# What makes Trump a Republican? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 3, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811 "2016-05-03T22:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/1 "2016-05-03T22:08:37Z")
Does either party have to support a candidate that declares himself/herself to be a member of that party and manages to get on the primary ballot for that party? I’m sure this is a somewhat naïve question. But another thread (started by Saint Cad) polls on whether the GOP should support Trump. Which got me to thinking: What are Trump’s qualifications to be a Republican? Is he _really_ a member of the GOP? Does anyone who manages to get on a number of state ballots automatically deserve the support of the party? (I could have asked this in the poll thread, but it’s easier for me to not have to weed out all the, “Boy, I can’t believe how stupid this question is!” posts from the ones that are responding to the poll.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/2 "2016-05-03T22:11:19Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Is he _really_ a member of the GOP? No one is. America’s two big parties do not have memberships as such – no membership cards, no membership rolls, no membership dues. And no way to expel a member – if Lyndon LaRouche says he’s a Democrat or David Duke says he’s a Republican, then he is one and there’s nothing the party can do about it. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/3 "2016-05-04T01:10:22Z")
Here’s my list of positions that Trump and the GOP have in common. 1. Cut taxes on the rich. 2. Against abortion. 3. Anti-immigrant. 4. Against Obamacare. 5. Against the Iran nuclear deal. 6. For minimal restrictions on the the right to bear arms. 7. Doesn’t believe in climate change. I’m sure that there are plenty of more similarities than differences. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/4 "2016-05-04T03:48:43Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Here’s my list of positions that Trump and the GOP have in common. > > 1. Cut taxes on the rich. > 2. Against abortion. > 3. Anti-immigrant. > 4. Against Obamacare. > 5. Against the Iran nuclear deal. > 6. For minimal restrictions on the the right to bear arms. > 7. Doesn’t believe in climate change. > > I’m sure that there are plenty of more similarities than differences. For #2, you’re way off base. NOBODY believes Trump is anti-abortion, and even he got tired of pretending he is. He now states that the GOP platform should remove the anti-abortion plank. Surprise (not)! As for Obamacare, Trump doesn’t want a free market solution. He wants a different, bigger and “better” government healthcare system. He wants to EXPAND government involvement in health care. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/5 "2016-05-04T03:55:41Z")
Another major difference is trade deals. Congressional Republicans love free trade deals. It’s one of the few things that they agree on Obama with, as the Trans-Pacific has shown. Trump opposes free trade deals, saying they drive American jobs away. He and Bernie don’t sound much different on that. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/6 "2016-05-04T04:00:24Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Here’s my list of positions that Trump and the GOP have in common. > > 1. Cut taxes on the rich. > 2. Against abortion. > 3. Anti-immigrant. > 4. Against Obamacare. > 5. Against the Iran nuclear deal. > 6. For minimal restrictions on the the right to bear arms. > 7. Doesn’t believe in climate change. > > I’m sure that there are plenty of more similarities than differences. I agree with one and five. Everything else is opportunistic rhetoric. I have no cites. It’s just a feeling I have. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/7 "2016-05-04T04:04:21Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > For #2, you’re way off base. NOBODY believes Trump is anti-abortion, and even he got tired of pretending he is. He now states that the GOP platform should remove the anti-abortion plank. > > Surprise (not)! So what? It wasn’t as if Mittens took abortion particularly seriously either. > [@](#): > > As for Obamacare, Trump doesn’t want a free market solution. He wants a different, bigger and “better” government healthcare system. He wants to EXPAND government involvement in health care. [Not really](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/healthcare-reform)-most of his plans are standard conservative positions like medical malpractice reform and block-granting Medicaid. I mean I grant that he isn’t totally blind and realizes that some form of universal healthcare is necessary in a developed country. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Another major difference is trade deals. Congressional Republicans love free trade deals. It’s one of the few things that they agree on Obama with, as the Trans-Pacific has shown. > > Trump opposes free trade deals, saying they drive American jobs away. He and Bernie don’t sound much different on that. Here, it is TRUMP who represents historical Republican and conservative principles. Remember that the Republican Party until World War II was the party of high tariffs and the same was the case with conservative parties around the world. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/8 "2016-05-04T04:06:22Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Another major difference is trade deals. Congressional Republicans love free trade deals. It’s one of the few things that they agree on Obama with, as the Trans-Pacific has shown. > > Trump opposes free trade deals, saying they drive American jobs away. He and Bernie don’t sound much different on that. And I’d say that’s his main appeal to his working class supporters. Because both parties have always been pro-trade, there is an untapped group that are mostly conservative socially, but face economic hardships that make them hate the idea of jobs going overseas. Heck, I’m pretty sure it fuels a good portion of the anti-immigrant fervor. “They took our jobs” is not just a South Park joke, but a real belief. It’s not the breaking the law they care about. