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Probably the most unusual chapter in American history was at the turn of the decade from Reagan’s high-flying Hollywood optimism to Gore’s reserved, subdued optimism was the brash man known as Dollars and Sense Donald.

Donald J. Trump became President thanks to the efforts of a man named Mike Dunbar, who pushed Trump to outdo the Republican field. Trump ran on one simple premise - the economy was strong under Reagan and he was the one to take that to the next level. In some ways, he was the anti-Reagan - he wasn’t polished, he was a New Yorker in contrast to a Californian, he was a mere 42 years of age, the youngest to be elected in American history to contrast with the aged Reagan, and he didn’t speak ill of government involvement the way Reagan did. But he had the same ultimate concern - growing the economy and cutting taxes.

And for that, he was immensely popular. The problem? He didn’t give a damn for foreign policy, and neither did anyone who worked in his administration. Saddam embarrassed Trump and exposed him as falling short in that area. He didn’t get alon with Margaret Thatcher or Boris Yeltsin, and the time he was overheard calling the Japanese prime minister a “fucking idiot” after he tried to bow to him and ended up headbutting him instead. If he had studied Japanese cumture for half a second, he would know Japanese people expect Americans to shake their hands, not to bow. In fact, that kind of faux pas is now known in Japan as “Torampu-suru” or “to do what Trump does.”

Enough goof-ups later, and when the economy inevitably slowed down, the people got sick of Trump and voted him out in 1992 in favor of the calmer Al Gore.

But Trump revealed years later he almost didn’t run. Who would have gotten it in ‘88 if he didn’t run? And what kind of job would they have done, especially in Iraq?
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