WASHINGTON—The national interest in President Donald Trump and what his administration might mean for the future of the country was readily apparent at a standing-room-only GAC breakout session here.
The session was so popular many of those attempting to get into the room were turned away.
Speaking to the issue were two Washington insiders, Mark Begich and Barry Jackson, who first addressed what they said carried Trump to his win.
Jackson, former chief of staff to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and former senior advisor to the president for George W. Bush, said Trump’s rise to power was not on the shoulders of “angry white guys.”
“There was no clear demographic break on who was pro-Trump,” said Jackson.
Jackson said what helped carry Trump into office was the Trump team seeing what no one else saw.
“What they saw was a large group of people had made up their minds not to vote for Clinton, but were not sure if they were going to vote at all,” said Jackson, who said Trump’s team was able to effectively target this voter block in the final days of the campaign in which Trump picked up momentum.
Former Alaska Sen. Begich, now a political consultant, said Trump was smart to emphasize he was a Washington outsider. He also said that while many people did not buy into the Make America Great Again slogan, it was “aspirational.”
“You could not pinpoint anything in Clinton’s campaign that was aspirational,” Begich said.
Even Trump repeated statements that he is rich was aspirational to many, argued Begich, adding that many voters felt that gave them hope they could someday improve their financial lives.
His wealth was also a positive to many voters as Trump emphasized he could not be influenced by moneyed interests, noted Jackson, who added that many felt the Clinton campaign was backed by some big-money interests.
Begich pointed out that while there has been a great deal of discussion about how the early days of the Trump administration are going—that it is behind schedule, off track with disarray inside the White House—45% of Americans think the new administration is on the right track.
“That is a higher number than at any time for Barack Obama,” said Begich.
Jackson believes Trump may be better than people think about bringing both sides of the aisle closer together. That was not a strength of President Obama, he suggested, noting that the Trump administration recently invited Democrats to the White House to bowl on its two-lane alley.
“Trump is already inviting Democrats to the White House to talk,” Jackson said. “You put him in a normal setting, when he is not performing, and he is gregarious, funny and a regular guy.”
Both Begich and Jackson insisted that the appeal of Trump, the optimism behind the outlook of businesses and the rise in the markets, could wane if the Trump administration does not make any progress on key issues such as tax and healthcare reform in the first six months.
CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan, who moderated the session, asked Jackson and Begich if either felt Trump had a true understanding of the burden of the presidency that is now on his shoulders. Both Washington insiders said they believe he does.
Jackson said that understanding the gravity of his role was reflected when Trump flew to Dover Air Force Base for the arrival of the body of the fallen Navy Seal in Yamen. “There is no greater burden than knowing your decisions placed someone in harm’s way.”
Begich, while concerned about Trump, does think he is beginning to understand the weight of the role he has undertaken.
“Even though I don’t like his policies, I like the directness, despite cringing sometimes when he says things,” said Begich. “Americans want this authenticity, but you need a mix. It’s about the office and not the person, and now it’s a lot of about the person. OK. You’ve been elected, now it’s time to move on. This can’t be about Trump, it’s about the office he holds. We are the greatest country in the world, and we want the world to see that.”