One of the things I’ve been wondering about this situation–do we think Trump actually understands that this will defund Social Security and Medicare?
I mean, I’m sure that most everyone else in government does. And maybe Trump has some inkling now, since people have been talking about it a lot. But does anyone really believe that Trump genuinely understood the mechanism by which Social Security is funded? Or did he just see a tax that, if cut, would immediately give people the impression that their pay had gone up, and that’s all there was to it?
There may be well be a plan here to eventually get rid of Social Security, and leave the elderly poor to fend for themselves. But I’m not sure Trump is really behind that. It seems to me more likely that it’s other people taking advantage of Trump’s ignorance.
If you assume that a) if Trump is elected in 2020 there won’t really be an election in 2024, and b) that turning the USA into an overgrown Philippines, Greece, or Russia is the plan all along, then what does Trump care what happens come January? His and his cronies’ all but eternal oligarchic income and power will insulate them from any concern about what happens to those lesser people, or any consequences from their suffering. What does a Putin care for unpaid pensioners freezing in unheated apartments?
As to more mainstream R politicians and folks of the entrepreneurial & stockholder class, perhaps they see it like this: This is simply a way to reduce their cost of labor by 15% overnight without any backlash from the workers. 15% of the total US payroll flowing this year and every year to the shareholders would be a mighty hefty dividend. A few shantytowns are not a high price to pay for that much lucre.
It wouldn’t really hit the fan until mid 2023. At which point he’ll blame the Democrats who will have control of congress (though not the 60% majority it takes to overcome republican stonewalling).