I keep hearing, especially of late ...

[NanceGreggs]

Last edited Sat Jun 11, 2022, 06:39 AM - Edit history (1)

... Republicans talking about "all the good things Trump has done for the country" - and I admit being at a loss as to what those "good things" supposedly are.

Is it giving a huge tax break to the wealthy at the expense of the middle-class? Blowing up the deficit? Praising dictators? Siding with Putin against our own intelligence agencies? Taking babies away from their mothers at the border? Distancing us from our traditional allies? Mishandling the response to Covid? Acting like a buffoon on the world stage? Spending more time playing golf than working? Tweeting covfefe?

I've participated on websites where Republicans have been asked the question, and they can never come up with an answer. They always respond with vagaries like: He's done so many good things, I can't even begin to name them all, or, If you can't see all of his obvious accomplishments, you're not paying attention.

Do you have any Republican relatives, friends, neighbours , etc., who have ever specifically explained what "good things" they think Trump has done for the country, or for them as citizens?

EDITED TO ADD:

I appreciate the responses so far, but I'm still not hearing what actual Trump-humpers have put forward as "the good things" he's done for the country.

Have any Republicans you know specifically identified what they believe those "good things" to be?

[if..fish..had..wings]

1. Well ...

he did lose the last election, gotta give him that.

[Samrob]

42. Funny how most people in polls say they are better off now than in 2020 and 2021. nt

[Ferryboat]

54. He did drop out of the negotiations for theTrans Pacific Partnership

Nafta on steroids. Really bad deal for US consumers.

BUT it is the only thing he did that was truly good for the country. Everything else he did was total shit.

Looking forward to reading his obituary.

[lastlib]

2. He left town.....

....only thing I can think of.

[multigraincracker]

3. He has helped shine a light on those with a mental illness...

Trump derangement syndrome. Perhaps we can now find a cure and help for those with it.

[maddiemom]

34. Wait!

Isn't TDS what PRO-Trumpers accuse anti Trumpers of being afflicted with? Do we want to CURE this?

[AZProgressive]

60. Yes

First time I have seen the words TDS on this website.

[GryphonShouting]

4. The Supreme Court, and Silenced Their Conciences

He gave them the Supreme Court for generations.

He gave them the freedom to be their worst selves without guilt or shame.

[gab13by13]

6. Bingo,

that's why they can't say it.

[Novara]

14. Right on

He gave them permission to be as hateful, petty, and racist as they really are. He loosed the monster. Thing is, they think there are no consequences for spewing their hate in public. Are they ever surprised when they are called on it.

Sometimes I have to drive through rural areas for my job and there are still a lot of campaign signs. The sign that always gets me? PROMISES KEPT. What? Tax cut for millionaires? Yeah, you over in the ramshackle trailer over there with a rusted POS truck up on blocks in your yard - you really look like you benefited.

[Farmer-Rick]

46. Yeah, the poor around here are so very easily manipulated

If you can not have opportunity, a good economy, an education, or even justice, you can at least hate other people.

The GOPers tax and gives them "fees" for every government function they can. They cut their benefits and eligibility for assistance. GOPers harass them with police and sheriff departments. They set up a legal system they can never get a fair shake from. They con them, move their jobs to foreign countries, severely underpay and steal their wages. And yet they love and vote in the GOPers because they give them people to hate.

[Novara]

53. This is it exactly: they give them someone to hate ...

... and they then have their loyalty forever.

Think about it: when we're little, we constantly hear, "It's not nice to hate," and other lessons which, in effect civilize us. Like it or not, everyone has prejudice and everybody makes judgments, but when we're little, we're constantly taught to stuff all that for the betterment of ourselves and those around us. But it's still under the surface because that's human nature.

Along comes the supreme hatemonger telling them that hey, it's OK. Hate as much as you want, I give you permission, follow my example. Express it! It feels good!

Someone telling them to indulge in their basest emotions garners a LOT of loyalty. No longer do they have to feel bad about their hate and their judgments of others. They're vindicated! They can indulge and wow, it must feel so good for them to let that monster out.

