Trump’s conciliatory tone an encouraging first step

"Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division. It's time for us to come together as one united people. It's time."

So said Donald J. Trump early Wednesday morning after a stunning victory in the hotly contested presidential election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The surprise outcome defied late polls that showed Clinton, former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, with a modest but persistent edge.

But when vote-counting was completed, Trump, the bombastic, fire-breathing billionaire businessman from New York City, emerged with 290 electoral college votes, to 232 for his Democratic opponent.

However, Clinton was on tap to win the popular vote. As of yesterday, she boasted a total of 59,385,603 votes to 59,213,188 for Trump. If the trend holds, she would be the fifth presidential candidate to take the overall vote but not the Electoral College. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore lost the election to Republican George W. Bush even though he won the popular vote.

Trump’s conciliatory tone in victory could well be an acknowledgment that more Americans did not support his bid for president than those who did.

In calling for the nation to bind the wounds of division, the political novice who captured the GOP nomination by defeating 16 other candidates added: “It’s important to me.”

We agree – but would also point out that the divisions and the lack of unity in the country today are the result, in large part, of Trump’s divisive campaign. As we said in our endorsement editorial of Clinton – it was a lukewarm embrace, at best:

“Trump is a self-absorbed rich man whose attitude toward women, minorities, the disabled and the press makes him clearly unqualified to be the leader of the greatest country on earth.”

But a sufficient number of voters thought otherwise and made him the 45th president of the United States.

We would suggest, therefore, that Trump use the power and prestige of his office after he is sworn in Jan. 20 to begin the healing process in this country.

He could start by telling the American people that the Donald Trump of recent weeks – a relatively calm individual who refrained from his trademark verbal assaults against enemies real or imagined – is the genuine article. Trump approached the waning days of the campaign with laser-like focus, and refrained from his admitted indulgence: late-night Twitter blasts.

Trump, as president, could also reassure women, immigrants, welfare recipients, the disabled and senior citizens on fixed incomes that his administration’s policies will not be designed with punishment in mind.

Contributions

Trump is a political unknown – although he has admitted to contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians – which explains the initial reaction of stock markets around the world. Huge declines here and in other countries were triggered by the uncertainty of a Trump presidency.

The markets did recover somewhat after his victory speech, but the fact remains that Trump’s commitment to erecting a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and forcing the Mexican government pay for it; his pledge to reopen NAFTA and other global trade agreements and demand better terms for the United States; and his crackdown on immigration have many world leaders on edge.

To be sure, Trump’s chest pounding and saber rattling have made him a hero of “the forgotten men and women of our country,” as he put it Wednesday morning. But unless a Trump administration believes this country can go it alone and does not need allies and economic partners, the new president must go about building bridges.

There’s no doubt that Trump’s slash-and-burn campaign resonated with a large segment of the population. Not surprisingly, such a political strategy had the intended effect of dividing America.

Now, the president-elect is calling for unity and a binding of wounds.

The onus is on Donald Trump to take the lead in this important endeavor.