There are times when Trump looks like a dog peeing over Obama’s marks. Is that really true, however, or is he primarily motivated by standard GOP positions, and by his own weird ideology?
I would break it down this way:
- Taxes and deregulation: He has just adopted the default GOP position. That includes his stance on Obamacare, which is shared by most of the party.
- Energy and the environment: His position on climate change is also standard GOP fare. Another Republican president might have chosen to stay in the Paris Agreement, but quietly refused to implement it; making lots of noise is a reflection of his personality. His affection for fossil fuels, particularly coal, is largely motivated by his personal thing about jobs done by brawny men. Reducing the size of Obama’s new monuments, however, appears to be an effort to attack his legacy.
- Relationships with democrats and dictators: He is primarily motivated here by his unique affection for strong men and his idiosyncratic beliefs about trade deficits.
- Russia: Another weird, personal thing having nothing to do with the GOP or Obama.
- Middle East: The attacks on Syrian chemical weapons facilities were a clear effort to distance himself from Obama. His policy with regard to IS and the Syrian government is just a more confused version of what Obama did. His rejection of the Iran deal was probably partially motivated by his desire to destroy an Obama accomplishment, but Saudi flattery and Israeli lobbying were more important factors. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem was a rejection of longstanding policy, not just a slap at Obama.
- The TPP: Turning his back on Obama’s deal was consistent with his longstanding belief that the US should use its market power to impose its will on other countries on a bilateral basis. He would have done it regardless of who negotiated the deal.
And so, the bottom line is that obliterating Obama’s legacy is not as important a consideration as ideology, whether his own or his party’s.