The GOP was all over Obama when the federal investment in Solyndra went awry. It was yet another unsuccessful attempt at socialism, they said. Government shouldn’t pick winners and losers, because it simply didn’t have the necessary expertise. Decisions about investment must be left to the titans of the free market.
Even assuming, for purposes of argument, that the mandated Japanese investments are selected by Trump in good faith, the new agreement still represents a complete change in position by the GOP. Will anyone in Congress balk? Will we hear screams of anger from the Freedom Caucus?
Don’t bet on it. They will say this is different, because Trump is a wildly successful businessman, and Obama was not. Since Trump’s record of picking winners at the Trump Organization is ample and clear, I will leave it to you to decide whether they are right.