Andrew Restuccia
Appearances
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I heard it from Putin. In three days. This is something...
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I agree. I mean, I don't think we can overstate how big of a shift this is. You think back to the George W. Bush administration, where, you know, it really, it was sort of a core tenet to view the U.S. as a sort of agent of helping, you know, other countries and stopping countries from taking or challenging the West. Trump views all of this as a waste of money, essentially.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I mean, it regularly comes back to money for him. He feels really frustrated that the US is spending so much money in Ukraine and elsewhere, and he views this entire sort of thing as a negotiation. And, you know, for every criticism that you hear toward him about cozying up to Putin, he counters that, well, listen, it's a negotiation. I'm not going to attack the guy while we're negotiating.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Yeah. I mean, that's certainly what the White House would argue, is that these sort of forceful interactions lead to a deal. And a deal, you know, in whatever form it takes, is ultimately what Trump is after.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
And this will expose fissures within the Republican Party about how to approach spending, how to approach the president's agenda. And those will continue in the coming months as Trump tries to extend tax cuts and put in place funding for the border. So it'll be an interesting moment.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I think they wanted to make a splash, and they feel like they did. They are thrilled. They feel like Trump delivered on what he promised, which was to sort of explain to the public exactly what he's doing and to make no apologies for it. What was the splash?
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
So there were a bunch of sort of theatrical moments throughout the speech, and Trump, we're told, going in, really wanted to emphasize those. You know, he sort of sees his presidency as a reality show, and that was sort of what we got. I mean, he announced that a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer would be an honorary member of the Secret Service.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
He revealed that they had captured one of the planners of a deadly 2021 suicide attack in Afghanistan.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
So it was about sort of finding moments that he knew would resonate on social media, on cable news, and he sort of peppered those throughout the speech. And it wasn't, you know, notably, though he did talk about policy, there really weren't a whole lot of new policy details in there. It was more about the optics.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Yeah, and the White House, you know, kind of set up a trap for them there, right? I mean, they, and their argument both, you know, in the aftermath of the speech is like, how could you not applaud for a boy with brain cancer or a guy getting into West Point? You know, you are callous and heartless, and you are the ones who are politicizing this whole dynamic.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I think the biggest thing we learned is that he is not really detailing, you know, a point by point plan to deal with prices other than saying he wants to drill more. And he believes, you know, once we drill more, then, you know, inflation will solely be dealt with.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Yeah, he's blaming President Biden for all of the country's problems. He's not taking ownership of the issues that voters are facing. He blamed Biden for the price of eggs. And he really hasn't talked at length about how he's going to deal with prices beyond the issue of energy.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
And that is worrying Republicans, both privately and publicly, who note that prices are one of the things that voters care about most. And it was actually the very thing that in part hurt Joe Biden in the last election.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
So there's a risk that if this isn't addressed, and of course there's quite a bit of time before the midterms, but if this isn't addressed in a serious way before then and prices continue to remain high, which we expect them to, that Republicans could see some political follow-up.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Exactly. I think Trump has a couple aims. One is, I think, first and foremost, to show that he is a strong man that will do what he's going to say and that he's going to punish countries for standing in his way. So it's a lot about showing strength and showing countries that he's serious when he makes these threats. He showed Canada and Mexico and China that this week.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Secondarily, it is also about rejiggering the American economy to build manufacturing, more manufacturing in the U.S., and to rely less heavily on products from China and other countries. That is a long-term project that will take years and decades to accomplish. The question really is, like, can these tariffs actually achieve that in the short or medium term?
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
Certainly, if this is just a negotiating tactic, it's a little bit harder to make the case that this is going to be a long-term play to reorient the economy. But his goal is to get concessions from Canada and Mexico and China on the border when it comes to Canada and Mexico and on fentanyl, which he views as just a scourge on the country, particularly when it comes to China.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I would agree with that. And the other thing I would point out is that companies and countries feel really frustrated because they don't know the terms with which they're negotiating with Trump. It seems like it changes all the time.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
I think that's right. And I think it's right to a point. Certainly, at the end of the day, people are going to vote with their pocketbooks. And if prices soar, particularly on core groceries and other household items, I think that will really have an impact. Trump is aware of that. And his advisors, many of whom have long sort of been skeptical about tariffs, are even more aware of that.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
And they also are particularly concerned about the stock market and how it reacts. You saw Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, go on TV multiple times this week and sort of signal that, you know, this is all a negotiation and things could change. And every time he did that, the stock market ticked up a little bit more.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
And so they're really conscious of those dynamics and how they'll play out in the coming days, weeks and months.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
And I think it's the sort of Democrats being lost and not knowing how to respond to Trump is a result of a strategy that the White House has put in place very deliberately to throw as much at both Democrats and the media as they possibly can. And the effect of that is making it really difficult to respond in a unified, clear, direct way.
The Journal.
Trump 2.0: ‘Just Getting Started’
When you're getting 100 things a day from the White House, like, which one do you choose? And the Democrats are starting to get a little bit better about focusing on Musk and the economy, but they're also sort of chasing their tails about every single thing that comes around.