Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

 Donald Trump, accompanied by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, speaks to members of the media at Trump Tower in New York. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

The Art of the Autocrat

Robert Reich

 by RobertReich.org

Last week, Trump made a deal with Carrier (and its parent, United Technologies) to keep 800 jobs in Indiana rather than sending them to Mexico. Indiana agreed to give Carrier $7 million in tax breaks, and Trump assured United Technologies that its $6 billion a year in military contracts would be secure.

Then Tuesday morning Trump attacked aerospace giant Boeing – tweeting: “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!” Later he added “We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money.”

Boeing shares immediately took a hit (but recovered by early afternoon as the company began to explain itself).

After which Trump turned Mr. nice guy. “Masa (SoftBank) of Japan has agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S. toward businesses and 50,000 new jobs,” he tweeted shortly after Masayoshi Son, CEO of the company, arrived at Trump Tower in New York. “Masa said he would never do this had we (Trump) not won the election!,” Trump added.

I wonder what Trump promised Masa. 

The art of the Trump deal is to use sticks (public criticism) and carrots (public commendation plus government sweeteners) to get big corporations to do what Trump wants them to do.

This isn’t public policy making. It’s not about changing market incentives. It has nothing to do with lawmaking. It’s a drop in the bucket in terms of jobs.

In reality, it’s the arbitrary and capricious use of personal power – hitting stock prices and turning public opinion against companies Trump doesn’t like, and raising stock prices and public opinion toward companies Trump does like.

Don’t be fooled into thinking Trump is being guided by anything other than his own random, autocratic whims. He could have attacked or lauded any one of thousands of big companies that are creating American jobs, or creating jobs abroad, or charging the government too much for their products.

This is the work of a despot who wants corporate America (and everyone else) to kiss his derriere.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich

Robert Reich

Robert Reich, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include:  "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.

Comments

This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.

Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Latest News

See all
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo speaks at the U.N. General Assembly

Peru's Leftist President Calls for Global Agreement to End Vaccine Apartheid

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo is pushing for an international accord to "guarantee universal access to vaccines for all people on the planet, with no discrimination on the basis of privilege."

Jake Johnson ·

Haitians at Gitmo

'This Cannot Happen': Biden DHS Seeks Contractor for Migrant Detention Center at Guantánamo Bay

The solicitation for bids—which requires some guards who speak Spanish and Haitian Creole—comes as the administration is under fire for mass deportations of migrants, including thousands of Haitians.

Jessica Corbett ·

Biden Covid-19 Summit

Global Vaccine Goals 'Fall Terribly Short' Due to Big Pharma and Rich Nations' Greed: Experts

"Wealthy nations are using up the world's vaccine supply, and developing nations are suffering and losing thousands of people every day."

Brett Wilkins ·

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Jayapal

11 Senators Support House Progressives' Push to Pass Full Biden Agenda

"We voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill with the clear commitment that the two pieces of the package would move together along a dual track."

Jessica Corbett ·

Bagram

Ex-Prisoners Recall US Torture at 'Afghanistan's Abu Ghraib'

"It is psychologically hard for me to recall all that was happening," said one former Bagram Air Base inmate. "The torture was mostly done by Afghans, sometimes the Americans. But the orders came from the U.S."

Brett Wilkins ·

Most Popular

 
  1. US Urged to End Drone Strikes After Pentagon Says Killing 10 Afghan Civilians Was 'Horrible Mistake'
  2. 'I Had a Duty of Care': Doctor Praised for Violating Texas' New Abortion Ban
  3. Democrats Urged to 'Ignore' Parliamentarian's Advice Against Path to Citizenship
  4. 40+ NYC Activists Arrested for Protests Against Banks Fueling Climate Emergency
  5. Ahead of Canadian Election, Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib Endorse NDP
  6. The Real Criminals General Milley Exposed? Every Republican in the US Senate
  7. Architect of Texas Abortion Ban Takes Aim at LGBTQ+ Rights While Urging Reversal of Roe
  8. FDA Panel Recommends Pfizer Booster Shots for People 65+ and Especially Vulnerable
  9. Sanders, Top Dems Optimistic Party Will 'Come Together' for Reconciliation Package
  10. 'What Betrayal Looks Like': UN Report Says World on Track for 2.7°C of Warming by 2100

Support our work.

We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader supported.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values.
Direct to your inbox.

Subscribe to our Newsletter.

Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit | Privacy Policy
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.