Can Donald Trump Make America Great Again?: The Munk Debates

By Newt Gingrich, Robert Reich, Laura Ingraham and Jennifer Granholm

Will Donald J. Trump be America’s next president? For some, his brash, politically incorrect campaign is the panacea for the Washington and Wall Street elites that have saddled the country with endless wars, an anemic economy, and growing racial division. Trump’s boosters believe he will usher in a Reagan-like era of domestic prosperity at home, and free America from a destructive global web of counterproductive trade agreements and military entanglements abroad. Trump’s critics are having none of this. They see not a president in waiting, but a dangerously unstable and inexperienced demagogue — one who threatens U.S. democracy and global peace and security. Rather than being a harbinger of the country’s renewal, Trump’s candidacy is supposedly destroying the social fabric of America by demonizing minorities, denigrating women, and exacerbating racial differences.

To engage with the controversy of the moment, the Fall 2016 Munk Debate will move the motion: Be it resolved, Donald Trump can make America great again…

• Language: English
• Publisher: House of Anansi Press
• Release date: Oct 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781487002695

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is a former Speaker of the House, a Fox News contributor, and a New York Times bestselling author. He is the author of thirty-seven books, including the recent New York Times bestseller Trump vs. China. Listen to Newt's podcast Newt's World at www.newtsworld.com or anywhere you get your podcasts.

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CONTENTS

Can Donald Trump Make America Great Again?

Acknowledgements

About the Debaters

About the Editor

About the Munk Debates

Can Donald Trump Make America Great Again?

Pro: Newt Gingrich and Laura Ingraham

Con: Robert Reich and Jennifer Granholm

September 30, 2016

Toronto, Ontario

CAN DONALD TRUMP

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN?

RUDYARD GRIFFITHS: This is the heart of downtown Toronto, a city that is home to more than six million people, the skyline carved in the waters of Lake Ontario. And here we are at Roy Thomson Hall, its distinctive exterior design reflective by day, transparent by night. This is Toronto’s premier concert hall — a venue typically reserved for the biggest names in entertainment. But tonight, before an audience of three thousand, we are here for the latest in a series of Munk Debates, a clash of ideas over the U.S. presidential election.

Good evening. My name is Rudyard Griffiths and it is once again my pleasure to be your moderator tonight for this important debate. I want to start by welcoming the North American–wide television and radio audience tuning in right now on C-SPAN across the continental U.S., and here in Canada coast-to-coast on CPAC. A warm hello also to the online audience watching right now via our social media partner, Facebook Live, at facebook.com; on the website of our digital and print partner, theglobeandmail.com; and on our own website, themunkdebates.com. And a hello to all of you, the three thousand people who have once again filled Roy Thomson Hall to capacity for another Munk Debate.

Our ability year in and year out, debate in and debate out, to bring you some of the world’s best debaters, some of the brightest minds and the sharpest thinkers, to weigh in on the big global challenges, issues and problems facing the world today would not be possible without the generosity, foresight, and commitment of our hosts tonight. Please join me in a warm appreciation of Munk Debate founders Peter and Melanie Munk.

Let’s get our two teams of debaters out here on stage and our debate underway. We’ve got a controversial motion, designed to fire up both our participants and the online, television, and in-house audience. Speaking for the motion, Be it resolved, Donald Trump can make America great again, is former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, New York Times bestselling author, and an adviser to the Trump campaign, Newt Gingrich. Speaker Gingrich’s teammate tonight is Laura Ingraham, a renowned radio broadcaster with over five million daily listeners, and a true force of nature in the American conservative movement.

One great team of debaters deserves another, and we have not disappointed you tonight. Speaking against the resolution, Be it resolved, Donald Trump can make America great again, is the former U.S. secretary of labor, acclaimed Berkeley professor, filmmaker, author, and one of the most formidable debaters of his time, Robert Reich. His debating partner is the Canadian-born, two-term governor of the state of Michigan, and the co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s White House transition team, Jennifer Granholm.

Let’s go through a very quick pre-debate checklist before we begin the opening statements. First, we’ve got a social media hashtag tonight. Those in the hall and watching online, please use #MunkDebate to join the conversation. You’re also invited to take part in our rolling poll at themunkdebate.com/vote. For those of you unfamiliar with the Munk Debates, our countdown clock will appear on the screen at various times during tonight’s debate, including for opening and closing statements, and for timed rebuttals. When you see it count down to zero, please join me in a round of applause. This will keep our speakers on their toes, and our debate on schedule.

Let’s review how tonight’s audience voted on tonight’s resolution coming into the debate. It’s downtown Toronto, Canada, after all, but I’m sure there are some closet Trump supporters here tonight. You were asked to agree or disagree with the statement, Donald Trump can make America great again. Only 14 percent of you agree with the motion, while 86 percent disagree. However, as you’re going to hear a lot of compelling arguments from both sides in the next hour and half, we asked you a second question: Are you open to changing your vote depending on what you hear during this debate? The results suggest this debate’s in play: 46 percent of you said you could change your mind, while 54 percent said you are already decided. Let’s see just how decided you really are.

Let’s welcome all the debaters to the stage.

We agreed beforehand to the order of opening