Trump Follows Reagan's Populist
What brings the moment back is Laura Ingraham's new book: "Billionaire at the Barricades: The Populist Revolution from Reagan to  Trump ." Thesis:  Donald Trump  is a conservative populist and direct descendant and rightful heir to Ronald Reagan.
To never-Trumpers this is pure blasphemy. Yet the similarities are there.
 Trump  is out of Queens  a builder-businessman in a Democratic city whose Republican credentials were suspect at best when  he  rode down that elevator at Trump Tower. Both took on the Republican establishment of their day  and humiliated it.
Among the signature issues of Trumpian populism is economic nationalism  a new trade policy designed to prosper Americans first.
 Reagan and Trump both  embraced the Eisenhower doctrine of "peace through strength." And  like Ike   both  built up the military.
 Both  also believed in cutting tax rates to stimulate the economy and balance the federal budget through rising revenues rather than cutting programs like Medicare and Social Security.
 Both  believed in engaging with the superpower rival of the day â the Soviet Union in Reagan's day  Russia and China in  Trump 's time.
And  both  were regarded in this capital city with a cosmopolitan condescension bordering on contempt. "An amiable dunce" said a Great Society Democrat of Reagan.
The awesome victories Reagan rolled up  a 44-state landslide in 1980 and a 49-state landslide in 1984  induced some second thoughts among Beltway elites about whether they truly spoke for America.  Trump 's sweep of the primaries and startling triumph in the Electoral College caused the same consternation.
As Ingraham writes  Trumpism is rooted as much in the populist-nationalist campaigns of the 1990s  and post-Cold War issues as economic patriotism  border security  immigration control and "America First " as it is in the Reaganite issues of the 1980s.
The differences between  Trump  in  his  first year and Reagan in 1981 are stark. Reagan had won a landslide. The attempt on his life in April and the grace with which he conducted himself had earned him a place in the hearts of his countrymen. He not only showed spine in giving the air traffic controllers 48 hours to get back to work  and then discharging them when they defied him  he enacted the largest tax cut in U.S. history with the aid of boll weevil Democrats in the House.
Coming up on one year since his election   Trump  is besieged by a hostile press and united Democratic Party.  This city  hates  him . While  his  executive actions are impressive   his  legislative accomplishments are not.  His  approval ratings have lingered in the mid-30s.  He  has lost half a dozen senior members of  his  original White House staff  clashed openly with  his  own Cabinet and is at war with GOP leaders on the Hill.
Moreover  we seem close to war with North Korea that would be no cakewalk. And  the president  appears determined to tear up the Obama nuclear deal with Iran that  his  own national security team believes is in the national interest.
Reagan was  as  Trump  claimed to be  an anti-interventionist. Reagan had no wish to be a war president. His dream was to rid the world of nuclear weapons. This does not sound like  Trump  in October 2017.
Steve Bannon may see the 25th Amendment  where a Cabinet majority may depose a president  as the great threat to  Trump .
But it is far more likely that a major war would do for the  Trump  presidency and  his  place in history what it did for Presidents Wilson  Truman  LBJ and George W. Bush.
What brings the moment back is Laura Ingraham's new book: "Billionaire at the Barricades: The Populist Revolution from Reagan to  [TGT]  ." Thesis:   [TGT] is a conservative populist and direct descendant and rightful heir to Ronald Reagan.
To never-Trumpers this is pure blasphemy. Yet the similarities are there.
  [TGT] is out of Queens  a builder-businessman in a Democratic city whose Republican credentials were suspect at best when   [TGT]   rode down that elevator at Trump Tower. Both took on the Republican establishment of their day  and humiliated it.
Among the signature issues of Trumpian populism is economic nationalism  a new trade policy designed to prosper Americans first.
 Reagan and  [TGT]  both  embraced the Eisenhower doctrine of "peace through strength." And  like Ike   both  built up the military.
 Both  also believed in cutting tax rates to stimulate the economy and balance the federal budget through rising revenues rather than cutting programs like Medicare and Social Security.
 Both  believed in engaging with the superpower rival of the day â the Soviet Union in Reagan's day  Russia and China in  Trump 's time.
And  both  were regarded in this capital city with a cosmopolitan condescension bordering on contempt. "An amiable dunce" said a Great Society Democrat of Reagan.
The awesome victories Reagan rolled up  a 44-state landslide in 1980 and a 49-state landslide in 1984  induced some second thoughts among Beltway elites about whether they truly spoke for America.   [TGT]  's sweep of the primaries and startling triumph in the Electoral College caused the same consternation.
As Ingraham writes  Trumpism is rooted as much in the populist-nationalist campaigns of the 1990s  and post-Cold War issues as economic patriotism  border security  immigration control and "America First " as it is in the Reaganite issues of the 1980s.
The differences between   [TGT]   in  his  first year and Reagan in 1981 are stark. Reagan had won a landslide. The attempt on his life in April and the grace with which he conducted himself had earned him a place in the hearts of his countrymen. He not only showed spine in giving the air traffic controllers 48 hours to get back to work  and then discharging them when they defied him  he enacted the largest tax cut in U.S. history with the aid of boll weevil Democrats in the House.
Coming up on one year since his election   Trump  is besieged by a hostile press and united Democratic Party.  This city  hates  him . While  his  executive actions are impressive   his  legislative accomplishments are not.  His  approval ratings have lingered in the mid-30s.  He  has lost half a dozen senior members of  his  original White House staff  clashed openly with  his  own Cabinet and is at war with GOP leaders on the Hill.
Moreover  we seem close to war with North Korea that would be no cakewalk. And  the president  appears determined to tear up the Obama nuclear deal with Iran that  his  own national security team believes is in the national interest.
Reagan was  as   [TGT] claimed to be  an anti-interventionist. Reagan had no wish to be a war president. His dream was to rid the world of nuclear weapons. This does not sound like  Trump  in October 2017.
Steve Bannon may see the 25th Amendment  where a Cabinet majority may depose a president  as the great threat to  Trump .
But it is far more likely that a major war would do for the   [TGT] presidency and   [TGT]   place in history what it did for Presidents Wilson  Truman  LBJ and George W. Bush.