What did Donald Trump do today?
He coped with losing an election by doubling down on two of the things voters hated the most about him.
Trump posted this to his boutique social media website this morning:
Here we go again! With the perceived loss by the Republicans in the Midterms - I WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT- the INVASION of our Country is taking place again. Huge CARAVANS are forming and beginning their illegal march through Mexico. Many of the people in these Caravans are those that various countries don’t want - “Send them to America,” they say - But they will not be accepted! MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED. MEXICO, THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, THE VERY LIBERAL NEW GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, OUR GREAT BORDER PATROL, & ICE, HAVE BEEN SO INFORMED. There will be no leniency! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Of course, it's not really a question of whether Republicans were "perceived" to lose the midterms. They were, because they did, by astonishing margins, after Trump literally begged rally audiences for months to pretend he was on the ballot.
As for the nonexistent caravans, this is a story that Trump has been telling for a long time: the "caravans" pop into existence whenever he has political need of them. Of course, in reality, undocumented immigrants to the United States are motivated by economic pressures and the fear of violence in their home countries, not who wins any given election here.
Trump's tariff threat is likely to be an empty one: he's been outmaneuvered by Mexico's government on this point before, and the courts have kept him on a short leash. But the sharp import tax increases he's managed to impose on American consumers have put a huge dent in household budgets. This would deliver another big hit to Americans who, unlike Trump, pay for their own groceries: Mexico is the United States' largest trade partner by total volume.
In other words, Trump is combining two of the things that American voters were most angry about—his immigration policy and the kitchen-table disaster of his trade war—when they delivered the "perceived" loss to his party last week.
Why does this matter?
- A president who respected the American people might try listening to them.
- If Trump believes the "caravan" lie, he might be the only person who does.
- Americans' economic well-being is more important than Donald Trump's need to emotionally self-soothe by raising taxes on them.