Posted on 05/02/2025 6:48:10 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
(Daily Signal)—Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. There’s been a lot of media hysteria, some ambiguous and some negative polls. We have talked about that before, that they seem to be not so disinterested as we might imagine. It’s in line with previous prejudicial polls. But here’s the main course of action that we’re all looking at.
It’s 100 days and we’re right in the middle of everything. And yet, people are already talking about President Donald Trump as if he’s failed or there’s an obituary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Don’t listen to the libertarian right or the “Never Trump” right or the hard left. What’s happening is we’re watching the most dramatic counterrevolution in our history.
This is more fundamentally changing than even the Reagan revolution that rebooted the American economy and won the Cold War. And it’s even more—I don’t know—more fundamentally transformative than the Roosevelt first 100 days when he took the country hard left with the New Deal.
And what do I mean by that? Everything is in play and we have no idea how it’s gonna happen—it’s going to turn out or what will happen. But it could be what Donald Trump called “a golden age.”
Let’s look at foreign policy very quickly. Iran is not the Iran of 2015-16 when former President Barack Obama did the deal. It’s not even the Iran that we got out of the deal under Trump’s first administration. This is Iran that has no air defenses to speak of. Anytime the United States or Israel wants to penetrate the air shield of Iran, it can.
There is no Hezbollah as we knew it. There is no Hamas as we knew it. The Houthis have been completely neutered. We spent a billion dollars but Trump hit them with almost everything we’ve had. The Red Sea is opening up to navigation.
And so, my point is that if Donald Trump wants to cut a deal, it will be on terms that get rid of the nuclear program. And if they do not want to get rid of the nuclear program, they have no more surrogates. There’s no Bashar al-Assad in Syria. And these other terrorist appendages that I just said are defunct.
So he’ll either get a nuclear deal or he’ll either outsource to Israel or we will take out that nuclear threat that Iran may possess. So there’s going to be, one way or another, a solution to the Iran problem.
In Ukraine, we’re beyond give them whatever it takes, whatever it takes. The Joe Biden strategy of—it’s a non-strategy—just feed that Stalingrad carnage house.
From liberal to conservative have already outlined the parameters of a ceasefire and peace. A DMC. A commercial corridor. Institutionalized Crimea and Donbas in the possession of Russian President Vladimir Putin, unfortunately, which he took those two territories in 2014. No NATO membership for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but a lot of arms so that he can deter Putin and probably EU membership. If that piece is settled, Donald Trump will soar.
Former President Joe Biden allowed that war to break out because he did not arm Ukraine in an offensive way, in the way that Trump had. The Afghanistan pullout lost his deterrence. And then he had a non-strategy. And we had something worse than Stalingrad in World War II.
Back home, we are on a renaissance of foreign investment, $4 or $5 trillion. Our tech lords are building huge factories. All that’s gonna kick in very soon.
In addition to that, we’re on an energy renaissance. There is no prohibition about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or Keystone. Whatever we want to do, in terms of natural gas, nuclear, clean coal, oil production—it’s gonna happen. And it’s going to lower energy prices. And it’s gonna be very important for Europe. And that’s gonna change our strategic relationship when we start in full mode supplying them with liquid natural gas and maybe even oil.
When we look at the universities, there’s gonna be a fundamental change in the universities, whether they like it or not. There may be a tax on their endowment. There may be some conditions on student loans—this $1.6 trillion student loan program that’s in shambles. They’re gonna have to get rid of DEI and trying to avoid the Supreme Court decisions. They’ve taken so many billions of dollars and not told us about it from China. I could go on. But there’s gonna be fundamental reform of the university that’ll be positive.
And most importantly, and finally, there’s about five or six entities with whom we run the trade deficit that account in aggregate for about 90% of the $1.2 trillion that we are in deficit. And if Donald Trump gets a deal—and I think there’s a 50-50 chance in the next month he will—with the EU, with Canada, with Mexico, with the ASEAN or the Southeast Asian nations, with Germany, part of the EU, with South Korea—there’s not a lot of them.
