You make a good point. We can agree that Trump does not put his best conservative foot forward.
I don’t know why he does not, but thinking out loud, I can think of several possibilities.
First, that he is not a conservative, but wants to appear as one to those high information voters who bother to read his position papers. In interviews, he blurts out his true liberal leanings - i.e. tax the wealthy.
Second, that he is a conservative, and the conservative positions expressed in his position papers are his, but he didn’t write them, so in interviews he does not articulate them as well, although he’d like to. Hence, saying taxes on wealthy would rise, failing to clarify he means eliminate loopholes.
Third, that he is a conservative, as expressed in his position papers, but be has calculated that his appeal to moderates, crossovers and independents involves distancing himself from certain conservative talking points (third rail issues). Hence in interviews he is evasive and does not let himself get pinned down.
I think the third is the closest, although it could be a combination of all three.
Because I’m a pragmatist, I believe leaders can’t solve the problems we face without being fundamentally conservative. Conservatism is what works. Because I’m a realist, I believe leaders can’t get elected without hiding their conservatism, at least to an extent. There just aren’t enough conservative voters, and there are some conservative positions that unfortunately have become ‘third rail’ issues, such as entitlement reform.
Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but I think Trump is navigating the inherent conflict above as best he can, with the idea of providing real (conservative) solutions as POTUS, but at the same time, with the aim of not losing the general election by foolishly grabbing the ‘third rail’.
I hope sincerely that you are correct. Remember I voted for Trump in the VA primary and will vote for him in NOV. I hope and pray for the best from Trump; that’s all I can do. But this mind-boggling hero-worship for Trump is STUNNING!!!! A LOT of FREEPERS truly believe that this man is the infallible gift from GOD, who will get exactly and precisely what he wants the day he moves into the WH, and who only wants perfect, beautiful, and magnificent things.
But I trust NO politician and I never will. The only perfect candidate who has ever existed for me is ME! And even I change my mind sometimes.
Even the sainted Ronald Reagan screwed me—I cannot buy the machine guns of my choice because of him.