The Case Against Trump | Donald Trump Is an Enemy of Freedom
Reason magazine|November 2020
WHEN IT COMES TO LIMITING THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF GOVERNMENT AND PROTECTING INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES, AMERICA’S 45TH PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ACTIVELY MALIGN.
MATT WELCH
The Case Against Trump | Donald Trump Is an Enemy of Freedom

WE DO NOT view Lyndon Johnson’s presidency through the lens of the Texan’s legendary vulgarity; the Great Society and Vietnam War loom much larger on his scorecard. Nor do we judge George Washington’s generalship by the Continental Army’s autumn 1776 squandering of New York—every leader of consequence has bad days or weeks in the face of unprecedented challenge.

So before assessing Donald Trump’s worthiness to receive a second term, let us set aside the two cudgels wielded most often by his media and Democratic tormentors: the 45th president’s polarizing personality, and his administration’s scattershot response to a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Focusing on Trump’s deeds, instead of words, from Inauguration Day until just before the first reported U.S. death from COVID-19 on February 29, is a clarifying, even liberating, exercise. At a time when so much of American discourse is about symbolism instead of policy, adjectives instead of nouns, feelings instead of facts, this approach waves away the toxic political fog and drills down into the bedrock of this presidency. What has the Manhattan real estate developer actually built in Washington; how has that already impacted the lives of his constituents; and what lasting changes are likely if his job performance is ratified by the voting public in November?

This story is from the November 2020 edition of Reason magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 2020 edition of Reason magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM REASON MAGAZINEView All
THE LIBERTARIAN MIND OF DAVID BOAZ
Reason magazine

THE LIBERTARIAN MIND OF DAVID BOAZ

Threats to freedom, Trump vs. Biden, and the wins libertarians can’t seem to acknowledge

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2024
DARE TO Fail
Reason magazine

DARE TO Fail

THERE’S NO SUCH thing as a universal millennial experience, but DARE comes close.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2024
CULTURE WARRIOR IN CHIEF
Reason magazine

CULTURE WARRIOR IN CHIEF

THE MODERN PRESIDENCY IS A DIVIDER, NOT A UNITER. IT HAS BECOME FAR TOO POWERFUL TO BE ANYTHING ELSE.

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2024
Progress, Rediscovered
Reason magazine

Progress, Rediscovered

A NEW MOVEMENT PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITY’S PROBLEMS EMERGES.

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2024
'Smoking Opium Is Not Our Vice'
Reason magazine

'Smoking Opium Is Not Our Vice'

AMERICA’S FIRST DRUG WAR WAS DRIVEN BY XENOPHOBIA AGAINST CHINESE MIGRANTS.

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2024
HOW CAPITALISM BEAT COMMUNISM IN VIETNAM
Reason magazine

HOW CAPITALISM BEAT COMMUNISM IN VIETNAM

IT ONLY TOOK A GENERATION TO GO FROM RATION CARDS TO EXPORTING ELECTRONICS.

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2024
50 Years of D&D: You Can't Copyright Fun
Reason magazine

50 Years of D&D: You Can't Copyright Fun

THIS YEAR MARKS the 50th anniversary of the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the granddaddy of tabletop role-playing games and one of the urtexts of nerd culture.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2024
The Pupil Panopticon
Reason magazine

The Pupil Panopticon

BIG BROTHER—and Parent, and Teacher— are watching.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2024
Congress Could Swipe Your Credit Reward Points
Reason magazine

Congress Could Swipe Your Credit Reward Points

A PLOT TO kill credit card reward points has bipartisan buy-in, with lawmakers framing the effort as an attempt to curb stillstubborn inflation.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2024
Regulators Killed a Lifeline for Roombas
Reason magazine

Regulators Killed a Lifeline for Roombas

IN JANUARY 2024, Amazon terminated its agreement to acquire iRobot, the company that manufactures the Roomba robot vacuum.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2024