Advertisement

President Donald Trump hits some, but not all, right notes

President Donald Trump delivers his inauguration speech after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Jan. 20, 2017.

Share

Using the word “we” 45 times and the word “I” but three, President Donald Trump’s inaugural speech today struck powerfully populist anti-Washington tones likely to resonate with tens of millions of Americans who have felt ignored by a government widely and often accurately perceived as dedicated to the interests of political and economic elites.

Advertisement

In some ways, it was better than any speech of his campaign because it summed up so clearly his isolationist worldview. But that means it also magnified familiar problems with this protectionist approach.

“[W]e are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people,” Trump said. “Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. ... There was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

“That all changes starting right here and right now,” he declared. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”

Many Americans, as proven by Trump’s and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ super-sized rallies last year, welcome those particular sentiments. The thesis that the Occupy movement first popularized in 2011 — that the economy is rigged to benefit the well-connected — has long since gone mainstream. The rich do keep getting richer. And in 2015, for the first time in more than 40 years, middle-class households made up less than half of total households in the U.S., the Pew Research Center reported.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board shares the frustration over stagnant wages and a government often unresponsive to the needs of average Americans. But history suggests that the president’s prescriptions for addressing these woes not only won’t work, they could backfire.

Yes, our leaders have done a bad job of ensuring real benefits of global trade reach more Americans. But Trump’s championing of an “America first” trade policy won’t improve the lives of poor and middle-class families. Its primary effect would be to make imported goods more expensive and increase the cost of living. International trade creates competition that brings down prices. Trade tariffs sound good but don’t work out well. The Obama administration’s 2009 decision to impose a 35 percent tariff on Chinese tires arguably saved 1,200 jobs — but at a cost to U.S. consumers of $1.1 billion, meaning those saved jobs cost $900,000 each. The U.S. tariff led to a China tariff on U.S. poultry, costing the industry about $1 billion in sales. Tariffs lead to trade wars. Trade wars can kill millions of jobs.

Advertisement

There is also a huge potential downside to a Trump foreign policy built on his assertion that other nations have exploited the U.S. This completely undervalues how much America has benefited from the global stability it has orchestrated since the end of World War II. A stable world is much more likely to be a prosperous world.

We have a final concern about the inaugural speech. Words like “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice,” and “whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots,” gloss over the fact that millions of Americans — in particular African-Americans and Latinos — feel like outsiders looking in when it comes to living the American dream. Appeals to patriotism don’t end alienation.

On day one of the Trump presidency, we won’t deny we’re nervous about what the future holds — and we know we’re not alone. But we hope for the best. And we once again offer our congratulations to Donald Trump. He has his work cut out for him.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: UTOpinion

Advertisement