In just five days, Trump has set the country back nearly 100 years - Milbank, WaPo
With a modesty we have come to expect of him, President Donald Trump informed Congress on Tuesday night that he had already ushered in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. He told the assembled lawmakers that he accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four or eight years. Armed with a portfolio of fabricated statistics, Trump judged that the first month of our presidency is the most successful in the history of our nation and what makes it even more impressive is that you know who No. 2 is? George Washington.
Usually, such talk from Trump is just bravado. But let us give credit where it is due: Trump has made history. In fact, its not much of an exaggeration to say that, over the course of the last five days, he has set the United States back 100 years.
Trump on Monday implemented the largest tariff increase since 1930, abruptly reversing an era of liberalized trade that has prevailed since the end of the Second World War. He launched this trade war just three days after dealing an equally severe blow to the postwar security order that has maintained prosperity and freedom for 80 years. Trumps ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, followed by the cessation of U.S. military aid to the outgunned ally, has left allies reeling and Moscow exulting. The Kremlins spokesman proclaimed that Trump is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations in a way that largely aligns with our vision.
And our erstwhile friends? The United States launched a trade war against Canada, its closest partner and ally, their closest friend, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. At the same time, theyre talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin: a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense. It only makes sense if, against all evidence, you believe, as Trump apparently does, that Americans were better off 95 years ago than they are today.
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And while Trump blames the victim for Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China is growing bolder in its desire to take Taiwan. Hong Kongs South China Morning Post quoted analysts calling the Trump-Zelensky rift part of a systemic reordering of geopolitics in which Beijing was positioned to capitalize on the rapid disintegration of the West that legitimizes Beijings vision for a post-American world order.
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https://archive.ph/UoimO#selection-570.0-570.1