Economics has been a crutch for some Republicans who want to convince themselves that, of two hated candidates, Donald Trump is the one who shares most of their values. He doesn’t like taxes—boy, does he not like taxes—and he doesn’t like regulation, so we’ll let his hatred of trade slide. But his hatred of trade, unlike his more perfunctory economic pronouncements, is enthusiastic. At the Presidential debate on Sunday night, when asked a vague question about caring for all Americans, he went straight to his comfortable place: “When I look at . . . the potential that our country has, we have such tremendous potential.” What is preventing that potential from being realized? “Trade, where we’re doing so badly. . . . It’s hard to believe. Inconceivable.”
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