President Trump has found himself in a White House that is increasingly free from the political wranglers and DC insiders who had previously worked to make the Trump administration as close to a typical White House administration as possible. Many of the moderates that once populated the White House have slowly been pushed out and now, Trump is finding himself nearly alone.
Well, except he’s the president of the United States and is thus never alone. Instead, Trump is turning to many of the advisors and pundits who helped get him elected in the first place. Whether such a move will turn out for the better or worse is debatable. What’s not arguable, however, is that President Trump has been looking and sounding a lot more like campaign-trail Trump over the past few days.
Populist policies that target Trump’s base are back in favor while moderate, inch-by-inch politics appear to have been shown the door.
Trump Blasts Illegal Immigrants for Stealing America
On Monday, President Trump issued some of his harshest words regarding illegal immigration yet, claiming that “our country is being stolen” by illegal immigrants. In a long series of tweets, President Trump lambasted Congress, accused Mexico of failing to act, and otherwise slammed undocumented migrants. Trump was an immigrant hard-liner while on the campaign trail, but softened his stance upon entering the White House.
Tightening control over America’s porous southern border was one of Trump’s key campaign promises. So far, however, President Trump and other GOP leaders have failed to deliver much by way of Congress. Trump called on Congress to use the nuclear option, which would mean lowering the required Senate votes for passage of border reform from 60 to 51, a simple majority. So far, the Senate has refused to do so.
Trump has also said that a DACA deal should be off the table. This marks a sharp departure from previous comments by the president, which suggested that he wanted protection to be extended to Dreamers in exchange for concessions. Among those concessions were funding for a border wall and tightened control over immigration. Democrats balked at both.
Interestingly, Trump also blamed Mexico for not enforcing its border laws while claiming that the United States couldn’t actually do so. Given Mexico’s struggles with its ongoing drug war, it’s doubtful that the country could secure America’s borders even if it wanted to.
Commerce Conglomerate and Washington Post Owner Amazon Under Attack
It’s not just immigrants that are coming under fire. In another arguably populist move, President Trump has set his sights on one of America’s wealthiest companies, Amazon. According to Trump, the multi-hundred billion dollar tech behemoth is bilking the United States Postal Service for money. Amazon uses the USPS to ship many of its goods, but Trump doesn’t feel that they are paying their fair share.
Some analyses back this claim. Citigroup published a report finding that the USPS subsidizes each Amazon package by roughly $1.50. However, much of these costs are due to the Post Office’s requirement that it prefund 75 years’ worth of retirement costs for its employees.
On the other hand, critics have argued that Amazon receives no preferential treatment. Their bulk rates are the same rates charged to any other company of such size. Amazon itself claims that “the Postal Regulatory Commission has consistently found that Amazon’s contracts with the USPS are profitable.”
The Populist Turn Should Come as No Surprise
Trump’s recent bombardment of Twitter comments follows the departure of several high-level staffers. Trump’s White House had been staffed by a mix of DC outsiders and insiders. Over the course of his administration, however, the DC insider ranks have slowly thinned, often replaced by people more in line with the populist rhetoric then-nominee Trump put on display during his campaign.
Even the DC insiders that have joined his staff, such as John Bolton, have a reputation for opposing the mainstream views within Washington, D.C. Combined, these developments hint at an increasingly outspoken and aggressive White House, and that may hew closer to the populist promises Trump made on the campaign trail.
Some may applaud the removal of such technocrats. However, a lack of experience could impede the White House’s work, and Trump’s harsh rhetoric could inflame allies within Washington, D.C. and around the world. Further, public policy is complex, and some of the president’s advisors may fail to fully understand the intricacies and ramifications of major decisions.