Of course they make the whole world around them shit, but they no longer care. The "president" gave them permission so fuck everyone else.

[uponit7771]

43. +1,

[allegorical oracle]

45. Agree. Other reply I've gotten was knowing he wouldn't take their guns away. nt

[NanceGreggs]

5. I appreciate the responses so far ...

... but I'm still not hearing what actual Trump-humpers have put forward as "the good things" he's done for the country.

Have any Republicans you know specifically identified what they believe those "good things" to be?

[gab13by13]

8. Our definition of good and theirs is different.

Trump attacked minorities, he allowed the racists, bigots, misogynists, anti LGBTQ, anti-Jewish people to come out of the closets.

[NanceGreggs]

10. That doesn't answer my question.

You're telling me what you think - I'm asking what they've said.

[gab13by13]

20. I live among them

and they all say the same thing, that Democrats are far worse than Republicans. What Trump brought them was not-President Clinton.

They flat out hate Democrats since Trump.

[NanceGreggs]

21. I get that.

I still want to know what they've cited as "the good things" Trump has done.

[betsuni]

7. Apparently gas prices are the only important thing in the United States.

[kwijybo]

22. Only when a Democrat is holding an office

When it's a Republican, the high prices are a good thing because they helping the oil industry

[betsuni]

24. Oh yes, of course. Republicans are never in charge of government or to blame for anything

even when they're in charge of the government and to blame for everything because government is very very bad and only Democrats are the government.

[kentuck]

9. He exposed the dark side of America's past...

...and forced the nation to divide into competing camps. Any good that he may have done, but I can think of none, would have been out-weighed by the bad by one-thousand to one.

[NanceGreggs]

11. I know what WE think he did ...

... I'm asking what his supporters think he did.

[kentuck]

13. All they know is that he "owned the libs".

That was most important to them. They acted as if the entire nation believed the same as them. They believe he was "respected" around the world as a "strong leader". When, in fact, he was the weakest, most incompetent president in the history of our country.

[NanceGreggs]

18. Thank you.

"Owning the libs" sounds like something the Repubs have put forward as one of the "good things" Trump has done for the country.

It's an incredibly weak answer - but it's a plausible response from weak-minded people.

[allegorical oracle]

48. Mebbe we're not very good at understanding "weak-minded" people?. nt

[gibraltar72]

12. Mostly he talked about what he did.

he talked he didn't do. If you ask them what he did that made their life better, you start getting nonsense. What he actually did was install corrupt unqualified Judges and pass a tax break for people like him.

[Novara]

15. Not one of them has been able to express anything concrete

Why? Because they're brainwashed to believe something that doesn't exist. I mean, THIS is how stupid they are: they see him put up a sign on the podium that says "promises kept" and they believe it automatically. They can't tell you what any of these promises are because THE SIGN MEANS NOTHING. See, the orange asshole is skilled at bullshit. He knows if you repeat a lie often enough, people see it as truth. So he TOLD them over and over that he kept promises - without naming anything - and they believe him, because they are that dumb.

This is why they can't tell you one concrete thing. There isn't anything!

But they won't admit the real thing he gave them: the permission to express their hate and celebrate it.

[NanceGreggs]

19. ...

[LenaBaby61]

25. THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

[Alice Kramden]

16. Anti-abortion fanatics are thrilled

With his Supreme Court picks. He has the false veneer of "Christianity. " The Q narrative paints him as a quasi savior. They feel holy and righteous in their beclouded state. I know some of these people, and they are brainwashed by Fox, talk radio, and their deluded pastors

[Farmer-Rick]

49. Yeah, I've heard them say

He stopped abortions..... almost.

Forced birth has been something the Wal-Mart heirs have been funding and pushing for decades. The propaganda the Waltons spread seems to work around here. What with the really bad education they provide most of their children, they believe most anything spewed out by GOPers.

