[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by BoLevi

Trump wasn't an ultra-conservative, far from it.

He was an economic protectionist, he was an authoritarian that wanted to increase the power of the gov't, he spent like a drunken sailor running up huge deficits, undermined free markets, he raised tariffs (which is like raising taxes), he was anti-free-trade, he subsidized farmers, he was pro same sex marriage (which the Democrats weren't until about 10 years ago), I could go on. He's a populist and nationalist.

His conservative policies were derived from his populism and nationalism - so insofar as he was a conservative, he was a poor one. He certainly wasn't "ultra-conservative."

As for him being different than other politicians - this was more so in terms of his rudimentary communication abilities and his boorish style. Most politicians aren't that different from Trump, they just have the good sense to slap on a veneer of appealing personality.