golden palasyo What’s Trump Going to Do With All That Power?

Bret Stephens: Happy New Yeargolden palasyo, Gail. Donald Trump will be president again in a couple of weeks. Is there any news on the horizon that gives you cause for optimism?

Gail Collins: Well, Bret, the holiday season is always a great time to reunite with friends and family. Happy to look back on that. But as for the near horizon, I have a feeling you’re looking for something a little more … political.

Overall, violent crime fell 3 percent and property crime fell 2.6 percent in 2023, with burglaries down 7.6 percent and larceny down 4.4 percent. Car thefts, though, continue to be an exception, rising more than 12 percent from the year before.

But the move backfired in a way that few supporters expected. Californians in 2021 actually tossed nearly 50 percent more plastic bags, by weight, than when the law first passed in 2014, according to data from CalRecycle, California’s recycling agency.

Bret: Either that or the third season of “Squid Game.”

Gail: Besides, you’re the one who wants to discuss the possibility that Trump 2 won’t be the hair-pulling disaster we have every reason to expect it to be. So take it away.

Bret: I made a New Year’s resolution to stay positive about Trump 2 — at least until reality smacks me in the face, probably by Jan. 21. So here goes: deep cuts to wasteful government spending; an extension of the 2017 tax cuts; the defunding of federally sponsored D.E.I. programs, which are counterproductive and divisive; a conclusive end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions; the release of all of Israel’s hostages in Gaza and the end to Hamas’s terrorist state in Gaza and Hezbollah’s in Lebanon; more domestic energy production; a truly secure southern border; the sale of Greenland to the United States — which is not such a crazy idea, so long as it’s voluntary — and Canada as our 51st state.

OK, I’m kidding about Canada; I ask only for the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. But my main hope is that Democrats come to grips with all the ways they fell short last year and figure out how to be a competent opposition party. What do you think should be the main lessons learned?

Gail: We all know the main lesson learned was that many, many, many Americans are unhappy about the cost of living. One quick way to improve things would be a tax cut for the middle and working classes, combined with a hike for the wealthy. No way we’re gonna give everybody, including billionaires, a reduction without skyrocketing deficits.

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