We Americans love to celebrate our tycoons, business leaders and industrialists, from J.P. Morgan to Henry Ford, Walt Disney, and Lee Iacocca. And we Americans also love to trash these same men as robber barons and money-grubbing opportunists.
As younger Americans grow in their skepticism of capitalism, the scale is sliding toward a relentless focus on the character flaws of America’s business giants, vilifying them for their perceived selfishness and the accumulation of immense wealth. To be sure, these tycoons were men in full. But then, what would Achilles have been without his heel? Or Sampson without Delilah? Their flaws flow from the same wellspring of ambition that allowed our greatest business leaders to do what no socialist could ever do: generate new wealth, build new possibilities, and put Americans to work.
I had the pleasure of knowing one of the greatest of them, Lee Iacocca. Lee had a unique grasp of sales and product opportunities, launching Ford into its greatest growth with the Mustang. His next product would have been the minivan, but Ford leaders said there was no market for it. His advocacy of the minivan got him sacked. When Lee joined Chrysler in 1978, the company was bankrupt. It had no money to design or introduce the K car, invest in the minivan, or much of anything else. In fact, Lee was surprised to learn that Chrysler’s management did not even know how much it costs to build one of their cars.
He saw that a turnaround would require new vehicles, extraordinary cost cuts, vehicle quality upgrades, new marketing efforts, sacrifices by suppliers’ creditors, and the cooperation and support of the United Auto Workers. In addition, Lee changed Chrysler’s poor perception of product quality by offering an extended warranty, upgrading plants, and establishing new quality-control processes to identify and remove problems before cars reached dealers. Sixteen of fifty-two plants were closed, and overall employment shrank from 157,000 to fewer than 75,000.
When it was all done, Lee showcased Chrysler’s turnaround in a commercial filmed at a plant in 1983, displaying his trademark bravado by saying, “If you can find a better car, buy it.”
Lee Iacocca’s success gave him name recognition, international respect, and demonstrated management skills to run for president. He opted against running, mindful of the potential to undergo the same character assassination ordeal endured by Judge Robert Bork. The minute Lee Iacocca jumped into the political ring, his image would have switched from business hero to evil industrialist.
These hypercritical faculties are now focused on the one business leader who actually became president. As in his business, Donald Trump was a turnaround artist. He dealt with international and national issues rationally and issued clear messages to the public on where he stood. He kept his promises on jobs, growth, peace, and prosperity.
The ongoing challenge President Trump faces today from Never Trumpers (NTs) is, in part, dealing with the combination of jealousy and cynicism plied on any successful business leader. By the end of 2015, with Trump leading in the polls, Mitt Romney, his adviser Alex Castellanos, and other Republicans had organized a negative ad blitz against Trump. This dissident portion of the Republican Party wants to make Trumpism synonymous with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity, and, most recently, encouraging threats of violence.
Not giving up, Romney strategically maneuvered his niece, Ronna McDaniel, into the role of RNC Chair, tasked with electing President Trump in 2020. Sen. Romney opted not to seek reelection, while Ronna recently left the RNC to join NBC News and MSNBC.
NTs continue to serve as an active third party, fueling the liberal agenda of fear, obstruction, and deceit, epitomized by the recent “bloodbath” comment, spun out of context by liberal media. But their narrative is also fueled, in part, by the long tradition of demonizing our greatest business leaders. They want us to ignore that President Trump brought the border under control, kept Iran and China at bay, and unleashed the animal spirits of the economy, boosting Americans’ average income by about $6,300 a year.
When Americans compare the candidates once again this November, President Joe Biden’s lack of management experience will be in stark contrast to the businesslike achievements of the Trump Administration. From the mishandling of Afghanistan, the reduction of wages from inflation and “Bidenomics,” the open sore of the border, Americans have been left with dwindling hope, prosperity, and mistrust in our leaders. Americans appear poised to once again elect the business leader over the lifelong politician.
Like Lee Iacocca, Donald Trump is staging a triumphant return, demonstrating once again that business acumen is a virtue, not a vice. Perhaps President Trump should paraphrase Lee and remind Americans, “If you could find a better country, you should move there.”
Appointed a U.S. Federal Judge and serving the Court in Richmond, Virginia, Elliot M. Kaplan now consults formulating and managing strategies in litigation, legislation, and regulatory matters.