‘They were right’: Trump could improve economy but it means praising Democrats

A political commentator has suggested Donald Trump could improve the economy somewhat by deploying a strategy the Democrats had previously floated. But the president likely will not introduce the policy to fix the flailing economy as it may “require acknowledging Democrats were right on the issue” according to Catherine Rampell of The Bulwark. She observed that one ongoing government trouble could be resolved quickly, but it would mean conceding the Democrats were right on their policy. It does not seem likely that this will happen, but the Affordable Care Act and healthcare on the whole has been a thorn in the side of Trump’s second term. Rampell explained, “There’s no knob under the Resolute desk that presidents can use to dial down prices, but there are a few isolated things Trump could do to help.” “Extending the ACA subsidies, for instance, would shield people from a doubling of their premiums. But that might require acknowledging Democrats were right on the issue—which, of course, they can’t be because it’s all a fake news con job hoax.”The government shutdown earlier this year over the state of healthcare led to the longest closure in history, and it seems the Trump administration is no closer to finding a solution. When it came to what Trump could actually do to fix the economy in the short term, it seemed there were only a handful of ideas.Rampell wrote, “So what can Trump actually do about any of this? The answer is not much, but ideally none of the things he’s currently doing. It’s unhelpful, for instance, that Trump has jacked up tariffs to the tune of approximately $1,700 for the average household and $900 for households at the bottom of the income distribution, based on estimates from the Yale Budget Lab.” “Also unhelpful is the cancellation of various energy projects around the country that might have helped push down electricity prices.” Trump’s immigration laws were also likely contributing to the dwindling economy, Rampell claimed. She wrote, “The president could also stop mass deportations of the agricultural workforce, which even his own administration says is a threat to “the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.” Same with the construction workforce, which is needed to build more houses.””Trump’s DHS blames “tens of millions of criminal illegals” for increasing every fathomable expense—housing, groceries, healthcare, etc.—but his deportation and de-documentation policies are likely contributing to high costs, given the sectors that immigrants are more likely to work in.”

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