That's the subheadline at the NYT article "After the Arrests and Bullets, Trump Takes on Second Term With a New Fervor" by Peter Baker in the NYT. Free-access link (because it's the last-day of the month and I over-hoarded by 10 free links and must use them or lose them).
In the opening chapter of this new term, Mr. Trump has acted like a man on a mission, moving with almost messianic fervor to transform America from top to bottom and exact retribution against enemies at the same time. He appears intent on demolishing the old order no matter the collateral damage, putting his personal imprint not just on government and foreign affairs but on almost every aspect of national life, including business, culture, sports, academia, the legal world and the media.
Through sheer force of will and brazen assertions of presidential power, Mr. Trump has done more to change the trajectory of the country in three months than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the notion of a first-100-days presidential yardstick. But where Roosevelt used his early weeks to build a new edifice, Mr. Trump has used his to tear it down. In effect, he is trying to repeal the liberal social compact and international system that Roosevelt constructed, “unwinding neoliberalism,” as one aide put it.
But Roosevelt's building up was also a tearing down. He too was "intent on demolishing the old order." That "new edifice" he built is now old, and Trump has a new edifice in mind.
Don't come at me with your building metaphors, Baker. Bake something fresh and metaphor-free, or I — Althouse, AKA Old House — must attack.
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61 comments:
So, when Trump's enemies tried to jail and destroy him financially, what did Baker call that? "Revenge and Retribution" for Trump's first term? I dont think so. 10-1 he labeled it "Upholdng the rule of law".
Which is what Trump is doing.
So he’s fundamentally untransforming America?
FDR "Wecolmed their hatred" when the old Guard attacked him over the New deal. Here's what he said in his Convention speech 1936:
"They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.
I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master."
Of course, all FDR had to do was let government do what it wants to do naturally: grow. He was assertive, but was pushing in the direction of least resistance.
And FDR didn't have to act to affect "almost every aspect of national life," because the ascendant Progressive Movement would handle that.
Trump is racing to Change Everything in the two years he has real power. Quite a challenge.
Didn’t read the other articles on first 100 days. Not reading this one.
The nation was undergoing left-wing reassignment surgery when Trump kicked-open the door and took away their dick saw.
US economy contracts at 0.3% rate as Trump tariffs prompt import surge ~ WSJ
Europe unexpectedly grew, US unexpectedly contracted. Just 100 days ago it was the reverse. What a stable genius this guy is.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOL 🤣
This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.” This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!! ~ Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump
This Biden guy must be really powerful, not even President and still the driving force of the US economy.
Trump 2.0 really does feel like how I imagine it must have felt under Roosevelt. He was elected to bring change, and now we're getting it good and hard and subject to the President's whims. The tariff thing reminds me most of Roosevelt setting the price of gold -- much more important to the currency in those days -- arbitrarily by executive order. We'll see how much of this sticks, but Trump is making a play to become the single most consequential political figure of my lifetime.
yes imprisoning your opponents, is 'what democracy looks like'
to Times reporters, the ones who blew kisses, at Stalin Fidel
Mao, Ho Chi Minh, et al
of course baker gets it backwards, rebuilding infrastructure, reducing borrowing costs, making us energy independent,
I thought you said you didn't want to read this garbage.
Maybe Baker is reporting from a mirror universe,
Get used to vengeance. It’s coming, because otherwise how can you try to make it that what the filthy Democrats tried to do to Trump in 2020-2024 never happens again?
A metaphor even more absurd when you realize that Trump is the one literally trying to build: a border wall, electric generation, oil and gas pipelines. But it's the NYT: The Narrative is baked in.
A counterrevolution is not a dinner party.
This is what we voted for!
NYT, "He appears intent on demolishing the old order... "
DDB, "He is determined to tear down the failed uniparty rule in DC."
I will add that the NYT stoked the fires for the assassination attempts and was the leading cheerleader to jail Trump.
The "Old Order" demolished itself, it was already falling when Trump added his push. The Old Order demanded that voters abandon all common sense and believe three impossible new things every day, such as men can be women. You can fool some of the people some of the time . . .
Three would-be assassins, two of whom spent time in Ukraine during Biden's War, and yet very little news space is devoted to all the who what where when why we don't know about the circumstances of all three.
Amazing. They bled more sympathy for Biden's nonexistent stutter (he overcame it as a child) than for Trump after he was shot.
It is remarkable that Trump’s administration disrupted the growth trajectory of the world's wealthiest nation in just two months. Conventional wisdom holds that a president's impact on the economy is modest and unfolds over years. Apparently, that's not always the case.. 📉
The construction guy is a nation wrecker. The life-long politicians are all nation builders. If that's your argument, what can anyone say.
…he needed to move quickly to get the court cases from Hawaiian judges moving. There’s the chance the upcoming reversals will occur in time to return the Presidential power to which he is entitled…
"We did so many rotten things to him that he is mad at us now, and therefore unfit to be president!"
