Five contradictions that underline Project Trump
Hindustan Times|November 14, 2024
Donald Trump's spectacular win was based on sharpening contradictions. His success will depend on reconciling them
Prashant Jha
Five contradictions that underline Project Trump

Donald Trump will walk into the Oval Office on January 20, 2025, with unprecedented political legitimacy. His decisive win in the electoral college, a sweep of all swing states, the support of a majority of Americans, the Republican capture of the Senate, the party's possible win of the House, his authority over the ideological and organizational network of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, and the utter destruction of the political morale of American liberals and Left gives Trump political room to implement his vision.

But such a dramatic electoral win is only possible if it is based on an aggregation of interests, a coalition of groups, and a torrent of promises, all of which are sometimes at odds with each other. The test of a political campaign is in the ability to construct as wide a tent as possible to win the maximum number of votes, one that Trump passed spectacularly. The test of governance is in the ability to mediate between the conflicting interests that make up this tent, and factor in even those interests that may not be a part of it but are a part of the national tent. This is the test that Trump will embark on next January.

There are five tensions at the heart of the Trump project that span political economy, politics and foreign policy. The first is between his promises of lower prices and higher tariffs. Trump's solution for lower prices is more energy production; he claims this will lower gas prices. The economic applicability of this argument at this moment is suspect—the United States (US) is already seeing record levels of energy production; while gas prices contributed to inflation, it wasn't the sole reason; inflation is dipping and the Fed is lowering interest rates.

Denne historien er fra November 14, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 14, 2024-utgaven av Hindustan Times.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA HINDUSTAN TIMESSe alt
Bitcoin Bonanza? Don't Overlook Tax And Reporting
Hindustan Times

Bitcoin Bonanza? Don't Overlook Tax And Reporting

Bitcoin has surpassed its all-time high each day for the past week. On Wednesday, the token's price peaked at about $89,828, a 112% year-to-date surge.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 14, 2024
Hindustan Times

Mahayuti to pick CM after polls through a democratic process'

The Mahayuti is headed towards a strong showing in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections and the winning lawmakers will sit together and take a decision on the chief minister's position in a democratic process, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday.

time-read
1 min  |
November 14, 2024
Top court cracks down on bulldozer justice by states
Hindustan Times

Top court cracks down on bulldozer justice by states

Describing a house as \"an embodiment of the collective hopes of a family or individuals' stability and security\", the Supreme Court on Wednesday laid down nationwide guidelines to curb arbitrary demolitions by state authorities, marking a significant moment in the battle against what has come to be known as \"bulldozer justice\"-- the practice of razing the properties of people accused of crimes, and, sometimes, of their families, often using earthmovers or bulldozers, without following due process.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 14, 2024
Batting time: Preparations in lockdown mode for India
Hindustan Times

Batting time: Preparations in lockdown mode for India

All-out attack failed against New Zealand, and Aussie opener Usman Khawaja seems to have a point

time-read
3 mins  |
November 14, 2024
Hindustan Times

Number of crorepati taxpayers surges 323% in 10 yrs

The number of taxpayers with 1 crore plus gross annual income surged 323% to 350,129 in 2023-24 from 82,836 in 2013-14 while the number of income-tax assesses saw a 120% jump in last one decade to 79,212,146, signifying the government's policy nudge to deepen and widen the tax base while shielding the middle class, according government officials aware of the matter.

time-read
1 min  |
November 14, 2024
Hindustan Times

WHOLESALE PV SALES SLOW IN OCTOBER DESPITE FESTIVE DEMAND

India's wholesale passenger vehicle sales grew marginally year-on-year to 393,000 units in October despite two major festivals celebrated during the month.

time-read
1 min  |
November 14, 2024
Fox News host picked as US def chief
Hindustan Times

Fox News host picked as US def chief

President-elect Donald Trump has said that the new secretary of defence Pete Hegseth is a true believer in America First approach

time-read
2 mins  |
November 14, 2024
Biden meets Trump, promises smooth transition of power
Hindustan Times

Biden meets Trump, promises smooth transition of power

Donald Trump left White House on January 20, 2021, as a bitter man angry at the 2020 election results that he continued to reject, as an isolated man whose own party sought to distance itself from Trump after the mob insurrection on US Capitol, as a politician whose political obituary was being widely written in Washington DC and beyond, and as a president who had broken the tradition of peaceful transfer of power.

time-read
1 min  |
November 14, 2024
Hindustan Times

COP29: Developing nations start work on new climate finance text

After developing countries rejected the first draft on the new collective quantified goal (NCQG), on Tuesday, co-chairs of the programme on NCQG at the COP 29 climate talks in Baku released another iteration, on Wednesday morning that runs into 34 pages.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 14, 2024
Hindustan Times

Cautious rebuilding of Delhi-Kabul ties

The Taliban's appointment of a consul for the Afghan mission in Mumbai appears to be part of a nascent and cautious process of engagement between the two sides.

time-read
1 min  |
November 14, 2024