And once one deal starts to unfold, the others will follow. And because the fundamental economic indicators of job growth, inflation, corporate profits, energy prices are sound, there’ll be a little bit of disruption as we reboot with these trade deals. But they’re going to do two things: They’re gonna bring in a lot of foreign investment of these countries that wanna avoid another trade war, and they’ll find it’s—I don’t know—useful. And there’s efficacy in putting plants in the United States. That’s already happening. And more importantly, we will not be sending out $1.2 trillion.
What am I getting at? All of the hysteria I think is prompted or fueled by—I’ll say it—I think it’s fueled by fear. I really think they have no alternative to addressing the debt, the budget deficit, the trade deficit. And there’s only one pathway.
And whether you like Donald Trump or not, or you think he’s crude, he is embracing policies that in bygone days both Democrats and Republicans saw was the solution. And the Democrats are terrified that it is not only the viable solution, but it’s gonna work.
“The Nation is ours to lose; there is NO loyal opposition. None.”
Excellent summary—worth its own tagline.
That is also why I am opposed to foreign entanglements at this period in our history.
We are up to our eyeballs in enemies right here at home.
Mr. Hanson’s vocabulary seems to be on the decline...he used the word “gonna” ten times in this essay.
If it is accurate that Trump has indeed lined up trillions of dollars of manufacturing investment then that will most certainly start a boom. All that private plant construction in addition to all the public infrastructure that will have to be built in support, not to mention the actual manufacturing jobs that will be created. Not sure when all this starts coming on line, but almost no one is even talking about this or factoring this into their economic analysis.
I agree.
Democrats cannot see any solutions. Their plan is to regain power and then try to remain in power. If they can do that to help the country, then OK. If not, they will burn it down.
Same, here.
Funding PBS and NPR equates into funding enemy propaganda.
I agree with VDH, as this continues it will become more obvious what a transformational President Trump will be. And if the Congress participates, it will be even more hugh!
Trump has control of a LOT of moving parts, and he is orchestrating them like the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, directing his energy into the smooth transitions and the encouragement of deft and perfected interactions as a seamless part of the whole presentation.
Magnificent in execution and splendid in the concentration on the task at hand, the scorn of criticism and the ineptitude merely emphasizes the dedication to the objective and the mastery of the craft.
Lead, follow,or get the hell out of the way.
In a year or so when Trump’s policies take affect and the euro war is over the stock market is going to explode.
A large local manufacturer spins off thousands of support jobs in its area. I asked Grok. I got a long answer. this was the summary.
A manufacturer can create 0.4–7.4 indirect jobs per direct job, depending on the industry and model, with durable manufacturing (e.g., autos) having the highest multipliers (up to 7.44 indirect jobs per 100 direct jobs). Total multipliers (including induced jobs) often range from 1.8–2.0, meaning 0.8–1.0 additional jobs per direct job in supply chains and local economies. For a 1,000-worker factory, this could mean 400–7,441 indirect and induced jobs. If you provide more details (e.g., industry, location), I can refine these estimates further. Let me know if you have additional questions
Yeah, good point.
We are witnessing a Judicial Coup d’etat.
We are witnessing a Judicial Coup d’etat.
Yep, but Congress needs to stop it, we can’t allow 20m illegals in and then not be able to swiftly remove them.
Of course they are going to work. You couldn't be more stupid and idiotic (not to mention corrupt) than what the Democrats have been, especially during the last four years.
Just stopping Democrat idiocy will improve things. Trump is going way beyond that to the point of implementing policies that can actually solve problems. (Like unfair tariffs.)
That’s true. Trump can’t go this alone.
It will take Congress also to stop this Judicial tyranny.
VDH is the absolute best and most concise writer, professor, historian and human being that lives, not only in commifornia, but in AMERICA.
That man is so accurate with his views, that even if I miss any of his TV appearances, I go on line just to watch and listen to him.
A national treasure.
God Bless VDH.
The Democrats have no new ideas to offer only their Orange Man Bad mantra. They are vainly hoping for Trumps policies to stumble so they can pile on. Should Trumps policies succeed they have nothing and it could be the end of the Democratic Party.
I'm "GONNA" say you should get a colin-op-soky and flush the sh*t outta your pea brain.
If that is your post on VDH, you should retire because you're GONNA have permanent bowel {or in your case, brain damage}.
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