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| VDH - Trump's counterrevolution and first 100 days only the beginning |
| 2025-04-30 |
| [Free Press] No prior modern Republican president has sought to launch a counterrevolution aimed at reversing the economic, political, cultural, social, and military progressive trajectory of the modern era. Trump has done just that—and in his first 100 days—in a comprehensive fashion that perhaps surpasses the ambitious agendas of even the first three months of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal or Ronald Reagan’s efforts to unleash the American free market and win the Cold War. It is still far too early to assess the success or failure of such an unprecedented effort—given Trump’s wide-ranging, multifront offensives to redefine entirely trade and tariffs; restore deterrence abroad; rearm and refashion the military; end two theater wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; address deficits and debt; radically downsize government; eliminate the heresies of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Green New Deal, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG); reform the universities; stop biological males from competing in women’s sports; and restore American confidence in, and reverence for, its founding, traditional values, and past achievements. Despite Wall Street volatility in reaction to Trump’s tariffs, recent March—April data on job growth, inflation, energy prices, and corporate profit remain strong. The public—50 percent of which owns only about 1 percent worth of the stock market’s capitalization—is confused about investor hysteria. The Dow is about where it was gyrating from last May to August, when a 40,000- to 41,000-point summit was then considered astronomical and unprecedented. The most controversial issue, of course, remains tariffs and trade. As long as Trump fixates on parity and reciprocity as part of a larger effort symmetrically to reduce or even end tariffs, he will retain public support—and likely reach deals with the five to six entities that account for the vast majority of trade disagreements (China, the ASEAN nations, the EU, Canada, and Mexico). But if he doubles down on tariffs as a new source of massive revenue, the data does not support his argument. And the public will resent tariffing partners that run deficits with us as well as the idea in general of using asymmetrical tariffs for purely profitable purposes. On the plus side, the border is now miraculously closed tight—something said to be impossible by the prior administration without "comprehensive immigration reform." The public still supports the administration’s efforts to deport the 10 million-plus who entered illegally, especially the estimated 400,000—500,000 with criminal backgrounds. Trump was given a political gift from the left when it sought to canonize disreputable figures such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Luigi Mangione, and Mahmoud Khalil. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |