That Donald Trump’s inaugural speech was patriotic, nationalistic and populist – that was no surprise. What was unexpected, at least by me, was his call for government action. And not just what government can do to unleash the economy and incentivize Americans to work, save, and invest
Trump focused on what government itself can do now that “the hour of action” has arrived. In his inaugural address in 1981, Ronald Reagan declared that government wasn’t the solution. It was the problem. Trump didn’t quite say the opposite, but he pointed that way.
We knew that Trump isn’t a principled conservative. But the speech distanced him further from the small government conservatism of most Republicans than ever before.
“We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways across our wonderful nation,” Trump said. “We will get our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.” All that will cost plenty.
And there was more. “We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth of disease, and harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.” I interpret that to mean Trump intends to jack up our space program and expand the life-saving research at NIH and tap government to do a lot more.
Trump also bemoaned “the sad depletion of our military.” He didn’t need to say he will rebuild the military. He’s said it in so many speeches.
In all this, Trump has made himself the champion of a different, though not entirely new, type of conservatism – big government conservatism. He hinted at this in campaign speeches. He was more explicit about it in the inaugural speech.
One more thing. It was this conservatism that differentiated Trump from conventional conservatives. And it allowed him to win an election that the Romneys and Bushes never would have won. The message of his inaugural address – though not the only one – is that as president he’s sticking with the big government approach.
