently. Other names floating near the top of the mill include venture capitalist Robert Grady, who is also thought to be in line for Interior; James Connaughton, a former utility executive who was President George W. Bush’s head of White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Kristine Svinicki, the sole Republican on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is in the running for a high-level post at the Energy Department like undersecretary — a No. 3 job — but a source close to the Trump transition said she’d be considered for secretary as well.

Education Secretary

Donald Trump has picked Betsy DeVos for Education. She is not getting a very warm reception.

Others that interviewed for the job but unsuccessful are the following:

Indiana Rep. Luke Messer, a longtime school choice proponent, is a top candidate for Education Secretary. Messer told POLITICO in a recent interview that he’s open to serving in the position.

Another possibility is William Evers, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution who has worked on education matters for the Trump transition team. Evers worked at the Education Department during the Bush administration and served as a senior adviser to then-Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Also in the mix: Tony Zeiss, a former president of Central Piedmont Community College, one of the largest community colleges in North Carolina. He was president for more than 20 years before retiring in July.

Sources close to Trump’s transition also pointed to a long-shot candidate: Michelle Rhee, an education reform activist who formerly served as the chancellor of Washington D.C.’s public schools.

Other potential candidates include: Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, now the president of the Purdue University System; Gerard Robinson a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute focused on education policy; Tony Bennett, the former Florida Commissioner of Education and the former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; Hanna Skandera, the New Mexico Secretary of Education; and education activists Betsy DeVos; and Kevin Chavous.

Veterans Affairs secretary

The name most commonly mentioned for Veterans Affairs Secretary is House Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, who’s retiring from the House and was an early Trump backer.

Homeland Security secretary

House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul has said he’s interested in becoming Homeland Security Secretary. “I’ve expressed my interest, and I think the process is taking place,” McCaul told POLITICO recently.

Another potential pick: Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee’s transportation security panel.

A long-shot candidate: David Clarke, the conservative Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wis. Clarke has cultivated a devoted following on the right, and he spoke at the Republican National Convention in Ohio, declaring, “Blue lives matter.” Christie is also seen as a possible DHS secretary.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator

Leslie Rutledge, the attorney general of Arkansas and a lead challenger of EPA regulations in the state, is emerging as a leading contender for the job. Rutledge recently met with members of Trump’s team at Trump Tower.

Other potential candidates: Joe Aiello is the director of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Environmental Safety and Quality Assurance; and Carol Comer, the commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, who was appointed by Mike Pence.

Other possibilities: Mike Catanzaro, a George W. Bush-era EPA official and energy adviser to former-House Speaker John Boehner who is a top official on Trump’s transition team; Jeff Holmstead, another former Bush EPA official; and Venture capitalist Robert Grady, who was an environmental adviser for George H.W. Bush.

Myron Ebell, a climate skeptic who is running the EPA working group on Trump’s transition team, is also seen as a possibility to lead the agency. Ebell, an official at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, has come under fire from environmental groups for his stances on global warming.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Eric Ueland, a veteran Republican Capitol Hill aide and top staffer on the Senate Budget Committee who is working on Trump’s transition team, is seen as a possible candidate to lead the OMB. Former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn is also seen as a potential OMB chief.

 

Donald Trump – The Beginning of the 45th President of the U.S.

The decision is OUT on this one

Donald J Trump has achieved the unthinkable, for more than half of the people voted for his opponent in the Presidential elecion – Hillary Clinton but now he is now the ‘president-elect’ and will soon begin his journey as the 45th President of the United States. He will take the oath of office on January 20th, and will become our president at exactly 12:01PM on that day.

He ran on a campaign of lies and bigotry, and made many promises that most other candidates would never make besides claiming that he will repeal many of Barack Obama’s Executive orders on his first day in office. But he promises real change, and people are willing to overlook the entire picture of Donald Trump regardless of what it is just to see change. He still has yet to make his tax returns public. No other candidate in history has cheated the people from seeing tax returns before the general election. Does the American electorate care what may be hiding in his returns? Appearently not, as he still won the election and has yet to show his tax returns. Anyone else who even would attempt to run on the platform that he ran on would have surely sunk into oblivion. He made an astounding number of promises that can effect people worldwide if these promises became true. Now we are to judge him on the decisions that he makes. He claims that he will become so popular with the American people, that he will be easily re-elected in 2020. Others say that within a year, he most likely will face impeachment from a Republican controlled Congress. It is no secret that many Republicans in both the House and Senate would rather have the vice-president elect Mike Pence be the President instead of Donald Trump.

But maybe what Donald Trump has said in the election campaign is just rhetoric. What will his first 100 days be like? He proposes to build the ‘great wall’, which will run across the entire southern border with Mexico to keep illegal Mexicans out of the United States, and furthermore, he claims that “the Mexicans will pay for the wall”.  He says that he will ban Muslims. He says allot of things and I will list them on this blog. He has lied, vieamently throughout his campaign, has been called out for abusing women in the past by the victims themselves through public comment, even though you heard him repeatedly say that “noone respects women more than I do”, but he was still elected.  The majority of his promises are unrealistic, and as long as Donald Trump believes that people support his ideas, he will make bolder promises as time goes on.

Believe it or not, some of his promises are good ones, such as protecting Social Security and cutting taxes and increasing skepticism toward trade, as were some positions by Bill Clinton.

Facts are facts. Donald J. Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. Also fact is that more than half who voted for a President in the election did not vote for Donald Trump even though he won the election fair and square by romping Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College. But I also believe the the majority of people who had voted him in office will regret it sooner than later. This has yet to be proven.  The decisons he will make may even upset his supporters even more.  Trump scored 290 electoral votes to Clinton’s 232.  Only 270 electoral votes were needed to win, so even though Clinton received almost 1 million more popular votes, Donald Trump has won the election and has become ‘president-elect’ of the United States.

Many people woke up on November 9th to see one of their worst nighmares realized. I was one of those people. But I am willing to give the new President a chance to do the right thing and give him the benefit of the doubt. I surely and most likely will not like the majority of his decisions that will be made, but I would like to see if he can earn the respect from people of all parties and govern this country by the will of the people.

The following is a list of 10 top promises that Donald J. Trump claims he will accomplish as the 45th President of the United States. I will write about all of these issues in detail along with others, and also list the decisions made by President Donald Trump as he acts on these promises.

        1. ‘Build a wall’ – and make Mexico pay for it.
          2. Temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.
        3. ‘Bring manufacturing (jobs) back’.
      4. Impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico.
        5. Renegotiate or withdraw from the north American Free Trade Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership.
          6. ‘Full repeal of Obamacare’ and replace it with a market-based alternative.
        7. Renegotiate the Iran deal.
          8. Leave Social Security as is.
        9. Cut taxes.
      10.‘Bomb and/or ‘take the oil’ from ISIS