Donald Trump’s presidency stood as a testament to unwavering leadership, defined by fierce loyalty to his supporters and a fearless drive to challenge the entrenched powers of Washington. His tenure delivered tax cuts that fueled business growth, trade policies that confronted global rivals, and a relentless focus on America’s strength. Yet, amid the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, one decision cast a shadow over this robust legacy: the colossal stimulus packages that injected trillions into the economy. Trump sought to anchor a nation adrift in crisis, but by embracing state intervention, he wandered from the free market principles that could have guided a more enduring recovery.
Credit belongs where it’s earned. In March 2020, as the pandemic shuttered storefronts, grounded industries, and left millions without work, Trump acted with characteristic speed. The CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion behemoth, was signed into law, channeling funds to struggling families, small businesses, and health systems. Later that year, he greenlit another $900 billion package, reinforcing the effort. This was Trump in his element—bold, unhesitating, a leader who refused to let America buckle. Supporters saw a president willing to wield power decisively, a trait that fueled his appeal through years of political storms.
But the execution stumbled over a bedrock economic reality: when you inflate the money supply, inflation trails close behind. Printing dollars—via the Federal Reserve’s expansive policies—flooded the system with cash, diluting its value as more dollars vied for the same scarce goods. The fallout was stark. By 2022, inflation surged to 9.1%, the highest in four decades, a relentless tide that lifted prices for gas to over $5 a gallon in many states, spiked grocery bills, and drove rents beyond reach for countless households. The pandemic’s global supply chain snarls and energy shocks bore a modest slice of the blame, amplifying the chaos, but the torrent of stimulus dollars turned a smoldering challenge into an economic blaze. Ronald Reagan, a free market lodestar, saw this trap coming. He famously quipped, “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Trump’s stimulus, an overreach born of urgency, sank into that subsidy mire, sidelining the market’s innate ability to right itself.
The Democrats, however, cannot dodge their share of the blame. Trump’s spending may have opened the gates, but the Biden administration charged through, pouring billions into wasteful pursuits. Programs tied to the Green New Deal’s lofty climate goals, expansive welfare schemes, and woke initiatives stacked onto the fiscal pile. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan of 2021, for instance, funneled cash into state budgets and extended unemployment benefits, even as the economy showed signs of rebounding. These efforts, cloaked as moral imperatives, swelled the money supply further, offering scant return while prolonging inflation’s grip. Both parties fueled this fire: Republicans with their crisis-fueled largesse, Democrats with their ideological bloat. The free market, unshackled, could have steered clear of this mess—businesses pivoting to meet demand, workers finding new paths—without the clumsy hands of bipartisan meddling.
Trump’s broader achievements endure as a counterpoint. His trade wars with China reset global expectations, his deregulation unshackled American enterprise, and his America-first ethos rallied a nation weary of elite indifference. Reagan’s 1980s triumph—pulling the U.S. from the stagflation quagmire with tax cuts that slashed the top rate from 70% to 28% and a regulatory rollback—proved the free market’s resilience. No trillion-dollar handouts needed; just room for ingenuity to breathe. Trump, a dealmaker forged in the private sector, knew this playbook but drifted from it with the stimulus, a misstep mirrored by Democrat excess. Both sides stoked this inflationary beast, eroding the dollar’s strength and the people’s trust.
Now, President Trump, you stand as America’s only hope to reclaim the helm. The nation craves your return—not to repeat past errors, but to restore the free market’s primacy. Resist the printing press’s seductive hum; let enterprise, not government, lead the charge. Repeat that blunder, and we risk socialism’s shadow rooting deep in this land for good—a fate too grim to contemplate.
