Trump’s Tariff Victory: A Bold Deregulation Bet and Additional Insights

From the Right: Trump’s Tariff Victory

President Trump “has established a tariff system that would have shocked much of the political and financial elite just months ago, yet now, they are relieved he didn’t take more drastic measures,” wonders Byron York from the Washington Examiner. “Critics of Trump will argue that he mishandled every phase and nearly jeopardized the global economy in the process,” but it’s irrelevant whether this was mismanagement or strategic brilliance, as Trump “claims that 75 countries are eager to negotiate new trade agreements with the U.S.” “Whether for good or bad,” Trump “ignited a controversy, and subsequently made people content even while retaining many of the tariffs he desired.” He “demonstrated significant adaptability and the capability to disentangle himself from a situation of his own making.”

Legal Perspective: A Major Deregulation Risk

In February, President Trump “directed departments to evaluate every regulation” that could be “unconstitutional, inconsistent with Supreme Court rulings,” or impose costs that outweigh benefits, observes Kimberley A. Strassel from The Wall Street Journal. On Wednesday, he “went all-in” and “took the next step: eliminate the problematic regulations immediately.” He’s relying on a “‘good cause’ exception” to circumvent requirements like public commentary, “exploiting recent Supreme Court doctrines to their fullest extent and challenging the court to justify” any opposition. Anticipate “a surge of litigation” demanding the court “clarify the implications” of prior rulings. Trump’s “requesting everything” here, which carries its risks: He might end up with “very little.”

Social Commentary: The Forgotten Child Trauma

“Official data fails to capture many instances of neglect and abuse,” cautions Naomi Schaefer Riley at The Free Press. Due to “strong protections for parents,” it has become increasingly challenging “to remove a child from a home with potentially hazardous conditions.” This results in tragedies like that of Gavin Peterson, “the 12-year-old boy from Utah who died last July 9 after enduring torture and starvation.” Now, “libertarians and religious conservatives advocating for less government interference in familial matters are collaborating with progressives who argue that the child welfare system is inherently racist.” The reality is: These children aren’t suffering “due to overbearing government involvement,” but are “being neglected by the system daily — and without intervention, they will continue to suffer and die without anyone listening to their pleas for help.”

Libertarian View: Cut Funding for the Pronoun Police

With the Trump administration declaring it won’t “acknowledge emails from reporters who specify their chosen pronouns,” Robby Soave from Reason finds it “strange and unsettling to become overly concerned about pronoun enforcement.” Also peculiar is that viral incident from CNN’s town hall where Anderson Cooper was “corrected” by an audience member for presuming “the woman (?) identifies as she” while the questioner “insisted on a they pronoun.” The ensuing question highlighted the left’s dilemma: “How can the Democrats regain various demographic groups — men, minorities, etc. — who are abandoning the party in unprecedented numbers?” It’s this “hectoring” from the pronoun police “that has disgusted many voters, particularly young men.” Democrats need to come off as “normal,” yet “stating that one prefers to be referred to as they/them” feels improper to many.”

Conservative Perspective: Is Gavin Newsom the ‘High Noon’ Hero?

Democrats need a figure to confront “the far-left faction,” resembling Marshal Will Kane in “High Noon,” argues Douglas MacKinnon at The Hill. “A considerable portion of their former base — including many non-white voters — have distanced themselves from identity politics at an alarming rate,” while “the regular constituents of Democratville are too frightened to confront” the “bullies.” A major issue is that “the removal of established, older, supposedly ‘out-of-touch’ Democrats through primary elections has yielded successful results for the ‘outlaw’ radical left wing of the party.” Gov. Gavin Newsom appears eager to “come to the rescue” but may lack authenticity. If no champion emerges, they risk becoming “the enduring minority.”

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board