WSJ: Trump Throws Another Hail Mary
Three things can happen when you throw the ball, legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes once warned, and two of them are bad. Few figures in world history like going deep more than President Trump, and now the world is watching to see what happens to his latest Hail Mary on trade.
Mr. Trump, to be sure, is a certified miracle worker. In his first term he managed to turn dovish Democrats into flaming Russia hawks. Less than 100 days into his second term, he’s already converted the Democrats into Milton Friedmanite free traders. Give him a third term, and the Democrats will demand a return to the gold standard.
But even miraculous powers have their limits. When Mr. Trump left Washington in January 2021, many key goals remained unmet. There was no “big, beautiful wall” on the U.S. southern border, and the check from the Mexicans that was supposed to pay for everything was still lost in the mail. North Korea kept its nukes, Iran remained unbowed, Russia stayed surly, and American forces were still in Afghanistan.
Now Mr. Trump has returned and is hurling one long pass after another. Threaten Canada with annexation. Launch a trade war with China. Negotiate a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. Claim Greenland. Call the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s future into question. Tariff virtually everything that moves. Then untariff, retariff and partially untariff again. Offer Israel unprecedented support. Offer Iran a new nuclear deal.
The results have been mixed. There have been some real successes. The southern border is secure. The outreach to Panama produced a potential deal on port facilities there and elsewhere that put China on the back foot. More NATO allies are taking defense seriously and stepping up their commitments to Ukraine. The president has had more success getting the mullahs to the negotiating table in less than three months than President Biden had in four years.