There are politicians who merely see the trees but fail to see the whole forest and then there are those who see the forest. Sometimes situation dictates and politicians are faced with different situation
Ronald Reagan saw the whole forest, but he spent a lifetime forming his worldwide view as he spent nearly three decades studying and speaking on issues plus governing the United States largest state, California before he entered the White House. When he became President, the Cold War was at its peak, the Soviet empire appeared on the rise, the economy was hit with double digit inflation and Americans were losing confidence and wondering if America’s best days were behind her.
For Reagan, he rebuilt the economy and the military, challenged the Soviet Empire and had a simple solution, we win they lose. Unlike many in the foreign policy , who viewed the cold war as a permanent feature, Reagan understood that is situation could not last and built his policy around it. He also wanted to rebuild the economy and promote economic freedom. Defeating inflation and “supply side economy” was a return to classical free market economic by reducing marginal tax rates and stable monetary policy. The result was the end of the cold war in the Bush administration and nearly 25-year expansion that lasted four Presidents and congressional control by both Parties. His ideas were based on seeing the forests beyond just tree.
George H.W. Bush spent his career in the Cold War era, and he found himself in a different world when he became President. He engineered a soft landing to the cold war and then organized resistance to Sadaam Hussein invasion to Kuwait. Bush was caught between the end of one era and the beginning of another era. In those days, the debate was between whether we were witnessing the beginning of expansion of democracy or the beginning of a clash of civilization. Bush administration managed the end of the cold war and pushed Hussein out of Kuwait while declaring a new world order but unable to define what that order truly was.
George W Bush world view began as pushing for more modest foreign policy and opposing nation building but that view went by the wayside as the world of terror began with 9/11. Bush adopted the world view that Democracy was the desire of all humanity and rejected the idea of clash of civilization. Bush fail to see that indeed that there was a clash of civilization as Iran wanted to expand its radical Islamist view, Russian wanted to revive the Russian Empire and China rebuilding the Chinese civilization as the World dominant civilization. We ended up seeing a clash of Western civilization against others.
President Trump began his presidency not so much seeing the forests but trees as he spent most of his live before the Presidency playing with ideas as he supported tax to rich to moving toward Reagan supply side, but he was opposed free trade regimen, and his foreign policy was America first. His American First fully developed what it meant but in his second administration he started to see more of the forest.
His policies on trade were designed to make trade more equitable as for years, United States had lower tariffs while Europe were rebuilding their economy. But Europe has been rebuilt, and the threats of tariffs may induce more equitable trade agreement Another part of Trump is the rejection of transnational organization and prefer to bargain nation to nation. Trump is a nationalist, and nationalism is on the rise, and Trump rejection of transnational organization is a defense of a nation free to govern itself. His speech to the Saudi’s was clear message of his view that nations should be free to determine their own path and not have it imposed. As long nations stay within their borders and not be bothersome to their neighbors, Trump is not interested in nation building or imposing democracy on others. He doesn’t look for dragons to slay and for him America first is to defend American interest.
His attack on the administrative state is attempt to restore the balance between the bureaucracy and the executive branch as he attempts rein in the deep state. Over the years, the bureaucracy has usurped the power of the executive and Congress as there are 10 times as many regulations with the force of law versus the actual law of passed b Congress and you are ten times more likely to face the administrative state as opposed to a jury of your peer.
Trump second administration sees the forest as controlling the administrative state, move the economy toward giving the middle class a break and on foreign policy, move toward a world where each nation decide their own fate based on their culture, he is not interested in a clash of civilization as oppose to allowing different civilization to flourish provided they chose not to clash. Trump will defend our national interest but not beyond that.
Trump like Reagan is now seeing the whole forest as oppose to the trees, as he begins to refocus America. Whereas George W Bush viewed the world through the lens that democracy can spread and it was the desire of humans everywhere, Trump view is that each nation needs to find their own path within their own culture as long as they stay in their lane. Trade is an issue where things need to be equal and trade deals should at least benefit American workers. He is not a free trader in the classical sense but willing to expand trade as long as it is fair. Call it liberalized fair trade and finally he wants a fair deal for the middle class and end to insanity of unlimited open borders, girls compete with girls in sports, and pride in America. Like Reagan, Trump views Americas best days are ahead of it.
The Donelson Files 