Trump, by the book

Accused of flip-flopping during a recent debate earlier this month, Republican front-runner Donald Trump went on the offensive, extolling the virtues of changing one's mind. "You have to have a certain degree of flexibility," the presidential candidate said. "You have to be flexible because you learn."

Opponents on the campaign trail have long ridiculed Mr. Trump for either having no policies or making up his positions on the fly. On the contrary, the abrasive real estate magnate has laid out a somewhat thorough platform on his website and in his speeches.

What's more, the King of Zing has published a towering stack of books over the past two decades, three of which are campaign tomes that explore many of the same ideas he proposes now. They also present alternatives that would now probably bring him a world of scorn from his GOP rivals – and probably boost his polling numbers. Yes, he really does suggest that the United States adopt the Canadian immigration model, but that was in 2011.

The Globe and Mail has binge-read some of Mr. Trump's old books and compared them with what he says now. On the whole, his former way thinking is neither orthodox Republican or Democrat. It's just unorthodox. Above all, however, he unwaveringly addresses the worker who views himself as a victim, feeling betrayed by a self-serving government and a global economy that benefits everyone but Americans.

Over the years, Mr. Trump's views on health care and income-tax reform have changed dramatically.

However, Mr. Trump's hawkish take on China and hostility toward Mexican migrants remain unchanged.

"Smart people learn things, so they change their minds," he writes in Time to Get Tough. "Only stupid people never change their minds."

So just how does Mr. Trump's evolution of political thinking reflect on his intelligence? We'll let the reader decide.

Health care

By the book: Perhaps more than any other topic, Mr. Trump has often been accused of flip-flopping on this third-rail subject. In The America We Deserve (2000), he implores, "We must have universal health care," citing Canada as an example. While he argues that Canadians boast a greater life expectancy and fewer hours lost to sickness, he worries that the country's single-payer plan is in financial difficulty. Instead, he advocates his own version that would allow "ordinary citizens to buy coverage that compliments [sic] their company policy and gives them more of what they need. It would also give them the option to jettison the company policy altogether and just buy their own insurance."

More than a decade later, however, Mr. Trump's views took a sharp right turn. "Socialized medicine is not the solution. That's why the majority of Americans are against Obamacare," he writes in Time to Get Tough (2011). "They know that giving our inept, bumbling federal government control over health care is an invitation to disaster. Every argument that you'd make against socialism you can make against socialized health care, and any candidate who isn't 100 per cent committed to scrapping Obamacare is not someone America should elect president."

On the trail: Mr. Trump has called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the lifting of laws that prohibit the sale of health care across state lines, which presumably would allow greater competition across the country. In a Trump presidency, individuals would be able to deduct insurance-premium payments on their tax returns and have access to tax-free health savings accounts. He would also lower barriers to cheaper imported prescription drugs.

On illegal Mexican immigrants

By the book: "Have we suddenly become an annex of Mexico's prison system? If so, Mexico should pay for it. I actually have a theory that Mexico is sending their absolute worst, possibly including prisoners, in order for us to bear the cost, both financial and social. This would account for the fact that there is so much crime and violence. We can and should have a robust debate over whether that means continuing to build the physical border fence or utilizing 'virtual fences' that use lasers as trip wires to monitor illegal border crossings. From the research my people have shown me, I'm not impressed with the mediocre success rates of the current crop of virtual fences that have been developed and tested. I am, however, impressed with the success of the double- and triple-layered fence in places like Yuma, Arizona. … The point is that properly built walls work. We just need the political will to finish the job." Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again

On the trail: Mr. Trump repeatedly says the United States should build a wall along the Mexican border, a $10-billion-to-$12-billion project whose cost, he believes, the Mexican government should absorb. The passage above also foreshadows his infamous statement about "criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc." crossing into the United States.

Canada as an immigration model

By the book: "Thankfully, our neighbours to the north, Canada, have a smart, merit-based plan that America should adopt. Canada's legal immigration plan starts with a simple and smart question: How will any immigrant applying for citizenship 'support the development of a strong, prosperous Canadian economy.' … Economic benefit should be our chief aim. America doesn't need freeloaders who come here to live off our welfare system. We need legal immigrants who bring skills, prosperity, and intellectual capital. In Canada, aliens applying for permanent residence are awarded points based on their skills and how they will benefit the Canadian economy." Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again

On the trail: Mr. Trump has advocated for the deportation of undocumented workers and a ban on Muslims travelling to the United States. As well, his campaign website lists several reforms that in general favour U.S. workers over foreign visa applicants. There is, however, no mention of Canada's immigration program as a potential model in its literature.

