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News Analysis: Trump consistently frames policy around ‘fairness,’ trading on American frustration
Los Angeles Times ^ | March 23, 2025 3 AM PT | Kevin Rector

Posted on 03/23/2025 10:58:22 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

In a sit-down interview with Fox News last month, President Trump and his billionaire “efficiency” advisor Elon Musk framed new tariffs on foreign trading partners as a simple matter of fairness.

“I said, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do: reciprocal. Whatever you charge, I’m charging,’” Trump said of a conversation he’d had with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I’m doing that with every country.”

“It seems fair,” Musk said.

Trump laughed. “It does,” he said.

“It’s like, fair is fair,” said Musk, the world’s richest person.

The moment was one of many in recent months in which Trump and his allies have framed his policy agenda around the concept of fairness — which experts say is a potent political message at a time when many Americans feel thwarted by inflation, high housing costs and other systemic barriers to getting ahead.

“Trump has a good sense for what will resonate with folks, and I think we all have a deep sense of morality — and so we all recognize the importance of fairness,” said Kurt Gray, a psychology professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the book “Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.”

“At the end of the day,” Gray said, “we’re always worried about not getting what we deserve.”

In addition to his “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” for tariffs, Trump has cited fairness in his decisions to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, ban transgender athletes from competing in sports,...

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: chat; deepstate; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; fakenews; kevinrector; kevinrectum; laslimes; losangelesslimes; mds; mediawingofthednc; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; smearmachine; tds
Fairness is not fair, don't you know?
1 posted on 03/23/2025 10:58:22 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Fairness what a concept😎


2 posted on 03/23/2025 11:06:32 AM PDT by blitz128
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“At the end of the day,” Gray said, “we’re always worried about not getting what we deserve.” What actions have you taken to ‘deserve’ anything Gray?


3 posted on 03/23/2025 11:08:56 AM PDT by kawhill (What you want to know is why you? Yes. It's because you noticed them and they noticed that. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

In college, back in the 80s, I had a class “The Philosophy of Taxation”. The professor asked us to describe a “fair” tax system. I suggested a Flat Tax — everyone is treated the same, everyone pays the same rate, no one gets special treatment, everyone contributes.

The professor “tut tutted” such a naive notion. As he explained to the class, the fairest tax system is a Progressive Tax in which “good people” (like himself, I presume) could carefully construct an elaborate system in which the bad people get taxed more, good people get taxed less, good things are subsidized, and bad things are taxed out of existence. Sure, it might be based on the opinions of a Few, but it would be Fair.

People can have odd views of what “fair” really means.


4 posted on 03/23/2025 11:11:02 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: kawhill

Gray can be sure that everyone will get what they deserve, eventually. Just don’t confuse desire with deserve.


5 posted on 03/23/2025 11:17:06 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

That wascally Orange Man Bad. He’s misleading the American Pipple by “framing” the concept of “fairness.”


6 posted on 03/23/2025 11:17:09 AM PDT by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: ClearCase_guy

Given your deplorable response, it would be unfair for the fair-tax professor NOT to give you a fair D. /sarc


7 posted on 03/23/2025 11:23:30 AM PDT by miniTAX
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Suck it, LA Times. It's your side that's been pushing this "fairness" bullsh*t on us for the past 50 or 60 years.

Fair talk radio, fair housing, fair pay, fair trade, fair this, fair that, fair everything, fair, fair, fair.

And all it's brought about is unfairness. It has fomented class warfare and resentment which you exploit for political purposes.

Your crotchless panties are in a wad because you know that President Trump means it and will actually bring it about while all you did was pay it lip service.

So, again I say, suck it, LA Times!

HA! I can't wait for The LA Times to read my post. That's going to leave a mark.

8 posted on 03/23/2025 11:33:21 AM PDT by Texas Eagle ("Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"- Donald J. Trump)
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To: blitz128

justice is another of those wild ideas..


9 posted on 03/23/2025 11:39:25 AM PDT by richardtavor
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Fairness for me, but not for thee, is what leftists consider fair.

Now, pay your fair share, as determined by leftists.


10 posted on 03/23/2025 11:41:23 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
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To: Texas Eagle

“ fair housing, fair pay, fair trade, fair this, fair that, fair everything, fair, fair”

And fair shair of taxes

If you haven’t figured it out, leftists have neither shame, nor ability to honestly reflect on their own behavior.


11 posted on 03/23/2025 11:46:15 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
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To: kawhill
“At the end of the day,” Gray said, “we’re always worried about not getting what we deserve.”

Commiespeak for "Where is my free stuff?"

12 posted on 03/23/2025 11:46:25 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: MeanWestTexan
Word. My FR tagline up until this past election was, "If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all".

A line that talk radio host Chris Plante stole from me I'm sure. But that's OK. I never copyrighted it.

13 posted on 03/23/2025 11:52:28 AM PDT by Texas Eagle ("Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"- Donald J. Trump)
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To: Texas Eagle

Thanks


14 posted on 03/23/2025 12:07:32 PM PDT by Cold Heart (It's a good time to be ashamed to be a democrat)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Blah blah - liberal BS - Blah blah


15 posted on 03/23/2025 12:09:16 PM PDT by Fledermaus ("It turns out all we really needed was a new President!")
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

16 posted on 03/23/2025 12:35:42 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Yes, and EVERYONE knows that “The rich aren’t paying their fair share”. We know this because the dems say it every time anyone mentions anything about taxes.


17 posted on 03/23/2025 12:48:17 PM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What I made of this article was “DAMN him! He’s started using OUR word!”


18 posted on 03/23/2025 12:49:19 PM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: ClearCase_guy

https://www.fairtax.org


19 posted on 03/23/2025 3:42:42 PM PDT by Taxman (MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! SUPPORT THE FAIRTAX!)
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To: ClearCase_guy

The left acts as if fairness means they always get everything they want.

What’s mine is mine. And what’s yours is mine.

In America, individuals who make around $19,000 or less per year routinely qualify for food and housing subsidies, and the world’s average annual income, without adjustments for purchasing power parity (PPP), is roughly $18,000 per year. Approximately 8.5% of the global population, or nearly 700 million people, live in extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $2.15 per day.

The left’s form of “fairness” would require many poor people here and elsewhere to take a cut rather than receive subsidies.

Socialism is based on envy and greed.

The fairest thing to do is to promote free enterprise and property rights around the world to increase wealth creation and liberty. Socialism brings death, slavery, and the destruction of wealth wherever it goes.


20 posted on 03/23/2025 5:07:24 PM PDT by unlearner (Still not tired of winning.)
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