Key Takeaways
- The Smerconish.com daily poll challenges listeners to consider if Donald Trump would be a successful president given specific hypothetical foreign policy achievements.
- Hypothetical achievements include Gaza peace, Russia-Ukraine resolution, Venezuela reform, Greenland purchase, and Iran regime change.
- The discussion acknowledges Trump's consistently low approval ratings and numerous criticisms throughout his presidency.
- The thought experiment pushes listeners to confront their assumptions and test the limits of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Deep Dive
- The Smerconish.com daily poll introduces a hypothetical: "Is Trump a successful president if he keeps Gaza peace, resolves the Russia-Ukraine war, reforms Venezuela, purchases Greenland, and enables Iran regime change?"
- The host introduces the poll question, acknowledging potential biases and referencing a critical article about Donald Trump's presidency from The Atlantic by Jonathan Lemire.
- The poll is presented as a non-scientific discussion starter on current issues, prompting listeners to confront their assumptions.
- The host states he is not overlooking valid criticisms of Trump's presidency while posing the thought experiment.
- The host elaborates on potential negative points of Trump's presidency, including the pardoning of January 6th defendants and controversial social media posts.
- Further criticisms cited involve actions related to Venezuela, the War Powers Act, the renaming of the Kennedy Center, and his interactions with protesters and immigrants.
- The host notes that while he often disagrees with Trump's methods, he frequently agrees with his stated goals.
- The discussion covers Donald Trump's policies, noting the need for border control and addressing imbalanced trade, despite tariffs being imposed abruptly.
- Despite Trump's consistently low approval ratings, typically in the 30s, the host explores a hypothetical scenario where key international issues resolve in his favor.
- Specific hypothetical successes for Trump include peace in Gaza, resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, reformation in Venezuela, and a potential purchase of Greenland.
- A poll indicated a majority voted against purchasing Greenland, while prediction markets showed a 36% chance of its acquisition during a full Trump term.
- The discussion also touches on internal challenges to Iran's theocracy, drawing a parallel to the resolution of the hostage crisis at the start of Reagan's term.