We are in the Age of Donald Trump. Which means we are saddled with a small but pernicious cabal known as Never Trump.
Never Trumpers are for the most part not Leftists. Leftists have been Never <Fill in Name of Non-Leftist> – forever.
Never Trumpers are almost every elected Republican – in DC, and much of the nation. Because almost every elected Republican – in DC, and much of the nation – aren’t actually for less government.
Which is yet another reason We the People delivered Trump to DC.
We tried to cordially tell DC Republicans to shape up – via the Tea Party. DC Republicans – actively rejected the very cordial Tea Party. So we said – have some Trump.
Of course the very real, very huge Deep State – in DC and all around the nation – vociferously opposes Trump’s efforts to tame it.
The most bizarre Never Trump contingent – is libertarians and alleged conservatives who say they want less government, while stridently opposing nigh everything President Trump is doing.
But if you say you’re for less government – opposition to Trump is, at this point, completely ridiculous.
All the people we should dislike – and for decades have – loathe Trump.
In no small part because Trump has delivered more less government – than any president since at least Calvin Coolidge.
Trump’s regulatory and tax cuts – are real. And substantial.
Trump is delivering markedly better trade deals all over the world – by eliminating or minimizing foreign governments’ market-warping involvement via tariffs, import limits, subsidies and intellectual property theft.
And Trumpism – is working like a charm. Record low unemployment for blacks and Hispanics. Decades-low total unemployment. Wages are increasing for the first time in decades – and doing so substantially.
We’re hitting Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers we were just last administration told we’d never again hit. Manufacturing jobs Trump was told he’d need a magic wand to bring back – are coming back in droves.
If you want less government – and the phenomenal results we know less government deliver – what’s your major malfunction with Trump?
Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) – is real. It is distressing so many libertarians and alleged conservatives – are missing out on the most libertarian, conservative administration in a century.
Worse – Never Trumpers are still actively opposing Trump. Most distressing.
From the outside looking in, it appears much of the Never Trump objection is to style – rather than substance. They don’t like his demeanor, his presentation, his Tweets. He’s not “presidential.”
The late, great Andrew Breitbart rightly noted:
“Politics is downstream from culture.”
Not upstream. Politicians don’t lead culture – they reflect it. Look around – Trump reflects today’s culture.
Thank God Trump reflects the half of it – that still doesn’t loathe America and love Socialism.
Thank God he represents the people who make the country work – not the people who work the country.
Never Trump’s substantive objections are tough to find – and easy to dismiss.
One noted example is their objection to Trump’s use of tariffs on the global trade market.
Never Trump opposes Trump’s tariffs – in the name of free trade and less government. Trump uses tariffs – to deliver actual free trade and less government.
The trade deals the US for decades has cut – have been really anti-US.
Foreign governments subsidize the daylight out of their products – then dump them unimpeded into the US, killing millions of US jobs.
While we’re imposing virtually no tariffs or trade limits on them – they’re imposing huge tariffs and tiny import limits on us.
This is a lot of things. None of it is free trade. None of it is any good for the US.
Trump isn’t imposing tariffs – just to impose tariffs. Trump is imposing tariffs:
- To get these nations to the negotiating table, to then
- Cut better-for-the-US, less government deals with these nations.
And oh look – it’s working. It worked with Canada and Mexico. It worked with the European Union. And it’s well on the way to working with China.
Yet none of these successes – lessens even slightly the Never Trump mindless screeching about the “Free market!!!”
Trump’s tariffs – are a quintessential example of what we have for decades been saying:
When governments in the US and all around the world are this huge, you sometimes need a little more government – to beget a whole lot less government.
We are currently debating whether or not to spend $5 billion on a stretch of border impediment. Which will dramatically cut into the $135+ billion we spend each and every year subsidizing illegal aliens illegally residing in the US.
That’s a little more government – to beget a whole lot less government.
The US federal budget is $4.4 trillion per year. Our federal debt – is hurtling past $22 trillion even as we speak.
What Never Trump’s alleged less government types have been for decades trying – clearly isn’t working.
What Trump has done in two years – has exponentially exceeded Never Trump’s century of combined effort.
Perhaps he deserves a little slack on his unorthodox methods.
Another huge, looming, cataclysmic example of all this – is before us.
Big Tech companies in the Silicon Valley and beyond – are a HUGE more government problem.
Amazon (market cap: $802 billion), Microsoft ($789 billion), Google ($735 billion), Apple ($720 billion), Facebook ($413 billion), Netflix ($147 billion), Twitter ($25 billion) and many other Big Tech companies – are HUGE companies.
Just the companies we listed – hold a total market cap of $3.6 trillion. Our entire national GDP – is $18 trillion. These companies – are HUGE.
These HUGE companies – are run by HUGE Leftists. These HUGE companies give HUGE donations to HUGE government types – to warp government policy to their will. And their will – is HUGE government.
This is not a free market. This is not capitalism. This is crony corporatism on a massive scale – bought on the election block.
Trump’s response – is perfectly understandable. And very reasonable.
Trump’s Looking At Antitrust For Silicon Valley ‘Very Seriously’
This is Trump yet again considering a little government – to beget a whole lot less government.
If we do on these HUGE companies just a little antitrust work – it will beget a whole lot less government.
Never Trumpers – are yet again ignoring all the evidence and facts defying them.
And are in opposition to Trump’s antitrust consideration – yet again mindlessly screeching “Free market!!!”
When what we currently have – is anything but.
Never Trump routinely brings to mind a great quote from an awful economist – John Maynard Keynes:
“When the facts change, I change my mind – what do you do, sir?”
Look – I get it. Trump is unconventional.
But Never Trump and DCs conventional wisdom – and conventional everything else – has for more than a century stunk on ice.
Let’s try something different. Something unorthodox.
Trump has. And thus far – it has worked like a charm.
A charm Never Trumpers haven’t for a century-plus been able to find with both hands and a map.
This first appeared in Red State.