Friday, January 20, 2017

President Trump: A New Age of Jackson?

President Trump, I never thought I would be saying it, but here we are. President Trump's inaugural address was not that of a traditional Republican; it was Jacksonian in style and substance with a flat out attack on the D.C. establishment of both parties. It was protectionist and nationalist. Gone was the outspoken internationalism of President Obama. He was speaking to his base, and unlike former inaugurals it was more a campaign speech than being broad and unifying. But then again Andrew Jackson's inaugural was far from unifying and it signaled a new age. 

The one fly in the Jacksonian ointment is that the new administration is populated with billionaires and Wall Street types. Whether this administration delivers to its populist base remains to be seen. Furthermore if Trump is going to govern the way he campaigned the stock market will be littered with a series of disappointments.

Nevertheless my best guess is that in four years time his fervent supporters will be disappointed and his critics worst fears will not be realized. Meantime I won't be surprised to see a foreign policy crisis emerge within his first 100 days. Stay tuned.

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