In the wake of last week’s electoral victories by Democrats, the two most prominent Republicans once again showed they are living in a fantasy world. Trump claimed that, along with the government shutdown, Republicans lost because he wasn’t on the ballot. J. D. Vance said that Republicans need to “do better at turning out voters than we have in the past.” Apparently, neither bothered to consider the possibility that the Democrat victories were a rejection of Trump’s policies.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who has declared his candidacy in next year’s Ohio gubernatorial race, stated, “We need to unleash production of everything that matters.” Ramaswamy is correct, but he joined the clueless club by claiming Trump is “setting that tone at the federal level.” To unleash production, producers must be free to produce and trade.
In their remarks, both Vance and Ramaswamy said that Republicans should focus on affordability. However, neither addressed the fact that Trump’s continual meddling in the economy is making many of life’s necessities less affordable. Economic freedom, the freedom to produce and trade, is the only policy that will effectively address affordability.
Trump’s tariffs are the most obvious example of his unwillingness to recognize and protect the freedom to produce and trade. By arbitrarily raising the cost of imports, tariffs prevent producers from trading on terms they voluntarily accept. Producers are forced to trade on terms Trump dictates rather than terms of their own choosing.
Denying the cause of the electoral defeats is not an isolated example of Trump living in a fantasy world. After recent polls found Trump’s approval rating was at its lowest point during his second term, he responded by writing, “After winning THREE Elections, BY A LOT, I am now getting the best Polling Numbers that I have ever received.”
When reality doesn’t conform to Trump’s wishes, he simply “creates” his own reality. This is concerning enough, but Trump has also implied that those expressing negative views about him should be silenced. Referring to what he called the Radical Left Losers, he went on to write, “These are the people that I’ve been beating for years, and am continuing to do so, but by even bigger margins. These ads should not be allowed to run because they are FAKE!” In other words, those who don’t join him in his fantasy world should not be allowed to speak.
Rational people accept the fact that others may disagree with them. They accept the fact that they might be wrong and welcome the opportunity to correct their errors. However, those who live in a continual state of denying reality cannot tolerate anyone who has the audacity to intrude into their fantasy world.