[csziggy]

56. I don't think we can/should call them "Anti-abortion" - they are anti-choice

They are removing choices for women across the spectrum of women's health. Mostly so far they have attempted to remove women's choice of abortion, certainly, but they are also going for birth control, hormone treatment of women's health problems, and so many other choices that women have had for the last fifty years. Choices that women (and some men) have fought so hard for.

I'm glad I'm old and beyond most of those choices but I fear for the young women that will have to fight for them all over again.

[Alice Kramden]

57. Boils down to "Anti-health care"

Interfering in personal health decisions - completely agree with you

[secondwind]

17. They keep bringing up the Abraham accords/Kushner.....

[FakeNoose]

23. The one-per-centers are happy with their generous tax cuts

Other than that, I've got nothin'

[allnews]

26. Their freedoms!

At work all I hear from mostly all of them is about their retirement funds. I’m only a contractor but I think their money is tied to the stock market. So now they say it’s Biden’s fault.

[scarletlib]

27. He "built the wall", even if only partially.

He kept ‘dangerous” Muslims out of the country
He kept immigrants from Central America & Mexico out of the country. He took away their children, and either put the adults in jail or sent them to stay in Mexico. He walked all over the law and their rights.

He renegotiated NAFTA & gave it a new name.
He created the ‘Space Force”
He stood up to NATO & demanded those countries “pay their fair share”
He put tariffs on Canada, China and other countries.
He met with North Korea’s leader.
That’s some things he did that his base liked.

Other than the space force, it’s all rooted in racism, bigotry, hate and bullying. That’s the stuff they really liked.

Also, he loaded the federal judiciary with tons of incompetent judges who now enforce the MAGA philosophy.

[NanceGreggs]

30. Thanks!

That's what I was looking for - shit that Republicans consider to be the "good things" Trump did.

[Mr. Ected]

28. "He brought us Space Force!"

And many of them are most likely waiting for the first episode.

[bucolic_frolic]

29. I think his supporters felt their anger and hatred of some perceived evil was unleashed

It's a culture war. What they heard in church and felt in their hearts because of the constrained lives they lead suddenly was able to be openly expressed. The caravans and lawn signs are a tell.

"Your shit stinks and mine don't" is their basic satisfying message to America.

[Lonestarblue]

31. I have several relatives who are Republicans.

While we don’t talk about Trump a lot because it just leads to big disagreements, most of them say that he brought religious freedom front and center. We would all define religious freedom differently than they do, but they’re very conservative evangelicals so all those White House meetings that I saw as religious charlatans in the limelight, they saw as Trump being religious and siding with their views. Getting three right-wing religious judges on the Supreme Court was a bonus because he listened to their desire to overturn Roe.

They didn’t necessarily like his language at times, but they accepted that he “tells it like it is.” One
other point mentioned was that he was a tough guy, a strong leader who stood up to other countries’ leaders and forced them to make concessions to the US. They said he wouldn’t take any BS (my term) from anybody, and they wanted a strong leader. They also liked that he was building the border wall.

One relative said he did a lot of good things for business (he was a small business owner). That wasn’t really true because mostly Trump helped only large corporations by gutting regulations, but the perception was that he was good for business because he was a businessman himself.

All of them watch Fox News by the way, so their perceptions of the good things Trump was doing were formed by Fox. These are people who have voted for Republicans all their lives, and they are predisposed to believe that Republican presidents do good things while Democratic presidents do bad things. Not one of them could tell you a government policy Trump stood for, but they could tell you that he stood up to the Chinese and put America First. That slogan stuck. None of them are big readers or knowledgeable of history, so they did not know the source of that slogan or its connotations.

[Ohioboy]

32. I always hear them claim he brought peace to the Middle East

Which seemed to me all he did was get some billionaires in the AE to recognize Israel so they could trade. I'm not sure you can actually claim you brought peace to groups that aren't really fighting, but that's what they say he did.

[Tommymac]

33. My RW bro-in-law says TFG 'Owned the Libs'. That is a good thing per his worldview. nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

35. IMO, the "good thing" is that he made it ok to openly HATE.

As far as what he did for AMERICA, NO, I have yet to hear details on what good he did for the country. But, they love him for the above.

