Biden’s Economic Plan Cedes Too Much to Trump
It gets some big things right, but echoing “America First” on trade isn’t one of them.
A populist pitch.
Photographer: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
Former vice president Joe Biden has been laying out additions to the economic plan he’ll offer to the country in November. One set of proposals looks at new public spending, jobs and manufacturing with a focus on “Made in America.” This includes some smart measures and, so far, the fiscal arithmetic — what’s needed and how to pay for it — looks measured and responsible. The encompassing economic message, though, is wrong.
In effect, Biden is surrendering to the man he wants to replace. His pitch tells voters that President Trump’s “America First” economic populism is sound in principle, and only lacking in execution. Perhaps this approach has political appeal, but that doesn’t make it right. The last thing the U.S. economy needs is a more effective Trump. It needs a forthright anti-Trump.