Taxes

By the book: "I would impose a one-time 14.25 per cent tax on individuals and trusts with a net worth over $10-million. … That would raise $5.7-trillion in new revenue, which would we use to pay off the national debt. … We would save $200-billion in interest payments, which would allow us to cut taxes on middle-class working families by $100-billion a year. … My proposal would also allow us to entirely repeal the 55 per cent federal inheritance tax, which hurts farmers, small businessmen, and women most. … We have a tax system that punishes the middle class for wanting to join the investment class. First we pay taxes when we earn money. Then we pay again when the money is invested and we make capital gain." The America We Deserve

"My 5-part tax plan involves reforming the income tax. The government confiscates way too much of your paycheque. The tax code is also a very complicated system that forces Americans to waste 6.1 billion hours a year trying to figure it out.What does that tell you? It tells me that it's time we restore simplicity & sanity to the income tax. Here's my income tax plan:

• Up to $30,000, you pay 1%
• From $30,000 to $100,000, you pay 5%
• From $100,000 to $1-million, you pay 10%
• On $1-million or above, you pay 15%”

"We need to … lower the U.S. corporate tax rate from 39 per cent to zero."
Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again

On the trail: Mr. Trump's proposal has changed again. Single Americans who earn less than $25,000, or who are married and jointly earn less than $50,000, will not owe any income tax. That removes nearly 75 million households – more than 50 per cent – from the income-tax rolls.

"America will compete with the world and win by cutting the corporate tax rate to 15%, taking our rate from one of the worst to one of the best." Source: campaign website

Firearms

By the book: "I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun. With today's Internet technology we should be able to tell within 72 hours if a potential gun owner has a record." The America We Deserve

On the trail: Mr. Trump's opposition to gun control is in line with the Republican mainstream. "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon. Period," his campaign website reads.

On capital punishment

By the book: "They [convicted murderers] don't deserve to be put into a prison where they can spend their time working out, reading, watching television, earning advanced degrees, filing bogus lawsuits, and even getting married. For this type of person, prison is a social promotion. … I don't care if the victim is a CEO or a floor sweeper. A life is a life, and if you criminally take an innocent life, you'd better be prepared to forfeit your own." The America We Deserve

On the trail: During his campaign, Mr Trump has singled out only police killers for capital punishment. Regardless, states, not Washington, typically make these weighty decisions.

China

By the book: "Where I break rank with many business colleagues, and foreign-policy gurus, is in my unwillingness to shrug off the mistreatment of China's citizens by their own government. My reason is simple: These oppressive policies make it clear that China's current government has contempt for our way of life. It fears freedom because it knows its survival depends on oppression. It does not respect individual rights. It is still, at heart, a collectivist society." The America We Deserve

(It also should be noted that he has indulged in some bashing of Japan, the other major trading partner of the United States in Asia. "They rarely smile and they are so serious that they don't make business fun," he writes his signature book, The Art of the Deal (1987). "Fortunately, they have a lot of money to spend, and they seem to like real estate.")

On the trail: Mr. Trump remains a staunch critic of China's human-rights record, as well as his country's trade agreements with the authoritarian government, which he contends are one-sided agreements that take away jobs from Americans. He is bullish on holding the country accountable for currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, export subsidies and lax environmental standards.

North Korea

By the book: "A surgical strike would not only put out the fire in North Korea, but it would also send a message around the world that the United States is going to eliminate any serious threat to its security, and do so without apology." The America We Deserve

On the trail: Mr. Trump prefers outsourcing the responsibility to China, which he would somehow persuade to kill leader Kim Jong-un. "I would get China to make that guy disappear, in one form or another, very quickly," he told CBS in February.

Cuba

By the book: "The first time Castro leaves Cuba for any nation that we have extradition treaties with, he should be detained, arrested, and extradited to the United States for indictment and trial on charges of murder and terrorism. … Fidel is a criminal. Let's treat him like one." The America We Deserve

On the trail: Breaking with many of his GOP rivals, Mr. Trump supported President Barack Obama's detente with Cuba and its leader, Raul Castro. "Fifty years is enough," he said in an interview with the Daily Caller last September, but with a caveat. "We should have made a better deal."