A Message From The Publisher
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
In the world of politics, perception often trumps reality. This is particularly true in the case of Donald J. Trump, an entertainer who theatrically preformed his way into the presidency. As the difference between Trump and Biden becomes painfully clear to many of us, a significant number of voters are looking at Trump’s tenure with a growing sense of longing for the so called good old days, including the perception that they were better off economically. Today, polls suggest that voters in key swing states favor Trump over Biden on economic issues by a large margin.
This shaded love affair for Trump is not based on reality, but the remnants of a reality show! It’s tied to his “TV made” image as a successful businessman, and thanks to the revelations from the “Hush Money Trial,” we can now add made for tabloid news character. His appeal was not in political shrewdness but in his ability to entertain audiences. His rise to the presidency was trademarked with a showman’s flair, more reminiscent of a traveling salesman selling miracle tonics -let me make you feel good – than sincere ideological beliefs or political power.
Voters are inclined to remember the Trump era through memory of his constant repetitive self-aggrandizement, hypnotizing some with selective amnesia. They overlook the shadows cast by his past bankruptcies, his adulterous affairs, demonization of Black and Brown people, and the racial discrimination lawsuits involving his family’s real estate business. They forget the erratic trade policies and the significant tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the wealthy while ballooning the national deficit.
The selective amnesia extends to Trump’s mixed economic performance. While he points to certain economic indicators that were strong during his tenure, these successes were often continuations of trends that began under the Obama administration, which he will never admit. Moreover, his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was an economic disaster not to mention the significant number of Black, Brown and elderly people that lost their lives due to his ineptitude.
For me, a particularly concerning aspect of this shaded love affair is the miseducation of Black and Brown voters about Trump’s supposed economic contributions to their communities. The narrative that Trump “brought checks to the hood” is a fallacy that distorts the truth. While his administration did roll out stimulus checks as part of broader COVID-19 relief efforts, these were not targeted initiatives specifically designed to uplift minority communities but rather part of a nationwide response to an unprecedented crisis. The last time I checked, people who looked like me were going to jail because of some dealings with those “stimulus checks”.
The truth is that Trump’s wider economic policies did little to address systemic inequities affecting Black and Brown communities. His tax cuts largely benefited the wealthy, and his administration’s attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act threatened to strip millions of Black, Brown, and poor white Americans of their health insurance. His peddled Opportunity Zones, intended to motivate investment in distressed areas, often ended up benefiting affluent developers who gentrified communities and exacerbated the problem that were supposed to help. In the end, our communities are lulled into celebrating getting the pennies, while his people – rich people – raked in the millions.
Compare this with the policy wonk – Joe Biden. His approaches and governance style are less colorful but substantive. Why, because that is what’s needed. The world we live in is complicated and merely simplifying and downplaying our future to rhymes that fit neatly into jokes and name calling leads to disastrous outcomes as we saw with the pandemic.
Biden’s presidency has been consumed with undoing the deleterious effects of the Trump presidency, while fighting Trump’s sycophants every step of the way. By contrast, pushing to address universal issues through significant legislative measures like the Increasing Access to Housing and Rooting Out Discrimination in the Housing Market for Black Communities, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Ensuring Equitable Educational Opportunity for Black Students, Improving Health Outcomes for Black Families and Communities, Protecting the Sacred Right to Vote for Black Families and Communities, Student Loan Forgiveness, and the Inflation Reduction Act. These initiatives may not be sexy, but they aim to build long-term economic resilience, though their impacts may not be immediately visible or as sensational as Trump’s headline-grabbing antics whose policies shift in the matter of minutes based on the public’s response -hand claps or scowls.
Trump’s ability to pitch an image of economic expertise only resonates with a population not fully knowledgeable of policy debates and long-term planning. His brand of politics—anchored in entertainment—continues to captivate but not to educate.
As voters weigh their choice for president, we need to remind ourselves of what’s at stake. Both have personal, political, and legislative records we can and should avail ourselves of. For me, the full reality of Trump’s time in office and his involvement directly and indirectly with all his criminal trials and misconduct will be front of mind. We must pull back the curtain to see who the real Wizard of Oz is. It should prompt a deeper reflection on what we value in leadership: the glitz of an entertainer or the steady, albeit less glamorous, hand of a policy-driven politician.
The choice will shape the future direction of the nation, far beyond the temporary glow of celebrity. knowledgeable to policy debates and long-term planning. His brand of politics—anchored in entertainment—continues to captivate but not to educate.
As more voters view Trump’s presidency positively, we need to question his rising popularity. His celebrity appeal and simple story of economic success shouldn’t hide the full reality of his time in office and his involvement directly and indirectly with all of his criminal trials and misconducts. We must pull back the curtain to see who the real Wizard of Oz is.
In the end, the contrast between Trump and Biden may indeed grow bleaker. Yet, this contrast should prompt a deeper reflection on what we value in leadership: the glitz of an entertainer or the steady, albeit less glamorous, hand of a policy-driven politician.
The choice will shape the future direction of the nation, far beyond the temporary glow of celebrity.
