Just a thought, but maybe he is so incompetent that he and his advisers actually believed that increased govt spending, regulations and higher taxes would create economic growth. He's surrounded by career politicians and academics. He has very few people advising him that have ever run, or created a business. He has never been responsible for anything in his life.
Maybe it's as simple as the peter principle. He's reached his level of incompetence.
That was YEARS ago.
I think he simply doesn’t believe in classical macroeconomics.