'Trump's economic message is a bribe'

Donald Trump speaks at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer and supplier, in Clinton, Michigan

Trump is conjuring up "positive memories" of the economy when he was in office.

(Image credit: Matthew Hatcher / AFP via Getty Images)

published 26 October 2023

'The fool's gold of an allegedly booming economy'

Ed Kilgore at New York magazine

Former President Donald Trump's 2024 coalition includes more than just MAGA culture warriors, says Ed Kilgore at New York magazine. Trump is conjuring up "positive memories" of the economy when he was in office. His economic message is meant to distract swing voters, and "bribe" them to join in. Fretting about rising consumer and home prices? Pay no attention to the "racism, forced birth, homophobia," and partisan rioting. "Here's some money for you, generated by the 'greatest economy ever!'"

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China has jumped to cash in on the next great "resource bonanza," says James Stavridis at Bloomberg. Parts of the deep seabed hold "very valuable" deposits of minerals including cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel, and copper. "Natural-resource poor" China has rushed to file 15% of the world's registered claims with the International Seabed Authority, which oversees distribution of the resources. The U.S. has filed none. It's time for Washington to catch up. "The stakes are high."

President Biden followed up September's awful illegal immigration numbers by requesting more money for his failed border policies, says the Washington Examiner editorial board. He tied the request to Ukraine and Israel aid, demanding funding for migrant services and streamlining refugee processing, but not a dime "to slow illegal immigration." Republicans should do whatever it takes to "block Biden's efforts," which would only "throw gasoline onto the raging inferno of illegal immigration."

Donald Trump's legal troubles just got worse, says Kim Wehle in The Bulwark. In exchange for immunity, his last White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is cooperating with special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Meadows "was at the heart of everything related to the Trump 'Stop the Steal' effort," including the "fake electors scheme." He "can speak firsthand" about "Trump's knowledge and state of mind."

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.