I try not to be blinded by the assumption that Donald Trump's actions are automatically evil; therefore, the polar opposite of his every decision must be the correct path. Whether some of the people surrounding him are competent or he’s correct twice daily like a broken clock, some things the president does will be good for America.
The economy is one area where presidents often get too much credit for their impact. Under normal circumstances, presidents have limited influence over the economy and mostly follow tried-and-true practices, allowing the Federal Reserve Bank to use interest rates to control inflation and recessions. These, however, are not normal times. Donald Trump has created a national emergency out of whole cloth, allowing him to unilaterally impose tariffs on what turned out to be the rest of the world. Congress could use its power to take back control over tariffs by declaring there is no emergency, but it will not.
Trump’s tariffs are dominating the world’s economy, and one of two things must be true. Either Trump is the smartest person in the world, taking us down a path that only he is brilliant enough to discern, or he’s winging it, making decisions based on instinct or the last person to whisper in his ear. If he is indeed that genius he keeps claiming, everything will turn out right in the end, and America will be better off because of his actions. If he is winging it, he will inevitably fail, bringing America and much of the world down with him. This moment requires us to examine whether or not Trump is intelligent and whether we have any reason to believe he’ll succeed. I’ll look at several metrics to help draw a conclusion as to his brilliance.
- He Became President Twice — If becoming president were easy, everybody would do it. Very smart and rich men have tried unsuccessfully. In the past, the electorate has chosen an actor and has often picked military leaders. The jury is out as to whether becoming president makes him a genius, though he has demonstrated marketing skills. I mention in passing that his first term came in response to the first Black man ever elected president, and his second victory was against a Black woman. Racism wasn’t the sole reason for his wins, but it was a factor.
- Trump Can’t Spell—I’m not judging Trump for being a horrible speller. In full disclosure, I finished 2nd in my elementary school's spelling bee in 5th grade and 1st in 6th grade. I finished eighth in the city championships, with the top two going to Washington, D.C., and the national finals. I credit my ability to the hours being quizzed by my mother in our basement, eating Old Dutch potato chips, and drinking Pepsi from 16-oz glass bottles. Lots of smart people aren’t good spellers, but rich, smart people who make written public statements know enough to pay proofreaders to ensure their image isn’t damaged by misspelling. Actor Chris Evans called Trump out on his spelling after incorrectly spelling the word “counsel.” A word he ought to be familiar with.
“It’s ‘counsel’, Biff. The word is ‘counsel.’ I was trying to comprehend how in the world a man, even as moronic as you, can misspell a word he probably reads fifty times a day. But then it dawned on me, you probably only HEAR the word. You don’t read s — . And we all know it.” — Chris Evans
3. Trump Wasn’t a Good Student — Trump tells anyone who will listen how great a student he was. He has alternately claimed or allowed claims to stand uncorrected that he finished “first in his class” at Wharton. What we do know is that he wasn’t listed as receiving any honors like Cum Laude or Magna Cum Laude. Trump only got into the school after paying someone else to take the SAT for him. Does a genius need someone else to take an admissions test? Trump has threatened to sue all the schools he attended if they ever release his transcripts.
4. Trump Doesn’t Read — I take Trump's word that he can read; he just doesn’t. Trump doesn’t read his daily intelligence briefings. He has someone provide him with summaries, preferably with pictures. I was an economics major in college and the reading required to have a basic understanding is tremendous. My senior paper was about the dual economy of France, which is both capitalist and socialist. My understanding of a single nation’s economy involved much reading. Imagine what it would take to understand the world economy. A little more reading might have kept Trump from imposing tariffs on nations whose only inhabitants are penguins.
5. Six Bankruptcies — That bears repeating. Six Bankruptcies. Trump couldn’t even keep casinos afloat. Trump takes pride in the fact that he’s never filed for personal bankruptcy. The six entities he bankrupted are the Trump Taj Majal, Trump Castle Hotel and Casino, Trump Plaza Casino, Trump Plaza Hotel, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, and Trump Entertainment Resorts. These don’t include failed ventures like Trump University and the Donald J. Trump Foundation, both were discovered to be scams.
The bottom line is that there is some reason to believe that Trump is great at marketing, especially at using the Trump name to finance his businesses with other people’s money. Having credited him with that strength, there is no reason to believe his daily manipulation of tariffs, combined with threats to friend and foe alike, is part of a strategic plan. A bullying nature and a tremendous ego can explain away everything he does.
How long Congress and, ultimately, the American people will allow this to go on remains to be seen. Will Trump be stopped before he destroys the economy, and will the seemingly inevitable recession become a depression? I have no answers to those questions, but without a doubt, Trump is not the brilliant mind he would have us believe.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.