The article illustrates the disconnect between the statements of Trump officials and the reality of their positions, especially regarding trade and political accountability after the January 6 insurrection. Scott Bessent asserts that Trump is fundamentally a free trader despite his harsh rhetoric on tariffs, while Senator Thom Tillis expresses disbelief at the idea of pardoning January 6 insurrectionists. The piece suggests that some Trump supporters may be engaging in self-deception, with an overall critique of the phenomenon of forgetting Trump's erratic governance and the unrealistic hopes projected onto his administration.
During the transition, Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, acted indignant when Democrats asked Pam Bondi, now Trump's attorney general, if she and the president-elect might consider blanket pardons for Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
Scott Bessent, now Donald Trump's Treasury secretary, assured The Financial Times that Trump had no interest in reducing international trade and that his threats to impose sweeping, 20 percent tariffs on foreign goods were simply a maximalist negotiating position.
Collection
[
|
...
]