Is America in Search of a Leader?

Does President Trump have a vision for America that Americans can get behind?

By Chris M. Ingram, LL.M., ESQ

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Someone once said that as a leader, if no one is following your lead, then you’re just a guy taking a walk. So, it begs the question, is President Trump a leader or someone just taking a walk? Why is leadership important to immigrants living in the US, or would-be immigrants thinking about coming to the US? Leadership is important because followers need to know where the leader is going, and whether that destination is somewhere they would actually like to go.

Leader or dog walker?

“America First”

In this era of globalization, ‘America First’ is a scary thought. Why? Because America, in this case American companies, need to trade with the rest of the world, and this trade creates jobs for Americans. If American companies can make products the rest of the world wants to buy, then American companies can thrive. The sentiment of ‘America First’, might sound great at political rallies but it’s an absolute turn off to American companies.

Let’s take Disney, whether it’s Disney land, Disney World or Disney films, these entities rely on their global appeal for their trade. Tourism into the US by foreign holiday makers has taken a significant hit because of Trump’s various travel bans. If 23% of the global population is Muslim, then when Muslim tourists hear the words Muslim Ban / Travel Ban, it’s understandable they might not feel welcome in the US. As a result a small percentage may choose to vacation in other countries more welcoming – that small percentage means billions of dollars being spent outside of the USA. So, if tourism falls re Disney and America’s other attractions, hotels are less booked, merchandise sales fall, and thus fewer American workers are needed across the tourism industry. Americans lose jobs, American companies lose profits and ultimately the economy suffers. Not today perhaps, as everything in the economy looks rosy, but this is how the economy always looks just prior to an economic bubble burst, right?

Disney needs talent from all over the world just to function, much less thrive.

Disney films, as well as many international companies require talented film makers from all over the world to work in special effects and artistic development. Even the cast and crew of many of these films have to be internationally diverse with celebrated actors, so that the audiences from around the world can cheer on their national stars. ‘America First’ therefore does not work for Americans.

It’s difficult to really appreciate who this narrative of ‘America First’ really appeals to. On September 19^th Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin approved a three-billion-dollar package of incentives to attract Foxconn, a Taiwanese company, to build a plant in Wisconsin. For Foxconn to do, that it’s going to need to bring in a team of its Taiwanese managers and executives to make that happen. So where does this fit into the doctrine of ‘America First’? We need foreign talent, investment and industry to come to America, not run from America.

Foxconn makes Apple products

‘America First’ is a great sound bite, as it can mean anything to anyone at any time – just like the phrase ‘Make America Great Again’. What does ‘Make American Great Again’ mean? Does it mean that America is no longer great and we have to restore America to its former glory? Here’s what I do know.

Almost everything great about America came from outside America, even the Statue of Liberty itself was a gift from the people of France in 1885. Many of our nation’s greatest pioneers were either first or second generation immigrants. I was just at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) LA division, where we were reminded that Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin were on the same boat from England to New York at the turn of the 20th century and within just a few years were among the greatest and most celebrated actors in American cinema.

The legendary Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS was born in Israel. Walt Disney’s parents Elias and Flora came from Canada via Ireland, so if America had not welcomed Elias and Flora into the US, there would be no Disney Studios, a 91 Billion-Dollar company.

Laurel and Hardy, geniuses of comedy

The other day, I was following the news about China’s President Xi Jinping being now regarded as one of the foremost economic leaders in the world. Whilst I’m totally a capitalist, there is nonetheless a lot to learn from the leadership of Xi Jinping. Xi’s leadership and vision for China has now been enshrined into the Chinese Constitution, as he has laid out a clear growth plan for his country. Today Xi Jinping is widely respected as a world leader.

America is great and has been the greatest for decades. America has the largest economy in the world followed by China’s economy ranking #2, followed by #3 Japan and then #4 Germany. An interesting side issue to note is that none of these countries have large militaries, compared to America and none of them have troops stationed around the world as America does.

What is Trump’s vision for America? What path are we on right now? What should America be striving to be a leader in? What does President Trump have to say?

What is President Trump’s dream for America?