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/9 "2016-05-04T04:48:59Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I’d say that’s his main appeal to his working class supporters. Because both parties have always been pro-trade, there is an untapped group that are mostly conservative socially, but face economic hardships that make them hate the idea of jobs going overseas. And he has a genuine point here. Outsourcing only helps shareholders and CEO’s and only in the short term, it generally gives a lower standard of service and it can cause problems with intellectual property theft, supply chain quality and loss of inhouse skills which may become important again in future. Both parties have been slavishly pushing globalization and unlimited free trade which eventually must lead to a race to the bottom on worker wages. Whether he believes in it or not, he’s tapped into a genuine source of mass discontent here. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/10 "2016-05-04T04:56:24Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Here’s my list of positions that Trump and the GOP have in common. > > 1. Cut taxes on the rich. > 2. Against abortion. > 3. Anti-immigrant. > 4. Against Obamacare. > 5. Against the Iran nuclear deal. > 6. For minimal restrictions on the the right to bear arms. > 7. Doesn’t believe in climate change. > > I’m sure that there are plenty of more similarities than differences. I can’t believe no one has caught this but No. 1 is wrong. Trump wants to _increase_ taxes on the rich, not cut them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/11 "2016-05-04T05:18:03Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I can’t believe no one has caught this but No. 1 is wrong. Trump wants to _increase_ taxes on the rich, not cut them. Could you show some proof of that? Though, early on, Trump talked about increasing taxes on the wealthy, when his tax plan actually came out, it gave the wealthy a big tax cut, not an increase. > [@](#): > > His proposal would cut taxes at all income levels, although the largest benefits, in dollar and percentage terms, would go to the highest-income households. Cite: [Analysis of Donald Trump's Tax Plan | Tax Policy Center](http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/analysis-donald-trumps-tax-plan) > [@](#): > > A cornerstone of Donald Trump’s populist appeal to the American electorate is his promise to slash taxes for all, while making the wealthy pay their fair share. “We’re going to make our country great again, and we need the rich in order to make the great, I’m sorry to tell you,” the Republican front-runner said last week in a speech after winning the Florida, Illinois and North Carolina primaries. > > But is such fervent rhetoric matched by Trump’s actual policies? Critics say no, noting that by far the greatest proportion of the tax benefits would go to upper-income earners. > > … > > Another way to think about it, according to the TPC: The bottom 80 percent of taxpayers would see their average federal income tax rates drop by between 0.9 percent and 4.8 percent. For the top 20 percent, the rate would fall 7.2 percent , while the top 1 percent would get a 12.5 percent cut. Cite: [The biggest winners under Donald Trump's tax plan - CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-biggest-winners-under-donald-trumps-tax-plan/) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/12 "2016-05-04T05:26:17Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I can’t believe no one has caught this but No. 1 is wrong. Trump wants to _increase_ taxes on the rich, not cut them. Maybe you should read this analysis of Trump’s so-called ‘plan:’ [http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/apr/07/politifacts-guide-2016-candidates-tax-plans/](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/apr/07/politifacts-guide-2016-candidates-tax-plans/) If you don’t want to read the whole thing, I’ll cut to the salient part: [[QUOTE=politifact.com](http://QUOTE=politifact.com)] Trump is promising tax cuts across the board. While that may seem enticing, virtually every analysis shows his plan, more than any other, would add trillions to the federal debt over the next decade. And contrary to what the GOP frontrunner said during April 3’s Fox News town hall (“the very rich are going to end up paying more”), it’s the uber wealthy who would get the most in tax cuts. That being said, here are a few key points of Trump’s proposed tax reforms: • Consolidate the existing seven income brackets (from 10 to 39.6 percent) into three with rates at 10, 20 and 25 percent; • Increase the standard deduction from $6,300 to $25,000 for single filers and from $12,600 to $50,000 for joint filers and phase out most itemized deductions (except for charitable giving and mortgage interest); • Eliminate the estate tax, the alternative minimum tax, the Affordable Care Act taxes, and the marriage penalty. Under this plan, 37 percent of tax cuts would benefit the top 1 percent, according to the liberal Citizens for Tax Justice. The Tax Policy Center calculated the average tax cuts for the rich and the very rich: $275,000 or 17.5 percent of after-tax income for the top 1 percent, and $1.3 million or nearly 19 percent for the top 0.1 percent (those making over $3.7 million). Middle-income households, meanwhile, would pay $2,700 less in taxes, equal to a 4.9 percent reduction. Those making the least would also see the least trimmings — a cut of $128 or about 1 percent in after-tax income. At the same time, Trump’s plan would increase the number of households paying no income tax at all from 77 million to 110 million. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/13 "2016-05-04T05:35:04Z")
It’s possible to cut taxes percentage rates on the rich but them end up paying more actual tax, by closing exemptions and loopholes: Offshoring profits, trusts, various other tricks. Trump has made some noises about doing this, whether he would follow up on it is another thing. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/14 "2016-05-04T05:47:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Could you show some proof of that? Though, early on, Trump talked about increasing taxes on the wealthy, when his tax plan actually came out, it gave the wealthy a big tax cut, not an increase. You may be right, and that may be why no one’s mentioned it yet. I was going by what Trump was saying several months ago. Since I decided I definitely didn’t want to support him, I haven’t been following him like I had before. As it stands now, Trump’s website says the following: > [@](#): > > **The Trump Tax Plan Is Fiscally Responsible** > > The Trump tax cuts are fully paid for by: > > Reducing or eliminating deductions and loopholes available to the very rich, starting by steepening the curve of the Personal Exemption Phaseout and the Pease Limitation on itemized deductions. The Trump plan also phases out the tax exemption on life insurance interest for high-income earners, ends the current tax treatment of carried interest for speculative partnerships that do not grow businesses or create jobs and are not risking their own capital, and reduces or eliminates other loopholes for the very rich and special interests. These reductions and eliminations will not harm the economy or hurt the middle class. Because the Trump plan introduces a new business income rate within the personal income tax code, they will not harm small businesses either. > > A one-time deemed repatriation of corporate cash held overseas at a significantly discounted 10% tax rate. Since we are making America’s corporate tax rate globally competitive, it is only fair that corporations help make that move fiscally responsible. U.S.