[jaxexpat]

37. The Trumpists I know don't actually express what they feel is Trump's greatest contribution.......

because, even for the Cretins, it's just too shameful to idealize society's worst tendencies. But then again, perhaps it's not shame at all. It could well be a decisive dearth of vocabulary skills.

[JT45242]

38. The supreme court...

To some, that was the ultimate prize. Because they can now gerrymander to their hearts content.
Plus in addition to Roe, they can overturn Obergefell, Loving, etc all things that make it hard to be a straight white man in 'merika.

The uberrich live the tax cuts.

His real accomplishment was letting them be racist, sexist, homophobic asshats with no consequences.

[KS Toronado]

39. Have asked a lot of repugs that question

and all I've ever gotta was he made America great again, to which I'd reply
Hitler tried to make Germany great again.

[doc03]

40. He taught them how to be victims of whatever is bothering them on a given day.

Biden stole the election, COVID was created by the Democrats and Dr. Fauci, it's Biden's fault Russia invaded Ukraine,
Democrats are grooming their kids, all the crime is caused by Democrats flooding the country with
illegal immigrants, Democrats want to take your guns, Democrats fix the price of gas...............

[SledDriver]

41. I'm betting it's the racism

and the "freedom" to be loud and proud about it.

I would also ask the question that of all these supposed "good things" he's done, which ones would they have praised Obama for?

[tavernier]

44. So I googled your question and here is a list of answers

that the post came up with. Most are nonsense and I’m not entirely sure he was responsible for any of the others.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/31/best-things-trump-did-2020/

[Hotler]

47. Nothing in at least twenty years. The only thing they want is for someone they elect to be

hateful and mean to Dems and Libs. Hate is all the fascist party offers.

[betsuni]

50. Republicans believed the economy was terrible and the country was headed in the wrong direction in

2016. Gallup poll of Republicans who said the economy was getting better increased from 15% in October 2016 to 80% in February 2017, percentage of Republicans who thought the country was going in the right direction increased from 24% in December 2016 to 70% in July 2017. It's imaginary.

[mcar]

51. I have yet to hear any Republican explain that claim

It's as if they think just saying "he's done good things" is enough.

Like the guy in the video at the end of the hearing Thursday night who said that Trump had done so much for him and all he asked in return was that they show up on J6.

[Thtwudbeme]

52. I think this is what you are looking for:

https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/trump-administration-accomplishments/

[mnhtnbb]

63. Note the lead: "Before the China Virus invaded our shores"

[SoCal Roomba]

55. I can think of 14 specific things he did that his supporters love.

1) near fanaticism with nationalism
2) disdain for an individual’s human rights
3) identification of enemies, i.e. black or brown people 4) supremacy of the military
5) rampant sexism
6) attempted control of mass media
7) obsession with security, i.e. walls
8) church and state co-mingled
9) protection of corporations
10) suppression of labor unions
11) no respect for the arts or intellectuals
12) obsession with crime and punishment
13) widespread corruption and cronyism
14) claimed fraudulent elections.

Of course, these are also the 14 defining characteristics of fascism. So, I guess the one main thing he did, that they really adore, was creating a fascist state in the US.

[Skittles]

58. it's one "good" thing: HE HATES THE SAME PEOPLE THEY DO

that is ALL it is

[kcr]

59. Mine mainly focus on how they think Trump is a victim

They think the liberal media is unfair to Trump. He's really not a bad guy. They'll say he was trying his best and did accomplish some things. They never elaborate much on the good they think he's done. Given the responses to your OP, it seems that's pretty common.

[Hekate]

61. He lifted off the heavy weight of the rock they'd been living under & let them scuttle free...

That’s quite an accomplishment

[mnhtnbb]

62. I would suspect the Trump lovers first answer would be putting three "conservative" justices

on the Supreme Court. No doubt, they would consider that "good" for the country.

[Baltimike]

64. This is always their tripe. Broad claims backed by absolutely nothing

They do the same thing in reverse for Dems too.

"No one has EVER been worse than (insert Dem du jour here) in our nation's history"