Promises Broken: Its Just Another Feature of Trumpism

Though yet to take office, Trump is already reversing himself

January 1 will find us twenty days away from Donald Trump’s inauguration—a moment when we will begin to learn what happens when he is president, again. But we already know some of what to expect from his administration, much of which directly contradicts promises he made not so long ago.

As you may recall, Trump has consistently presented himself as a deficit hawk (despite all evidence). With this supposedly in mind, he enlisted Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to create a Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with examining federal spending and finding ways to cut large portions. In less time than it takes to say “entitlements, defense, and interest payments,” they estimated that $2 trillion could be slashed from a total budget of just over $6.75 trillion.

Entitlements, defense, and interest payments are worth noting because this spending is essentially locked into future budgets. For entitlements, including Social Security and Medicare for seniors (who vote in high numbers), the figure is $2.3 trillion. Think this can be cut? Think again. In the same budget, the Pentagon receives nearly $875 billion. This figure needs to rise as it is not even keeping up with inflation and growth in military salaries. And interest on the national debt? This consumes almost $1 Trillion annually (More than defense spending). Is Trump inclined to limit the debt that accrues this interest? Consider his recent demand to remove the debt ceiling entirely, and you have your answer.

Okay, you might say, Trump lied about his plan for deficits and federal spending. Every candidate overpromises. Surely, he’ll follow through on his most prominent campaign promise: limiting immigration, rounding up those here illegally, and deporting them by the millions. Right?

Well, maybe not.

Despite Trump’s rhetoric about criminal immigrants and their impact on American jobs, his administration faces significant practical hurdles. They would need to locate, apprehend, detain, process, and deport these individuals through the legal system. How many people are we talking about? Estimates suggest as many as 13 million—about 4% of the U.S. population.

The staggering logistical challenges, legal obstacles, and costs associated with this mass deportation plan have already prompted incoming officials to concede that Trump’s promise may not be feasible. Sure, they might double the number of people Biden deported last year—270,000—but millions every year for four years? That’s a pipe dream. The saying about pigs flying comes to mind.

In foreign affairs, Trump is also backing away from another bold promise: ending Russia’s war against Ukraine on his first day in office. In recent remarks, he admitted that stopping the war in Ukraine may actually be more difficult than ending Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. “I see that as more difficult,” he confessed. So much for his self-proclaimed brilliance in diplomacy or his “special relationship” with Vladimir Putin. In a way this maybe good, if it means Trump actually tries a fair negotiation instead of selling Ukraine out. Color me very skeptical.

Elsewhere, the man who vowed to keep the U.S. out of international conflicts seems intent on creating them. Trump has floated the idea of taking over the Panama Canal and purchasing Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

The Panama Canal was built by the United States and operated as an American facility in the U.S. Canal Zone from 1903 to 1979, when a treaty began transferring control to Panama. The process was completed in 1999. Trump now deems the transit fees Panama charges as exorbitant and has suggested “taking the canal back.” Since the treaty is inviolable, one must ask: is the man who promised to keep us out of war willing to start one over this issue?

The Greenland idea is even more outlandish. As Trump explained, during his first term, a wealthy GOP donor casually mentioned the notion. Trump, intrigued, looked at a world map through the lens of a real estate developer and began entertaining the idea of owning the largest island in the world. With Trump’s defeat in 2020, the concept faded away. Now it has returned, zombie-like, to haunt his agenda.

Let’s be honest though, he is simply blustering to LOOK tough, since he is scared to death to confront America’s real enemies. Instead, he provokes wars of words with our friends as a strawman. It’s a move as old as government itself.

Of course, Greenland is not for sale, and even Trump is unlikely to send troops to Panama. However, like his troubles with deportations, his newfound pessimism about Ukraine, and his budget and deficit blunders, the absurdity of these ideas underscores one point: even before taking office, Trump is proving that his campaign promises were made to be broken. One wonders if his supporters have even noticed, or even care.