Bill Sniffin: Here’s Why Trump Will Succeed: He Will Apply Business Principles

Can you run government like a business? If you could, would you do it?

I think Donald Trump is about to find out the answers to these questions, and the American people will benefit from it.

This idea has haunted me since I ran for governor of Wyoming in 2002. Then it seemed to me that everyone around me was telling me: “No, the government is different. You can’t apply business systems to government.”

I didn’t win the race, so my big ideas didn’t matter. But Trump still won his race on November 4, and he appears determined to make radical changes to the way government operates.

This could be the greatest breath of fresh air ever applied to our government.

And this highlights one of the biggest differences between the modern Republican and Democratic parties.

Democrats began down the path of turning us into a nanny state during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office. The last four years of Joe Biden’s administration have intensified this process. They seem to want everyone to either work for the government or have most of their economic wealth tied up in government handouts.

California is the poster child for the nanny state and this place doesn’t make any sense anymore. Because of its gigantic size, the events taking place in California are of great importance. We’ve seen crazy ideas that started in Sacramento, especially those emphasizing race and gender, spread across the country. No wonder smart business leaders are fleeing this land of fruits and nuts.

Another big difference is that business relies on making a profit. The government is just the opposite. Often in government, the goal seems to be to make sure you spend your budget every year, whether what you’re spending that money on is necessary or not.

Our senior senator, John Barrasso, has great confidence in Trump. He says, “President Trump knows how to lead successfully—from the boardroom to the Oval Office. President Trump surrounds himself with a team he trusts. He made bold cabinet choices to implement his administration’s ambitious agenda. The Republicans are a team with strong leadership and a clear mission to get America back on track.”

Keep your friends closer

I spent 60 years in private business and learned a thing or two.

First, I learned to recognize my competitors. This quote from the movie “The Godfather” is true when Marlon Brando’s character says, “Keep your friends close. But keep your enemies close.

President Obama told Trump that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is the biggest threat in the world when they met at the White House. Obama had no idea how to contain it.

Trump reached out and sort of befriended Little Rocketeer, and that threat diminished. Just like that. That’s what business people do: you analyze the biggest threats and deal with them.

Another huge threat Trump faced that was left over from the Obama years was ISIS. It only took Trump a few months to destroy these terrible terrorists in Syria.

President Joe Biden completely derailed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, leaving the country in a matter of weeks, leaving behind billions of dollars of equipment and perhaps the best air base in the world. Trump would have viewed this very differently.

And finally, almost everyone understands that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been president. Putin saw Biden for who he was—timid, old and indecisive—and invaded. Now we have invested billions of dollars in this three-year war. What a waste. And what a terrible loss of life.

Musk, Vivek and DOGE

Appointing Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Effectiveness is a masterstroke by Trump.

He wants to cut down the so-called “deep state” – those hundreds of thousands of government employees who actually run things.

Here I should note that I have known hundreds of outstanding public servants. Especially here in Wyoming, they work hard and get the job done. But elsewhere it’s not the same.

Business and government are different creatures, but perhaps it’s time to try a new approach. Otherwise, our bureaucracy will be in power forever.

My favorite story about these differences is about two guys who were each other’s neighbors. Everyone returned home after a day spent in their respective offices.

The government official told his wife that he had “a great day at work.” We had “all these wonderful meetings. That was great”.

A business guy complained to his wife that his “day was terrible.” He said: “It seemed like all we did was hold meetings. We didn’t succeed.”

Yeah. There is a difference.