Less than a month into his first term, Donald Trump thought it’d be a good idea to whine to reporters for a while about the conditions he inherited from Barack Obama. “To be honest, I inherited a mess — it’s a mess — at home and abroad. A mess,” he said in February 2017, before adding: “We’re going to take care of it all. I just want to let you know I inherited a mess.”
On CBS’ “Late Show,” Stephen Colbert joked soon after, in a message to Trump, “No, you inherited a fortune. We elected a mess.”
The Republican’s whining wasn’t just unseemly, it was also bizarre. As we discussed at the time, Trump had no idea how good he had it: He took office at a time of low unemployment, steady economic growth, the lowest uninsured rate on record, low crime, low inflation, a modest deficit, a rising stock market, and a country that was broadly respected around the world.
The incessant “mess” nonsense notwithstanding, Obama effectively handed his successor a gift, complete with a nice little bow on top.
Eight years later, I have every confidence that the incoming president will whine some more, but the truth is that conditions are even more favorable for him than they were in early 2017.
The morning after Election Day, JP Morgan published an analysis marveling at the fact that Democrats “were not able to convert” excellent economic conditions — labor market, manufacturing boom, wage growth, etc. — into electoral gains. And while I’m mindful of the fact that there are hundreds of competing explanations, the assessment was a timely reminder of the golden situation awaiting the next president.
The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell summarized matters nicely in a column that ran late last week:
How could Donald Trump deliver on his promise to fix the U.S. economy? On Day 1, the president-elect should simply proclaim he’s already fixed it — and go play golf. By which I mean: Declare victory but do absolutely nothing else. Execute none of the economic policies he’s promised and appoint no one to carry them out.
This might seem like a joke, but the underlying point has real merit. The looming question for 2025 isn’t whether Trump will, as his closing message argued, “fix” what’s “broke”; the more sensible question is whether Trump will screw up the gift Biden is leaving behind in the Oval Office.
Trump has vowed to improve the economy, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to lower unemployment, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to address border crossings, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to increase energy production, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to create a manufacturing boom, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to lower crime, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
Trump has vowed to improve the nation’s international standing, but the Biden/Harris administration already did that.
All Trump has to do, in other words, is nothing. I assume he will fail spectacularly at the task.