Politics

Trump’s Checkered Record on ‘Life’ And ‘Property’: One Out Of Three Ain’t Bad?

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Donald Trump’s recent interview on Fox News’ “Special Report” provides us with yet another glimpse into The Donald’s not-so-conservative worldview. This time, it came in the form of his passionate insistence that eminent domain is “a wonderful thing.”

Charles Krauthammer observed the irony of this during the panel discussion that followed: Trump has politically positioned himself as a man of the people, yet he sides with big government and real estate developers over the little guy.

But it was Stephen Hayes who took Trump behind the woodshed. “[Trump] called the people who won’t give up their property ‘holdouts,'” Hayes said. “They’re not holdouts, they’re property owners.”

Hayes went on to note that “John Locke, the father of American political theory, believed there were three natural rights — life, liberty and property.”

My take: Inasmuch as American conservatism is about conserving these foundational rights, Trump’s record on life and property is demonstrably checkered (and I’m not so sure about his record on preserving individual liberty, either).

Later, Hayes slammed Trump for ducking the in studio “Center Seat” segment, where candidates are peppered with rapid-fire questions from the panelists.

But the big story is that the GOP front runner continues to proudly stand in opposition to much of what constitutes modern American conservative philosophy. And it doesn’t seem to matter.