Opinion: Trump is a policy simpleton, but he’s a shrewd survivor
By Ronald A. Klain Ronald A. Klain Contributing columnist focused on public policy, legal issues and political affairs Bio Follow Contributing columnist May 5 at 6:58 PM President Trump may be simple-minded about policy, but he is sharp when it comes to survival. If Democrats aren’t careful, they are going to step into a trap in the infrastructure negotiations that the president is hoping will bolster his reelection prospects.
But even worse, Democrats may be wrong in their assumption that Trump will not ultimately agree to the $2 trillion infrastructure package that was promised in last week’s White House meeting. Would it be good policy? A huge investment in infrastructure is desperately needed, and virtually every Democratic candidate for president is calling for one. But in Trump’s hands, such a program would be dangerous in three respects.
Second, Trump will likely use any infrastructure package to fracture the delicate Democratic labor-environmental coalition. He will insist on “project accelerating” provisions that vitiate critical environmental reviews. He will boost road funding and slash funding for mass transit. And he will make Democratic leaders choose between provisions backed by labor and safeguards demanded by environmentalists. As always with Trump, his real goal will be sowing chaos among his opponents.
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