| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
President Trump has made it clear: the impeachment trial over his alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress is getting under his skin. He regularly tweets about the Senate proceedings, accusing Democrats of lying and treating him unfairly.
But Trump, natural brute-force politician he is, also knows he is running for reelection, and he is not leaving much to chance.
Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week was essentially a campaign address that touted his recent international trade deals and the economic prowess of the United States under his watch. His administration unveiled a rule change designed to give American gun makers an easier path to exporting some firearms, which is the kind of policy that brightens the day for Second Amendment advocates and business leaders alike. For immigration hardliners, the administration also announced rules designed to prevent foreigners from traveling to the U.S. to give birth. In a bid to firm up his support among conservative Christians and abortion opponents, he is slated to be the first sitting president to attend the March for Life.
Then there's the ever-persistent promise of "Tax Cuts 2.0," which Republicans and the Trump administration have been dangling as a carrot since before the midterm elections in 2018. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin triggered a new round of buzz again when brought up the idea again this week in Davos, following previous hints from top Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow. It's going nowhere, of course, since Democrats control the House. But it'll keep coming up as Trump and his allies try to leverage the hope for more tax breaks into votes.
If Trump the politician stumbled this week, it was on the thorny subject of entitlements. When CNBC's Joe Kernen asked him whether he would try to tackle them, Trump said he would "at some point" and that the issue is "actually the easiest of all things." Trump had previously vowed not to touch voters' Social Security or Medicare, and so his Democratic rivals immediately pounced on his answer as a violation of his promise. The president likes to play offense, but he might have to play defense for the rest of the campaign over that answer.
Thanks for reading.
Thoughts? Email me at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
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Jumat, 24 Januari 2020
Trump goes on offense, but steps into the entitlement trap
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