Is Donald Trump A Decent Guy?

By Victor J. Ward

Max Lucado is a well-known Christian author. I am new to the world of Christian writing and can only hope and pray to have the success that Lucado has had.

I have read many Lucado books and articles, and I plan on reading many more. In one article, Lucado basically asks whether Donald Trump is a decent guy.

Lucado answers the question in the negative. He says the following:

"We appreciate decency. We applaud decency. We teach decency. We seek to develop decency. Decency matters, right?

"Then why isn’t decency doing better in the presidential race?"

I suspect that Mr. Lucado sees previous Presidents as decent guys. I think that Mr. Lucado, while probably disagreeing with President Obama, thinks that Obama is a decent guy -- someone you would like to talk to over a cup of Peet's Coffee.

If I had to guess, I would say that Mr. Lucado, as a resident of Texas, was a supporter of both Bush the Father and Bush the Son. Maybe he likes Ted Cruz.

Mr. Lucado says that he performed his decency test on all the men that ever came to his house to date one of his daughters' (he has three). The men did not have to be perfect, but they had to be decent.

Mr. Lucado says that Trump never would have passed the decency test and never would have been allowed to date one of his daughters.

I fully support the decency test when it comes to dating and relationships. But, how can anyone apply the decency test to the indecency of the Presidency?

When the President kills innocent people through the use of drones, and calls them collateral damage or says that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, is that decent?

When the President sends troops into foreign theaters using the specious reasoning of, "It's better to fight them over there than over here," is that decent?

When the President insists that his view of the world is correct, to the point that he is willing to not only jeopardize the lives of his own citizens and the citizens of foreign countries, but also preside over the actual taking of those said lives, is that decent?

When the President sends young men -- young men who have been brainwashed by the public school system and, often, don't know any better -- into war to kill someone named "Ali" because "Ali" has a gun and "Ali" is trying to protect "Ali's" home, is that decent?

When the President takes money from innocent-party X without X's permission, in order to give it to Y, because the President thinks that Y has somehow been disadvantaged, is that decent?

When the President takes money from innocent-party X without X's permission, in order to give it to Y, because Y made a financial contribution to the President or to one of the President's friends, is that decent?

When the President, to my knowledge, has never apologized for anything done while in office, in effect proudly saying that he has never made a mistake, is that decent?

When the President boldly lies and employs others to boldly lie for him, is that decent?

When the President is a coward, saying one thing but then changing his mind to sway votes and keep political power, is that decent?

When the President is a hypocrite of the highest pharisaical order, is that decent?

In short, indecent thoughts and indecent actions are part of the job description. Decent folks need not apply -- and they definitely won't win.


Victor J. Ward  first came across libertarianism by reading Murray Rothbard's Ronald Reagan: An Autopsy and Walter Block's Defending the Undefendable. He holds a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He is author of The Smartest Christian In Babylon: why and how faith trumps science -- a common man's journey towards God