Then, as now, Trump believed that Americans wanted an outsider who would offer more political pizazz than the likes of John McCain, Al Gore and the first George Bush, whom he described as “out of touch.” Among his sons, though, Trump found something to admire in Jeb. “He’s exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future.”
And while he wrote that he disagreed with first lady Hillary Clinton’s health care reform specifics, he added, “No one can deny her good intentions.” He also called her “smart and resilient.”
Among the few policy nuggets in the book were some with a truly liberal tone. Trump wanted a ban on assault weapons and waiting periods for gun purchasers. He also favored a national health care system. “We must have universal healthcare,” Trump wrote. “Doctors might be paid less than they are now, as is the case in Canada, but they would be able to treat more patients because of the reduction in their paperwork. … The Canadian plan also helps Canadians live longer and healthier than Americans. There are fewer medical lawsuits, less loss of labor to sickness, and lower costs to companies paying for the medical care of their employee. … We need, as a nation, to reexamine the single-payer plan, as many individual states are doing.”