by Lew Rockwell, Lew Rockwell:
As Donald Trumps begin his second term in office, we naturally wonder what to expect. Certainly, we can be glad that the Marxist Kamala Harris did not succeed brain-dead “President” Joe Biden, but how much of an improvement over that sorry wreck will he be? In this week’s column, I’m going to examine his inaugural address to get some clues.
Trump begins on a very optimistic note: “The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.
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Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end. And our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous, and free. America will soon be greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before. I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”
The dominant theme here is strength. America must be respected and envied by others, and to achieve this goal we must be stronger than we have ever been before. For Rothbardians, this is wrong. We shouldn’t be in a struggle with other countries to see who is stronger. We should instead mind our own business and have peaceful relations with them. On the other hand, there are some good things in this opening, especially about fighting the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department.” Here is where our real struggle should be—with the woke left.
Trump makes another comment that should give us pause. He has unlimited belief in himself, claiming that God has called him to restore America to “greatness.” “Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.” Rothbardians don’t want a Leader: the whole point is to reduce the power of the government, not increase it. Ron Paul would never say anything like that.
One of the best things in the speech is that Trump does realize that we need to battle the woke Left. He will eliminate federal job requirements that give preference to minorities and end government support for transgender policies that aim to destroy the traditional family. “This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female. And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It’s going to end immediately.”
We are also heartened by Trump’s statement that he wants to stay out of foreign wars. “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end — and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier.” But it isn’t our job to impose peace settlements on other countries. It’s not good news that Trump has sent a message to Putin telling him to end the Ukraine war “or else.”
Trump rightly says that we need to combat inflation, reduce government spending and end the Green New Deal. Once more, we should be glad that Trump defeated Kamala Harris. “The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices. With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal. In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.” But the way to end inflation is to stop printing more money, end the Fed, and restore the gold standard.
