Is Trump a Genius or a Fool?
(Photo by Gage Skidmore) (CC BY-SA) (Resized/Cropped)
The singular question on Trump has always been is he a genius or a fool — I think we can all agree there’s no chance he’s neither. If he’s a genius, then the outrageous talk was a master strategy to run circles around the elite and their press minions. On the other hand, if Trump’s a fool, then the outrageous talk showed that handing him the White House is a pre-schooler with a handgun.
At the moment, the visa ban looks to me a lot more foolish than genius. It’s clumsy, egregiously vindictive, and it’s re-energizing the left. He better have a darn good reason. Because if he is simply a fool — and a nasty one at that — Congress will universally turn against him, reversing him every time he picks up a pen. He’ll end up spending 4 years a powerless lunatic in a gilded cage. On the bright side, we do get that toothless executive.
Now, there’s always the possibility that it’s a genius move — the man’s surprised before. Why? First, to gain leverage with other countries by showing that he’s not afraid to take extreme measures if they screw around — basically, gather up some bargaining chits. Second, keep the media non-stop hyperventilating so that voters eventually tune them out. If it is strategic and not foolishness, I’d guess he soon moderates. We’ll see.
Professor St. Onge holds a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from McGill University, and is Series 65 licensed. He teaches business cycle analysis and strategy, edits the Austrian Investment Monthly newsletter, and is a former Mises Institute Fellow. He managed funds for a decade, across both the dot-com cycle and the 2008 Crisis. He lives online at Profits of Chaos.
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Sorry. No data so far.
Follow Us
The Affluent Mix
Haile Selassie’s Grandson Warns African Americans: Marxism Leads To Blind ... October 29, 2020 | David Gornoski
Conservative Critiques Of Twitter Sound Very Left-Wing Liberal... October 29, 2020 | John Tamny
COVID Is Not A Disruptor, It’s An Accelerator... October 29, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Open Letter From Investors In Funds Which Hold Netflix About ‘Cuties’ And Ch... October 29, 2020 | Charles Bowyer
Ballot Fraud As An Election Strategy October 29, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
Reining In The Proxies: A Letter To Secretary Of Labor Eugene Scalia... October 29, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
We Have Nothing To Fear From China October 29, 2020 | Roger McKinney
Income And Life Damage On The Homefront October 29, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
Society Is Better When Assumptions Match Reality... October 29, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
Reforming Capitalism Leads To Socialism October 20, 2020 | Roger McKinney
Open Letter From Financial Advisors To Netflix About ‘Cuties’ And Child Expl... October 20, 2020 | Charles Bowyer
Is China Funding BLM? October 20, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
Taking Risks With Other People’s Money October 20, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
The New York Times And Trump’s Critics Can’t Have It Both Ways... October 20, 2020 | John Tamny
Defending Pensions October 20, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
An Unnecessary Concern About Income Inequality... October 20, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
Open Letter From Netflix Shareholders About ‘Cuties’ And Child Exploitation... October 13, 2020 | Charles Bowyer
No Longer Operating Under The Original Intent... October 13, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
What This New Economic CAT Scan Shows About This Recession... October 13, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
Post Election Violence? October 13, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
Investor Lessons From A World Of Doing Something... October 13, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Finance Prof’s New Book Challenges Stagnation, Division Mindset... October 13, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.