Trump is leading us into hyperinflation — Democrats must think big and strike back

President Trump is the man who would be king. We, the people, have just barely survived the first month of the cruel reign of the evil King Donald and his loyal retainer, Elon Musk.

Trump has ruled by royal fiat, even though his courtiers control Congress. With a whisk of his quilled pen, he has done away with (or tried to) constitutional rights such as birthright citizenship and arbitrarily curtailed spending that benefits his loyal subjects’ health and safety.

His predecessor, King George III of Great Britain would be so proud.

Musk has faithfully done his majesty’s bidding. He has taken control of the palace guard, presided over the first meeting of the Council of Lords and brutally terminated the jobs of thousands of hard-working public employees. These draconian cuts are the equivalent of throwing dynamite into the pond to catch fish. It creates lots of smoke and noise, but it isn't very efficient.

But Musk flies too close to the sun and often steals his majesty’s thunder and glory. He will be the first high-profile member of the king’s court to get the axe.

Trump’s desperate quest for absolute power continues unabated, with the help of a compliant Congress. He will continue to abuse his authority to an even greater extent, since no one has been able to stop him.

The king knows one thing and he knows it well. Democrats take note — Americans feel that the realm is going to hell in a handbasket, and they will follow anybody who fights to undermine the status quo.

On Tuesday evening, Trump will address Congress and his subjects in what will serve as his State of the Union speech. And there's no mistaking it — the state of the realm is awful.

There are outbreaks of measles in the west. His royal majesty’s response was to appoint Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a skeptic of vaccination, as secretary of Health and Human Services. The Bird Flu has reached epidemic levels, which has caused big increases in the price of eggs.

The economy is getting worse instead of better. The Biden boom in jobs — more than 14 million of them — is officially over as jobless claims increase. Now that Trump has taken up a crusade in the culture war and abandoned his campaign pledge to fight inflation, inflation is growing unabated.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) just proposed the creation of a $250 bill with Trump's picture on it, to honor and memorialize him. We will need larger denominations now that inflation still runs rampant, and the president has betrayed his campaign promise that prices will come down on Day One of his reign.

Soon the Trump presidency will be printing money as fast as the Weimer Republic did before the rise of Hitler to cope with high prices. Trump now wants Congress to eliminate the cap on the size of the federal budget deficit to accommodate his budget busting tax cuts for fat cats and plutocrats.

The king’s minions in the House of Representatives just passed a budget resolution that will lead to massive cuts in medical care for the elderly and little kids which will cause misery and suffering for millions. Meanwhile, bankers and billionaires will thrive with tax cuts that will allow the liege lords of the land to live in even greater luxury than they now enjoy.

The situation is grotesque and will get even worse unless Democrats find a way to their flex their muscles. They will have their chance after King Donald’s speech from the throne when Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) delivers the Democratic response.

With the passage of the budget resolution in the House, the battle between the loyal Democratic opposition and king’s abject retainers is joined. Slotkin should make draw a clear contrast between Trump’s desire for big tax breaks for bankers and billionaires and Democratic concern about depriving seniors and little kids of medical care.

But she must do more than that. She must urge her fellow Democrats to think big and act boldly. Voters are severely depressed with the direction of the nation.

Democrats must fight to save health care for poor seniors and little kids, but we must offer more than more of the same. An excellent example of progress would be Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) proposal to raise Social Security benefits by $2,400 a year to alleviate the costs that come with inflation. The senator from the Green Mountain State and member of the Senate Finance Committee would pay for the expansion in benefits by applying payroll taxes on all income over $250,000. This year, it stops being taxed after the first $176,000.

We need to do more than preserve and protect the status quo. Democrats and progressives must aggressively offer solutions for the serious problems that face the nation and worry the public.

Brad Bannon is a national Democratic strategist and CEO of Bannon Communications Research which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.

Topics

To stop Trump, Democrats must reinvent themselves

Democrats can’t beat Trump and the populist right with the discredited progressive playbook they’ve been following since 2016.
The Hill - Feb. 21
Thunder vs. lightning: How Democrats must navigate the Trump era

spectacle. It is meant to distract and overwhelm. Democrats cannot afford to spend four years reacting to every clap of thunder. Instead, the focus must be on the lightning — swift, powerful and ...
The Hill - 6d
Democratic governors push back against Trump

With Democrats in the minority in Washington, D.C., it could be up to governors to mount the party's opposition to President Trump's agenda. Ofirah Yheskel, director of external affairs for the ...
CBS News - Feb. 20
Democrats plan a different kind of response to Trump’s big speech

Their less pugilistic approach is the latest sign the party is still coming to terms with how to confront the president.
Politico - 13h
Russia thinks the West is weak — Europe must make a stand, now

Until Putin leaves the Kremlin, the only way to ensure Western security is for Europe to do more — ideally supported by America.
The Hill - 3d
US LNG industry faces obstacles despite Trump’s backing

The president sparked enthusiasm for American liquefied natural gas exports by lifting a pause on government permit approvals
Financial Times - 4d
Keir Starmer to press Donald Trump on US military back-up to Ukraine

Also in today’s newsletter, what lawyers are saying about the US president’s ‘gold card’ visa scheme
Financial Times - 4d
Trump renews attacks on Zelenskyy over US backing against Russia

Confrontation between Washington and Kyiv intensifies after European summit at the weekend
Financial Times - 1h
Crypto and big tech’s backing pays off as Trump makes tech-friendly moves

Flurry of directives relaxes regulations and drop lawsuit – and billionaires who donated to Trump are ready to benefit. The millions that US tech companies invested in currying favor with Donald ...
The Guardian - Feb. 22