His impulsive incoherence is also beginning to take a toll. How does an “America First” foreign policy include $12 billion to facilitate Israel’s razing of Gaza and a promised nation-building exercise there? That’s neocon crack. How does America First square with sending more weapons to Ukraine and a new naval war on Venezuela — with no Congressional authorization? How was bombing Iran’s nuclear program — something neither Obama nor Biden ever did — America First? Why, for that matter, is a president who was elected to take care of the home-front now bragging (ludicrously) of intervening in eight foreign conflicts in eight months? Or sending billions to bail out Argentina?
I could go on. And I will! Why does a “free speech” administration target TV hosts and sue newspapers? Why did it launch an AI surveillance program to monitor foreign students’ speech in order to deport anyone critical of Israel — a foreign country? And what on earth is our policy toward Russia? I can’t make it out — as I discuss with Fiona Hill in this week’s Dishcast.
Even on immigration, Trump has been all over the map. This past week he was telling MAGA that he backs 600,000 visas for Chinese students — compared to the 372,000 peak in 2019–20. How’s that for America First? He’s backtracked on farm workers. He backs H1-B visas — because, he insists, there isn’t enough talent in America. No wonder Marjorie Taylor Greene is pissed off in one direction and Elon Musk in another.
