In the past week, three critical stories gained steam, any one of which could pose a threat to President Trump’s tenure. In the same week, we’ve seen Gary Cohn’s resignation over the tariff decision; a slew of Jared Kushner scandals; and the Stormy Daniels lawsuit concerning $130,000 to hush up a purported affair.
Trump’s decision to press forward on tariffs has created a firestorm on the right and driven a wedge like no other issue has between Trump and the GOP-led Congress. Why is this such a big deal? Republicans think, understandably, that their only chance of survival is a healthy economy, and getting credit for it by virtue of the tax bill. If, as we’ve seen hints of in the run-up to a formal enactment, the markets take a nosedive, so will Trump’s bragging rights on that score and a whole lot of his rich donors/supporters will lose a whole lot of money. For ideologically minded GOP donors, such as the Koch brothers, tariffs are as bad as a tax hike — in fact, they are a tax hike on consumers. Trump and Republicans now risk losing credit for a healthy economy that they essentially inherited — and getting blamed for a rocky patch, in an election year.
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