There must be a Greek name for this kind of argument; it is kind of along the lines of "I voluntarily joined a violent gang back home, so you can't send me back because rival gang members back there might try to hurt me!"
hubris
I voted for President Trump but got President Asshole. But he's from Queens, NY where there are more assholes per square foot than anywhere in the U.S. so he gets a pass. But he keeps making own goals. Stop antagonizing Canada. I know it's difficult but he should smile and make nice to people and groups he's he's gutting and flileting. But that's just me. Others will differ.
Kakistocracy said...
US economy contracts at 0.3% rate as Trump tariffs prompt import surge ~ WSJ
That's a 0.3% annual rate. So, for the quarter divide that by 4?
And the number is the GDP, not the "US economy."
GDP = C + I + G + (X - M).
The WSJ article even seems to say the fractional net GDP number is due to an increase in imports (the negative "M" in the X-M term), not a decline in Consumption, Investment, Government spending or even eXports.
Shorter Leftwing commentators - Spam, spam, spam, spam. Wonderful Spam.
GOOD!
I voted for this.
Is this the same Peter Baker what pretended Joe Biden was not decrepit, mentally and physically dysfunctional and - let’s be honest - half insane for the last 4 years?
Another Trump factor: a decline in (G) government spending (or its rate of growth) would adversely affect the GDP at least in the short-run.
Vindication, yes. Vengeance... retributive change, no.
JournoListic jingoism. Abort.
Balfegor said...
[...] He was elected to bring change, and now we're getting it good and hard and subject to the President's whims. [...]
4/30/25, 9:42 AM
Not poking at Balfegor specifically, but the impression I get from statements like the one quoted above (emphasizing the 'whim' claim) is that a lot of people seem to think (or say they think) that Trump walks around all day going 'dum de dum de dum de dum...TARIFFS!...dum de dum de dum de dum...PULL FUNDING!...dum de dum de dum...RIFs!" in a kind of shoot, ready, aim mode except without ready or aim, very much like how Kevin Costner played the governor role in Yellowstone.
Yes, Trump is bombastic and people disagree with his decisions, but I can't come up with the logical train that goes from that premise to concluding that he is making decisions without stakeholder discussions and/or planning and consideration, essentially taking action in an arbitrary and capricious manner. In other words that he is, fundamentally, unreasonable.
He is the embodiment of the vigorous executive, which is more shocking to the body politic than it normally would be but he's following a guy who was literally asleep at the switch. More change in 100 days for good than I've ever seen in a first-year review, with some temporary negatives that have already started to outdate.
Reminder that the USSC 9-0 ordered Trump to pick up the phone.
Well...he's done a lot. Not exactly 'Beer Summit' level, but a lot.
Tip to commenters: It's easier to find and read the interesting comments on both sides when you skip the Kakis troll and his buddies.
The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is fairly much a uniparty organization. They want open borders. They also came out in favor of child mutilation because that is the trendy and compassionate thing to do.
The ancien regime must be destroyed.
I seem to remember Reagan enduring withering criticism his first 2 years in office. Trump, like Reagan, is certain that what he doing is not only right but necessary, and is motivated by love of country, not political gain.
"I know it's difficult but he should smile and make nice to people and groups he's he's gutting and flileting."
Why? In all seriousness. They're predisposed to hysteria. It isn't for Trump to humor that.
I really shouldn't have to explain this to the man "in the room", but Awesome News – GDP Growth at 0.3% in First Quarter, Despite Massive Import Purchase Increase of 41.3% to Avoid Tariffs>
"The absolute key to the first quarter GDP result is to remember that ‘imports‘ are a deduction in the economic equation of Gross Domestic Product. …
…imports surged and led to a 5.03% deduction to the GDP equation. Meaning if all things were equal without the Q1 surge in import purchases the GDP would have been +5.06%."
"Put both of these metrics together and what you see are U.S. companies building consumer inventory from overseas (imports) while simultaneously preparing themselves to shift production into the USA. The massive import purchases are a bridge to cover the time needed to shift the manufacturing from overseas to the USA. This is exactly what we want to see."
On 1/17/25, the last day the market was open before the inauguration, the Nasdaq Composite closed at 19,630.20. On 4/29, it was 17,462.32. (↓11.04%)
On 1/17, the S&P 500 closed at 5,996.66. On 4/29, it was 5,560.83. (↓7.27%)
On 1/17, the Dow closed at 43,487.83. On 4/29, it was 40,527.62. (↓6.81%)
Isn't it obvious? Bad thing = Bidens fault. Good thing = Trump
Are you going to address your misrepresentation of the GDP numbers, Rich?
Baker's claim makes sense. Althouse's attack does not.
Simplifying only slightly, the pre Roosevelt old order was no legislation and constitutional law hostile to legislation. What Roosevelt largely did was to create legislation, which was then passed Congress, setting up a test of legislative power that the Supreme Court ultimately resolved in the legislature's favor.
Trump, in contrast, is acting in the face of existing laws and institutions, themselves created by the legislature.
