The first six months of Donald Trump’s second presidency have been marked by a flurry of executive orders and legislative activity unparalleled in U.S. history, with the possible exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days in office.
The key difference is that Roosevelt’s New Deal was a radical — and ultimately successful — effort to pull the United States out of the Great Depression. By contrast, Trump’s policy drive lacks such a clear, immediate catalyst, as the U.S. economy was performing well before he came to office.
Rather than responding to a crisis, Trump’s policies seek to reorient the American economy by revitalizing its once-dominant manufacturing sector. Whether they will succeed is far from certain.
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