Donald
Trump’s bombast on the campaign trail has a familiar ring – many of the phrases
contain the exact words he has spoken repeatedly since his presidential
announcement in June.
But some of Trump’s rhetoric also is quite
similar to what he was saying in speeches going
back to 1988, when he referred to the “stupid politicians” in the Reagan
administration.
gave a rambling graduation speech at Lehigh University’s 1988 commencement in
which he said the Japanese were bullies who were “stripping the United
States of economic dignity.” The familiar ring is that he has blasted Japan similarly in recent months, though the Asian nation’s economic might has slipped
considerably since ‘88.
An
article about the Lehigh speech in the local paper, the Morning Call,
reported that Trump related an experience he had with an overly aggressive
Japanese business tycoon:
intensity was incredible. When you’re (working in) the New York real estate
markets, you’re dealing with some rough people. He made them look like babies.
What happens to the country when this guy goes to the State Department? His
country … totally outsmarted our stupid politicians.”
Nearly 30 years later, Trump’s
fearmongering hasn’t changed much despite Japan’s economic difficulties and
it’s comparatively modest status as a trade competitor with the U.S.
On the stump and in debates, Trump has
mistakenly tied China to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement –
China is not part of the pact – and he also seems unaware that one of the TPP
selling points is that will help level the playing field between Japan and the
U.S. Yet, Trump rails against the TPP.
views and actions through the years are based on bigotry. They cite several
instances, going all the way back to 1973, where the mogul was criticized for racism
directed at blacks, Asians and Native Americans.
