While the TEA party movement may not hold George W. Bush in as high regard as Ronald Reagan, I highly doubt they would offer the criticism that Trump gave of Bush back in 2008 when he said Bush was "so bad, maybe the worst president in the history of this country. He has been so incompetent, so bad, so evil that I don't think any Republican could have won [in 2008]." In the same interview, he also said he thought that Obama "has a chance to go down as a great president," particularly due to the change that he would bring in foreign policy.
Although many on the left favor raising taxes on the rich, Trump's proposed tax hikes will likely not sit well with many on the right. In The America We Deserve, Trump said he would "impose a one-time, 14.25% tax on individuals and trusts with a net worth over $10 million. For individuals, net worth would be calculated minus the value of their principal residence. That would raise $5.7 trillion in new revenue, which we would use to pay off the entire national debt [and shore up the Social Security Trust Fund]." While this would hardly damage the wealthy who would be taxed by Trump's proposal, it would certainly discourage investment and inhibit job growth in the private sector.
Trump's history with eminent domain may not offend everyone on the right, but it will certainly raise eyebrows for many on both sides of the aisle. In 1997, he attempted to evict an elderly widow to allow for the expansion of his casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The land would have been used to build a "limousine waiting area," among other things. He also proposed the use of eminent domain to seize control of private property in Bridgeport, Connecticut to build an amusement park.
Article comments
1 - Tommy Mack
Trump has replaced Palin in the GOP. He is a better show person, as if that is important, but he is no more important than she.
What is a shame is that the very idea of Republican Party presidential candidacy is even associated with them. I feel for conservatives that Trump is even considered as a choice. He makes the GOP's intellectual vacuum painfully obvious.
The country needs a smart opposition party, not a show business substitute.
Tommy
2 - Jay
Tommy, you are right. Maybe Obama would be a great republican candidate! I mean, he is a killing machine in the middle east, is friends with very wealthy people, spends tax payer money more than GWB did, kept Gitmo open, and LOVES to waterboard terrorists to get information!
He is doing things the left railed against GWB for doing... but guess what? Those voters' lack of principal will have them voting for Obama again in 2012.