RE: U.S. Steel, Trump Will Contradict Self

The Washington Examiner argues that Donald Trump should reverse Joe Biden's arguably illegal scuppering of the purchase of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel.

The article is interesting for two incidental reasons.

First, while the article does not emphasize this, no matter what Trump does regarding this proposed sale, he will contradict himself as he has come out on both sides of this issue.

(It should be a non-issue, since it is a sale between two private parties.)

Based on the meanings of some words that once came from his own mouth, Trump should, the Examiner points out, favor the merger and countermand Biden's order:

Trump should take this into account and reverse course, heeding his own words on Sept. 24 about friendly foreign investment. He said, "Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth -- I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden, and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet. But only if you make your product here in America. ... And hire American workers for the job."

That's what Nippon Steel wants to do...

Setting aside the massive impropriety of the government picking winners and losers, it is true that Trump should support the measure on these grounds.

But this is Trump, who has no principles, and whose xenophobia and protectionist impulses normally make him rage against such free market shenanigans, as noted in the article:

During November's election campaign, Biden, Trump, and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) ignored the compelling arguments in favor of the sale and sided with union leaders who opposed it rather than with Pennsylvania's rank-and-file workers who supported it. Most conservative economic groups that are friendly to Trump, such as the Heritage Foundation and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, strongly support the sale to Nippon Steel. [bold and link removed]

The article fails to offer any kind of pro-freedom, let alone moral argument for allowing the sale to proceed, as it should by right, but it does note that it would preserve thousands of jobs and improve the industrial base (i.e., capacity) of the United States and an important Asian ally.

And this leads to the second thing I've noticed, and I'll point this out in the form of a question: For which audience is the Examiner writing?

Donald Trump and any halfway sane advisors he might have (and actually listen to).

The piece has already admitted that Trump and Vance have repeatedly ignored sound arguments from allies regarding this matter, and is apparently reduced to hoping that, if Trump somehow gets wind of the possibility that he's going to trip himself up, he'll back off from the unforced error he has a chance to correct.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a country of men, and not laws looks like. Rather than debate proposed measures or general political philosophy ahead of an election -- which each party thwarted with its own version of a non-primary -- we get to beg someone with increasingly kinglike powers to reconsider something stupid and wrong that is about to throw thousands out of work.

The politicians plainly no longer care about our nation's founding ideals, political system, or welfare. If we, the people -- their bosses, by the way -- don't rediscover them and implement them, it will eventually become too late for this not to become the new normal.

-- CAV