If you expected a Donald Trump administration to conduct itself based on principles and convictions then you are likely already disappointed. The current administration was never going to embrace limited government or constitutional conservatism (or libertarianism). This was obvious about a quarter of the way through the real estate billionaire mogul’s presidential campaign.
A good example of this comes from Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief White House strategist, who recently highlighted his disdain for Democrats and certain types of Republicans in Washington.
The New York Times is reporting that Bannon revealed a few interesting things at a January dinner hosted by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. One of those is generating buzz in libertarian circles, known for their adherence to the principles of Austrian economics.
Here is what Bannon told Ryan aides and Trump’s inner circles:
“I think the Democrats are fundamentally afflicted with the inability to discuss and have an adult conversation about economics and jobs, because they’re too consumed by identity politics. And then the Republicans, it’s all this theoretical Cato Institute, Austrian economics, limited government — which just doesn’t have any depth to it. They’re not living in the real world.”
There you go. You are about as likely to have libertarian policies in a Trump White House as you were in a Clinton White House.
Robert Wenzel of the Economic Policy Journal had a simple response to this report:
“That this man, who is also a Churchillian-style warhawk, is so close to the President should be a serious concern to all who appreciate sound economic and foreign policy.”
Of course, these remarks shouldn’t be surprising as Bannon himself noted in November that he wants Trump’s first term to be like FDR’s. Bannon told The Hollywood Reporter that he wants to construct a political movement as an economic nationalist with FDR-like policies (SEE: Will the next four years of Trump be like the 1930s?)
In other words, Bannon dreams of a New Deal for the 21st century.
Here is what he told the publication:
“It’s everything related to jobs. The conservatives are going to go crazy. I’m the guy pushing a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. With negative interest rates throughout the world, it’s the greatest opportunity to rebuild everything. Ship yards, iron works, get them all jacked up. We’re just going to throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks. It will be as exciting as the 1930s, greater than the Reagan revolution — conservatives, plus populists, in an economic nationalist movement.”
No, Bannon isn’t a racist, white supremacist or a member of the KKK, like so many on the left regurgitate on a regular basis. But he is someone who is dangerous in the sense that he doesn’t seem to like or even respect limited government, free market ideals or just basic conservatism.
It’s interesting because Bannon bashed these Keynesian concepts a few years ago during his appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher” a few years ago:
With each passing day, the Trump White House is turning more and more into the Nixon White House.
Photo by Gage Skidmore.
–AM
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