Donald Trump may have added trillions to the federal deficit and debt, but that won’t stop him from running for reelection on a platform of fiscal responsibility. That this could even be considered is evidence of just how absurd our political system has become in this country.
The self-described “king of debt” is about to get religion.
In the next several months, the Trump administration faces several big spending and budget showdowns with Congress. And after mostly brushing off deficit concerns while pushing through a costly tax-cut plan, the White House now plans to reposition itself as an unlikely enforcer of fiscal responsibility led by its new top budget official, a veteran of the conservative group Heritage Action.
This is hardly a shock. After all, the thrice-married repeat adulterer ran as the family values candidate. And Republicans have been doing this on spending and the deficit forever. When they have full control, they spend like a drunken sailor; when the Democrats have any power, suddenly they’re the party of fiscal responsibility. That this hypocritical nonsense works is downright depressing.
