Trump presidency examined: Predictable chaos; shocking, poor execution
4 Min Read
Zack Beauchamp argues that Trump's tariffs were shockingly poorly executed, exposing a pattern of erratic behavior and revealing the dangers of unchecked presidential power.
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President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House on Marine One, on April 6, 2025 (AP)
Donald Trump's tariffs were both predictable, given his campaign promises, and shocking due to their extreme and seemingly incompetent implementation, causing significant global economic uncertainty, according to Zack Beauchamp.
Beauchamp wrote in Vox that this chaotic approach has become a pattern, with other scandals, like Trump empowering conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer to purge top government officials, overshadowed by the tariff crisis.
He noted that the Trump administration's "true and unvarnished face" has been exposed this week, arguing that it revealed the true seriousness of the Trump problem, as he behaves erratically and some of his supporters openly express worry that things have gone badly wrong.
Since taking office, Trump has made shocking and unpredictable decisions, such as attacking universities, sending Venezuelans to a Salvadoran prison, pushing for Canada to become the 51st state, and shutting down federal agencies like USAID. Despite this, some believed there were still constraints on his actions, especially as previous tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada did not lead to widespread panic due to moderation. Many conservatives found reassurance in the traditionalist national security team around him.
The author revealed that Wall Street is in shock as the S&P 500 lost more value this week in absolute terms than it did throughout the whole 2008 financial crisis.
Additionally, the idea that GOP national security "professionals" would look into any of this is no longer credible: This week, Waltz was forced to attend an Oval Office meeting in which Loomer named out her staff members who were to be sacked. Even Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned that the tariffs might be "terrible for America."
Beauchamp emphasized that the term "mad king" refers to a leader who makes decisions based on irrational reasoning, disconnected from reality, and with little to no checks on their power.
He argued that Trump’s recent actions, particularly his tariffs, fit this definition, as he disregarded economic consensus and proceeded with policies driven by outdated beliefs, despite the potential damage to the global economy and stock market.
He noted that the president delegated partial leadership of the world's most powerful military agency to an "unstable conspiracy theorist" who once tied herself outside X's offices.
The people who were meant to keep Trump in check were shown weak and, in Waltz's case, humiliated.
He also highlighted how he delegated public health choices to an untrained nepotist who has accepted practically every dubious health hypothesis out there.
Trump won't back down from tariffs despite market crash: Axios
Axios reported on Sunday that senior officials in the Trump administration showed no intention of backing down from the president's sweeping new tariff plan, even after global markets suffered massive losses. Investors saw over $6 trillion wiped out on Thursday and Friday alone, raising alarm that Monday could bring even greater turmoil unless the administration steps in to ease trade tensions.
Despite those warnings, Trump's economic team appeared across major Sunday talk shows to reaffirm that the tariff policy will move forward as planned. There will be no delays, no last-minute adjustments, and certainly no reversals.
"The tariffs are coming. He announced it, and he wasn't kidding. The tariffs are coming, of course they are," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on CBS's Face the Nation.
Meanwhile, on NBC's Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed any suggestion that the administration was open to revising the approach: "No. No, no, no. I think that we are going to have to see the path forward. Because, you know, after 20, 30, 40, 50 years of bad behavior, you can't just wipe the slate clean."
Their remarks come as concern deepens among major investors, including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who warned that Monday could bring severe market repercussions if Trump doesn't act swiftly to ease tensions. Yet officials appeared unified in brushing off those fears, suggesting that average Americans are less troubled by Wall Street fluctuations than the media might claim.
