Amid the continuing Democratic Party meltdown over what to do about an increasingly incompetent incumbent president, former President Donald Trump released the most detailed document yet outlining a policy vision for a second term in office.
Like the candidate himself, the 2024 Republican Party platform has its flaws and is sometimes more sizzle than steak, but all faults included, it is still a commonsense agenda that should unify Republicans and independents into a strong governing majority.
Dedicated “to the forgotten men and women of America,” much of the agenda aims at stopping and reversing damage caused by President Joe Biden.
On the border crisis, the platform promises to “halt all releases of illegal Aliens into the interior,” “reinstate Remain in Mexico and other policies that helped reduce illegal immigration to historic lows,” and “begin the largest deportation program in American history” by “removing [illegal immigrants] who have violated our laws.” These are precisely the policies needed to restore law and order to the southern border.
On inflation, the platform promises to lower energy costs by “terminating the Socialist Green New Deal,” unleashing “energy production from all sources, including nuclear,” and “rein[ing] in wasteful federal spending.” The document is vague on which spending should be cut, but it does promise to terminate Biden’s “Social Green New Deal” and cancel his electric vehicle mandate. There is a lot of expensive waste in Biden’s inappropriately named “Inflation Reduction Act,” and Trump could save a lot of money by repealing it entirely.
By renewing tax cuts passed in his first term, “slashing regulations” enacted by Biden, and opening up energy production, the platform offers a solid blueprint for fair and equitable economic growth.
Internationally, the platform promises to “build a military bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” which would be a welcome change from Biden budgets that have constantly underfunded national security, most importantly our lack of naval strength in the Pacific to contain Chinese aggression. Trump’s call for a “return to peace through strength” also includes supporting troops with higher pay and, perhaps most importantly, getting “woke leftwing Democrats fired as soon as possible.”
Pro-life Republicans are understandably concerned that Trump’s platform does not call for a national ban on abortion as previous versions of the platform did. But these critics need prudence here, which does not mean that they should drop their goal. But an overwhelming 79% of people oppose a nationwide ban on abortion. Less restrictive measures, such as requiring notification of a parent or guardian, are more popular. There are many anti-life Biden policies Trump can reverse, but only if he wins reelection. Incremental steps toward a renewed culture of life is a judicious path.
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If the platform has one blind spot, it is on entitlement spending. It promises Trump “will not cut one penny from Medicare and Social Security,” “including no changes to the retirement age.” No real entitlement reform is likely under Biden, but the Social Security Trust Fund is set to run dry in 2035, and the Medicare Trust Fund follows suit in 2036. These dates are still a decade away, but burying our heads in the sand for the next four years will not make the hard decisions we will be forced to make in 10 years any easier.
Trump is an imperfect candidate, and these pages would have preferred other candidates, but the platform he has put forward for the convention, while flawed, is infinitely better than what would happen under four more years of Biden.