But he is passing new laws, or seeking legislative abolition--he is acting on his own to ignore those laws and shrink or transform those institutions. The test of his constitutional power lies before us.
Against this background, it makes sense that Baker describes what Roosevelt did as a building up, and what Trump is doing as an attempted tear down. Althouse's attack on the metaphor is not well founded.
Should read "But he is NOT passing new laws..."
I know it's difficult but he should smile and make nice to people and groups he's he's gutting and flileting.
Are you aware of any President ever who fit that description? Even Reagan, the best ever at it, was constantly fighting with and criticizing his opponents--including foreign leaders.
Politics ain't beanbag.
Trump, in contrast, is acting in the face of existing laws and institutions, themselves created by the legislature.
That is BS, Steven. Name one "existing law" that Trump has "acted in the face of" as President. One. And by "acted in the face of" I mean broken. I will give you that he has "acted in the face of" "institutions," but that is what he was elected to do.
The legislature (Congress) long ago delegated virtually all tariff authority to the Executive. By specific legislation. Did you know that Obama imposed tariffs of over 500% on Chinese steel? I bet you didn't.
I have to agree with a few of the comments above — if the Biden economy was so strong, then how come it only took Trump a couple a months to wreck it?
Kaka said:
Isn't it obvious? Bad thing = Bidens fault. Good thing = Trump
You dingbat, most financial advisors have been warning their clients that the market under Trump was widly over-priced---which is why they were pushing limited downside investments.
So the slight drop in the market is no surprise, now that trump is reining in spending.
You should read Original Mike's post above. It is spot-on. Your claim that business wouldn't buy imports because of "uncertainty" failed to reckon with corporations flexing to deal with tariffs.
SNORT
"Mr. Trump has acted like a man..er..a President on a mission."
Readering said...
"Reminder that the USSC 9-0 ordered Trump to pick up the phone."
Re-read what was written and then comment. SCOTUS didn't order. They suggested Trump facilitate the mans return. The lower court ordered. The supremes simply agreed.
"Althouse's attack on the metaphor is not well founded."
Ironically, "well founded" is another example of the building metaphor. Read "Metaphors We Live By." I think there's a whole chapter on ideas as buildings, including stuff about how you need a foundation.
TDS is so thoroughly embedded in our body politic that we most of us discount its virulence and lunacy. Here we have exhibit one million+ from Mr. Bakistocracy and friends. To suggest that the reordering goals of the new administration must show awesome and permanent results in three months is, on the face of it, absurd. Only someone determined to avoid logic and thoughtful analysis, aka people with TDS, would make such claims with a straight face.
None of us knows--any more than FDR did at a similar point in his presidency--whether the administration's actions will yield the desired results. But his enemies, addicted to attack, don't care. This is why both the Dems and the MSM have such low ratings among Americans today.
Dear Boat Builder, How about, among statutes, the Impoundment Act of 1974, the Administrative Procedure Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. How about, among Constitutional provisions clearly binding on him, the Due Process Clause and the First Amendment?
Professor Althouse, That's a cute response that dodges my historical comparison. I'll take it as an implied concession that Baker's metaphor is a good deal more apt than your initial comment allowed.
"I voted for President Trump but got President Asshole."
How could you not know you would get President Asshole. He's been an asshole (and a shill and grifter) his entire career. No one could not have known that unless they decided to shut their eyes and plugged their ears to the ugly, indisputable truth. Or unless they were similar ugly assholes who just wanted to see their resentments acted out on all persons and entities they hate.
Marty @ 2:31pm: "TDS is so thoroughly embedded in our body politic that we most of us discount its virulence and lunacy."
See Unreconstructed Stalinist Robert Cook's comment @ 5:19pm, amongst others.
"Vengeful" and "vindictive" are the new "dark" and "without evidence," stock phrases that the media unthinkingly throws in when it writes about Trump.
In effect, he is trying to repeal the liberal social compact and international system that Roosevelt constructed, “unwinding neoliberalism,” as one aide put it.
What is the "liberal social compact"? What is "neoliberalism"? Trump is acting against the entanglement of the bureaucracy with leftist NGOs. That entanglement many be a "social compact" for DC hangers-on, but is it something most Americans would recognize as the "liberal social compact"? "Neoliberalism" is the great bogey of the left. Is Trump really "unwinding" it? Is it a bad thing if he is? It's best to avoid using the word.
CJinPA said...
Of course, all FDR had to do was let government do what it wants to do naturally: grow. He was assertive, but was pushing in the direction of least resistance.
You could say that for Clinton or Obama, but things were different before FDR. There weren't that many bureaucrats in DNC, and if congressmen and bureaucrats wanted more power, it was just a dream. Government employees weren't used to wielding great power, and many of them didn't want to -- they preferred a steady paycheck and a quiet life. FDR brought in outsiders who wanted to change the country and make government grow. Woodrow Wilson had done much the same, but it didn't take root, and DC went back to being a sleepy Southern town in the 20s. FDR changed all that and after WWII there would be no going back.
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