We need another “I have a dream” speech, as given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28^th 1963, that set out a vision for racial equality.  The election of President Barack Obama in 2008, for many, was the realization of that dream for America.

President Kennedy had his 1962 speech, in the face of Soviet aggression, vowing to have American’s on the moon. Kennedy’s  speech set the tone for massive innovation and government funding for technology. America’s reach for the moon catapulted America’s STEM industry to become the envy of the world. Moreover, America gained tremendous world acclaim when, on July 20^th 1969, Neil Armstrong landed his crew on the moon.

President Regan strived for an end to communism, led by Russia (our new best friends) when he said to then President Gorbachev of Russia (USSR) “Tear down this wall”, on June 12^th 1987, and on November 9^th 1989 just two years later, the Berlin Wall came crashing down.

President Kennedy’s vision for America transformed the technological landscape of the world.

These presidential themes did not appear in any way partisan, or Democrat. President Kennedy’s vision were themes that every American could get behind. Republican President Reagan’s view of communism was universally accepted as an affront to capitalism. Since Kennedy and Reagan, we’ve had two Bush presidents, Clinton, Obama and now Trump, and I’m struggling to see or find what the vision for America has become today. Maybe I missed these later presidential themes, as I’m not a presidential historian. I guess I’m wondering if America has a political identity crisis.  What is the thematic vision for America? Have we lost our way? Does it matter if we really do not know?

I think it does matter, and we do need leadership from our president that resonates with all Americans and around the world. If Trump wants to have the title as the ‘Leader of the Free World’, then we need to know what that leadership vision is.

Where do immigrants fit into this debate on leadership? Immigrants, from the lowly immigrant farm worker, to the high-flying immigrants who founded Google and other household iconic companies,  continue to represent the fabric of America.  The one thing that America has as a beacon to the world, is its unimaginable freedom. What Americans take for granted, is what immigrants from around the world still have an unquenchable thirst for.

All things are possible in America

Freedom takes many forms. It could be the simple freedom of wanting to start your own business and the lack of red tape and bureaucracy that America has, to enable you to do that. It could be the fact that if you can imagine any enterprise and if you work hard enough there is nothing stopping you from achieving that dream in America.

Did you know that immigrants are four times more likely to become millionaires than people born in America? Did you know that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in America? Why is this so? Simple – freedom. Immigrants who are motivated to leave all that they know in their home country to come to America, with all of its promise, are highly motivated and determined individuals so busy reaching for their American dream, that they out-perform their American counter parts and that can be a problem for some less motivated Americans.

Ambitious immigrants are often portrayed with great resentment in that “these immigrants are taking our jobs”.  And it’s this poisonous rhetoric that unfortunately, our president has fueled.

Anyone know who Manoj Bhargava is? Well, Manoj was born in Lucknow, India and came to America. To cut a long story short, he invented the energy drink called 5-Hour Energy in 2003. Today, Manoj is now worth a staggering 4 billion dollars and, in the process, has created thousands of jobs. This success is one American Dream and this potential for success has always been the American dream. We must do everything we can to build up America by encouraging more immigrants to settle here, instead of in other countries who will then compete against us economically.

Manoj Bhargava, originally from India – inventor of 5-Hour Energy

Truth is, what made America great was that desire by people from all over the world to start a brand new life in the “Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave”. If we want to keep America at the forefront of economic world affairs, we’re going to need the continuous influx of fresh ideas and talent from all over the world to seed our new industries. Any US business will say we need more immigrants not less, from farm workers, STEM workers and entertainment professionals. We need them all and we need them right now.

As an immigration lawyer specializing in helping to emigrate investors under the E2 Visa Program and EB1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability – to use their talents for our economy, I consider it a tremendous honor and privilege to bring to America as many immigrants as I possibly can to settle here, because I know that they will invest in America and make America greater. They will use their extraordinary talents to help our American companies remain competitive on the world stage.

Does President Trump have a vision for America we can all get behind?

What we are thirsty for now is a president that will arrive at a vision for America we can all get behind as, ‘One nation, under God, indivisible, with justice and liberty for all’.

By Chris M. Ingram., LL.M., ESQ
Attorney at Law

Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
401 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor,
[Cross Streets 4th and Wilshire]
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292