The NYT ran an article about Erdogan and his massive public works projects yesterday. It makes perfect sense; a true strongman wants to increase the size and reach of government in order to maximize his own role in the lives of his subjects and make them more dependent on him. Trump, however, has succeeded in cutting government revenues substantially with his tax cut, and is seeking to reduce the size of programs for the poor.
How do we account for this apparent paradox? There are a number of possible explanations:
- He wants to be a strongman, but he simply doesn’t know how to do it. He’s a man on golf cart, not a man on horseback.
- The GOP has long since concluded that it isn’t necessary to pay for government. In Dick Cheney’s immortal words, “Reagan taught us that deficits don’t matter.” It is consequently possible to increase the size of government and cut taxes.
- Trump is increasing the size of the part of the government that swaggers (the military), and cutting the rest. It is a matter of priorities.
The correct answer is (4): all of the above.