A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article on how the world of healthcare could use a Donald Trump. I received quite a bit of correspondence afterwards—some positive, some negative—as is to be expected with any semi-political article. A few people wrongly interpreted my article as being some sort of political endorsement of Donald Trump, which it most certainly wasn’t. This being primarily a healthcare blog, my aim was to focus on Trump’s deal-making and negotiation skills, and relate it to the lack thereof in many of the major players in healthcare. We need tigers negotiating the right agenda for patients, doctors and nurses. But this being a free country, it did get me thinking a bit about the man himself. As a watcher of politics, Mr Trump’s run has indeed shaken up the political scene over the last few months—a fact that’s impossible to miss if you turn on the news every day. And it’s certainly adding some spice and excitement to, what was up until the point he announced his candidacy, quite a dull story. Many of his comments have been widely criticized as outrageous, including those on immigrants, John McCain and certain primetime newscasters. But for all the outrage and seemingly politically incorrect statements, here are 3 reasons why any reasonable minded person may respect Trump’s candidacy:
- Beholden to none but himself
As a businessman and billionaire, he is entirely self-funding his campaign. How many candidates in history have been able to do this all on their own? While his contemporaries fall over themselves to court donors and bend over backwards to get checks from people like the Koch brothers (of course with strings attached), Donald Trump tells them exactly where they can put their money
- Real world experience
When Donald Trump stands on the stage and says that he’s one of the only candidates to have real world experience, employed thousands of people, and run a huge organization—it’s something that rings true. Politics is always better off, in any country, with fewer career politicians
- Plain spoken, authentic and anti-establishment
Donald Trump is quite unlike any other politician of recent times. He’s plain spoken, not afraid to speak his mind, and doesn’t have an army of advisers telling him exactly what to say. Where politicians shake at the thought of getting on the wrong side of media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, Trump locks heads with them regularly and without fear. His support has come from the ground, and has rattled every corner of the political establishment. There’s always something very appealing when anybody takes on establishment figures (in any arena) and has them running around in circles not knowing what to do. Since the beginning, his candidacy has been written off as a “media stunt” and “sideshow”, and he has been called everything from a charlatan to a clown. Yet he’s still very much here all these months later, and can’t be ignored
As someone who considers himself middle of the road when it comes to politics, I’ve made this list with a political persuasion that is far away from much of what Trump is advocating for. However, also speaking as a fan of the Apprentice and someone who has read several of Donald Trump’s books over the years, including Think Big and Kick Ass, The Art of the Deal, and Think Like a Champion—all books I’d recommend, I simply don’t agree with anyone who says the man is just an empty façade. His books, despite sometimes going over the top, do actually contain plenty of good advice and insights into success and thinking like a winner. It’s also clear when you read what he’s written that he is someone who dearly loves his country and wants America to win. The question is: is his prescription and general tone the right one for the 21st century? The tragedy for Donald Trump may just be that had he reigned in some of his flare and made many of the same assertions but without offending so many—he may well have had more mainstream support and be a much more viable candidate. But then again, if he did, he wouldn’t be Donald Trump would he?
“In the changing healthcare environment, doing my best to advocate for great patient care, physician autonomy, reduced bureaucracy, less time with computers and more with our patients”- Dr Dhand
Suneel Dhand is a physician, author, speaker and healthcare consultant. He has experience in a number of different healthcare environments, having worked up and down the East coast and also internationally. His specialty areas include hospital QI, improving the patient experience, and optimizing healthcare IT. He is the Founder & Director of MangoWell, an organization and consulting service that helps hospitals and healthcare professionals improve the quality of hospital care. MangoWell’s most recent publication, “The Ultimate Patient Advocate in Your Pocket”, is designed to help hospitalized patients.
Also follow Suneel’s blog at: www.HealthcareImprove.com