Why Donald Trump won the presidency

A few thoughts about the recent presidential election.

A big reason why Donald Trump outsmarted his opponents is he is a business guy. An entrepreneur and a developer.

This business guy looked at spending campaign money differently than his politician opponents did. A business guy asks, “If we spend this money, will we get a proper return? Show me how.” A politician says, “Spend the money. We’ll squeeze more from our big donors.” Result: Trump spent a fraction of what his opponents spent. And whipped them.

In office, politicians say, “Spend more money. We’ll get it by borrowing more. Or we can raise taxes.” Here’s hoping this business guy does not succumb to such thinking. Here’s hoping he will come to Washington with the attitudes about spending he displayed in the campaign.

Bring together a mob of CEOs. From companies in finance, investments, drugs, media, etc. First, you will see big differences. Steel and mining and oil guys will be much rougher characters than guys from banking, finance, and pharmaceuticals. They will be more down-to-earth. Gruffer in language and manners.

Now observe the CEOs from truly entrepreneurial businesses. Especially developers. They are more creative and usually more colorful than the others. They refuse to go along with popular thinking. Think Ted Turner and Richard Branson. Both famous for rude language, social awkwardness, and original thinking.

Trump outfoxed his opponents because he thinks like a business guy and the creative, unpredictable developer he is. His opponents thought like politicians and were plodding and predictable.

Developers have to see and envision things others do not or cannot. They look at derelict buildings and imagine renovations and new uses. They look at swamps and see shopping malls or housing developments.

Trump looked upon the American scene and saw dissatisfactions that his opponents ignored. He saw opportunities his opponents missed. And when he pursued them, he used imagination his opponents simply did not have.

I hope he will bring imaginative, creative thinking to Washington. Thinking that does not always call for throwing money at our problems.

I hope Trump will bring some of the disciplines of business to Washington. Only with such discipline do we have a hope of cutting some of the waste. He has promised to appoint business people to key positions. Their thinking could be refreshing.

I hope Trump will bring some understanding of small and mid-sized business to Washington, D.C. There has been sweet little of it the last 20 years. Our tax and regulation idiocies are smothering this community.

By the way, a lot of commentators tell us Trump will have many problems learning to deal with politicians. I am sure he will. But they ignore the fact that politicians are going to have to learn to deal with Trump. In the primaries and the general election, they were not up to that challenge. He left them in the dust, scratching their heads. In the process, Trump guillotined the Bush dynasty and collapsed the corrupt Clinton machine.

The mainstream media totally misread the Trump phenomenon. Because they are so biased toward the left. And because their people listen mostly to each other.

They take little input from people in places like Toledo, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Binghamton, and Utica.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home near Oneonta. Several upstate radio stations carry his daily commentary, Tom Morgan’s Money Talk. Contact him at tomasinmorgan.com