-owned corporations have as much as $2.5 trillion in cash sitting overseas. Some companies have been leaving cash overseas as a tax maneuver. Under this plan, they can bring their cash home and put it to work in America while benefitting from the newly-lowered corporate tax rate that is globally competitive and no longer requires parking cash overseas. Other companies have cash overseas for specific business units or activities. They can leave that cash overseas, but they will still have to pay the one-time repatriation fee. > > An end to the deferral of taxes on corporate income earned abroad. Corporations will no longer be allowed to defer taxes on income earned abroad, but the foreign tax credit will remain in place because no company should face double taxation. > Reducing or eliminating some corporate loopholes that cater to special interests, as well as deductions made unnecessary or redundant by the new lower tax rate on corporations and business income. We will also phase in a reasonable cap on the deductibility of business interest expenses. [Cite](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/tax-reform) So it looks like he’s for eliminating some of the tax benefits the rich use to lower their tax debt, but as to how this plays out with his revised four tier tax rate, I couldn’t say. It’s conceivable that under his plan the rich may pay less even after loophole closures and so on. I don’t know, I haven’t run the numbers. But he has definitely backed off from what he was saying last fall. This highlights one of the reasons I no longer support him: I really have no idea what he’ll actually do once elected. This has always been one of my main complaints about Hillary Clinton but Trump is more of a wild card than even she is. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/15 "2016-05-04T09:00:10Z")
**What makes _Trmp_ a Republican?** He doesn’t care about U. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/16 "2016-05-04T10:14:15Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > For #2, you’re way off base. NOBODY believes Trump is anti-abortion, and even he got tired of pretending he is. He now states that the GOP platform should remove the anti-abortion plank. Although I never took his anti-abortion stance seriously, do you have a cite for the claim that he’s changed it (or that he’s asked it to be removed from the Republican platform)? I mean, I know it’s time for- the ‘Etch-a-Sketch’ move now that he’s pretty much assured of the nomination. But switching on abortion would alienate a lot of the traditional conservative voters who are contemplating holding their noses and voting for him. If they stay home, he loses in a landslide. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/17 "2016-05-04T12:49:00Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > You may be right, and that may be why no one’s mentioned it yet. I was going by what Trump was saying several months ago. Since I decided I definitely didn’t want to support him, I haven’t been following him like I had before. As it stands now, Trump’s website says the following: > > [Cite](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/tax-reform) > > So it looks like he’s for eliminating some of the tax benefits the rich use to lower their tax debt, but as to how this plays out with his revised four tier tax rate, I couldn’t say. It’s conceivable that under his plan the rich may pay less even after loophole closures and so on. I don’t know, I haven’t run the numbers. But he has definitely backed off from what he was saying last fall. This highlights one of the reasons I no longer support him: I really have no idea what he’ll actually do once elected. This has always been one of my main complaints about Hillary Clinton but Trump is more of a wild card than even she is. Hmm…so your expert analysis on Trump’s own tax plan is…Trump’s own website? Umm…yeah…I’ll trust PolitiFact over that, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/18 "2016-05-04T13:20:47Z")
I doubt The Donald has even read his own campaign’s position papers or website policy statements. He will say whatever pops into his head that he thinks might, at that moment and in that place, win him votes. He’s moved considerably to the right from where he was in the Nineties, when he was schmoozing with Howard Stern, the NYC glitterati and the Clintons. He is only a Republican now because he saw an opportunity to run for President this year and build his brand. I suspect, deep down, he’s just as surprised as everyone else at how far he’s come. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/19 "2016-05-04T13:27:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No one is. America’s two big parties do not have memberships as such – no membership cards, no membership rolls, no membership dues. And no way to expel a member – if Lyndon LaRouche says he’s a Democrat or David Duke says he’s a Republican, then he is one and there’s nothing the party can do about it. I don’t think there’s a way to expel members, but the parties do have actual memberships. You have to register in some way to be a member of the party. I don’t know if candidates ever have to register as a member of the party, or even to hold positions in the party structure, or if it makes any difference at all outside of restricted primaries and getting your trash picked up in the Town of Cortlandt in New York, but there is a definite established legal status of being a member of a political party. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811/20 "2016-05-04T16:38:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Hmm…so your expert analysis on Trump’s own tax plan is…Trump’s own website? Did you even read what I said? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-trump-a-republican/753811.md?page=2)