While the mainstream media for the past two years has been attempting to convince the electorate that Donald Trump is at the very least incompetent to hold the office of President of the United States, and at worst a dictator. In waiting there has been growing signs of a shift away from the politically correct culture of recent administrations.
Trump is by no means a small ‘l’ libertarian, however, his movement and its affects on society, are. Dismissing political correctness is inherently libertarian, as removing political correctness coincides with true freedom of speech where ideas can be debated and scrutinized for societal progress, regardless of whether these ideas hurt ones feelings. Therefore, the rise of Trump is a step forward in the battle for freedom, not because President Trump is an advocate for freedom and upholding the Constitution, as many of his base supporters will have you believe, but simply because he is willing to challenge the culture of political correctness enforced upon the masses via the media, government and the education system. Freedom is not a pillar of Trump’s ideology, however, it is merely a positive by-product of his campaign and his presidency.
Trump is also neither a Republican nor Democrat at heart, thus he is not bound by ideology, he simply does what he believes is in the country’s best interests and does not have an agenda to promote. The myth that Trump is a far-right, ultra-conservative lunatic can be broken down by analyzing his positions on social issues. Trump has said his views on marriage are ‘irrelevant’ and the issue was ‘settled’, all while maintaining support for traditional marriage. Isn’t his stance aligned with most libertarians? On a personal level, Trump may not approve of same-sex marriage, but he does not want to use the power of the state to enforce his own ideas of morality – something previous Republican presidents and candidates had aspired to do. To a lesser extent his stance on marijuana is liberal (classical liberal), despite his promotion of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. While Trump does not want legalization of recreational marijuana, he does support legalizing medical marijuana. While this will not end the drug war immediately, it is progress on a federal level in contrast to the policies of President’s Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. Which led to the era of mass incarceration.
Trump may seem incredibly authoritarian and it’s not difficult to see why, however, his response is justified with some of the lawlessness on America’s streets. The Black Lives Matter protests are one example in which the only losers are the black community. The riots destroy black homes, business and deepen the divide between the community and law enforcement. Anti-Trump protests and the crime that still occurs in the inner-city ghettos of places such as Chicago, in which 423 people have been killed this year alone. Trump’s desire for law and order is not the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent Gestapo-like police force the media and the general hysteria would have you believe. His aim is to simply end the lawlessness and the ‘American carnage’ he referred to in his inauguration speech. After all, as John Locke said ‘Where there is no law, there is no freedom.’ In order to end the ‘American carnage’ and stop the chaotic riots, self-regulation is needed. Self-regulation is at the heart of libertarianism, as it requires human beings to make decisions in their own self-interest. So I ask, is it in the interests of these protesters to create chaos and destroy their communities?
Overall, the aim of this article was not to convince you that President Trump is a libertarian, however, he can be a help to the cause. His desire for deregulation and lower taxes are all key steps on the way to economic progress and his cultural movement can only help the libertarian cause, as it is the only political movement that has supported true freedom of expression. Metaphorically, freedom is at the top of a mountain and Trump is on a bus with its final destination being the top of the mountain. However, Trump will get off the bus after maybe five or six stops and perhaps the gains of his movement will allow a more libertarian figure to be the next GOP nominee who will metaphorically get off the bus after ten stops. Trump could unintentionally be the catalyst towards the goal of true freedom, however, he is not a traditional Republican and is first and foremost, anti-political correctness. Both have done America more harm than good in recent decades, thus Trump has made enemies with the left and the GOP establishment and while he may not be a libertarian, he can help the cause of liberty as he opposes those who want to restrict it. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
* Joseph Steele is a recently-graduated British college student looking for a start in media and journalism. Studying history and politics in his education has inspired him to take that career path. During this time, he has transitioned from a neoconservative to a libertarian who strongly believes in individual choice and responsibility. Any inquiries, email joesteele0709@gmail.com.
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Thank you. In the pursuit of libertarian purity, many l’s have been too quick to pull the trigger on “disaster!!!” You are what a friend termed a “pragmatic libertarian.” Again, thank you for the calm assessment.
This is disgusting. If Trump gets his way on tariffs and pushes out needed immigrant workers, the country will tank. The libertarian tent has gotten too big and now takes in people who oppose liberty, free markets, and racists.
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