GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump would not be a pro-growth president, according to a new
white paper by the conservative Club for Growth.
"Though he's never previously run for elected office, Donald Trump has written and spoken extensively about taxes, trade, entitlements, and government regulations," said Club President David McIntosh.
"Trump has held anti-growth positions on each of those issues prior to 2015, and still defends a massive government role in health care, a mostly hands-off approach to entitlement reform, and protectionist policies that would likely spark trade wars and lead to higher business and consumer costs," McIntosh added.
The billionaire businessman's "hostility towards free trade is unmatched by any other major presidential candidate, with the possible exception of Bernie Sanders," the far-left self-avowed "democratic socialist" seeking the Democratic nomination, the white paper read.
He also has advocated universal, government-run health care, a massive new "wealth" tax, and the abuse of eminent domain for commercial development, the Club says.
The paper notes Trump's past praise for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and that he told CNN in a 2004 interview he most identifies with Democrats.
He also has donated to Democrats and to "anti-growth Republicans who later left the party," such as former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, according to the Club.
The Club for Growth and Trump have been at odds throughout his campaign, and Trump now says his monetary support for Democrats and Republicans alike was to ensure their friendliness when he needed their help. He has vowed to stop that practice and cites how he is self-funding his own campaign.
But the Club counters, "While Trump has clearly touched a nerve with Americans who are frustrated with Washington, his approach to politics is not unlike the worst of Washington politicians. Instead of taking consistent and principled stands, he has jumped on popular bandwagons."
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