Outside the Beltway

We’re set to return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits, and Republicans won’t do a thing about it.

Trump’s tariff plan isn’t going over well in farm country, and that could cause problems for the GOP in November.

The great negotiator in the White House is likely underestimating the tools available to Xi.

Speaking of trade war talk…

The DJIA (and other markets) are not too happy about all of this trade war talk.

President Trump is continuing his dangerous and misguided trade war rhetoric,

March’s Jobs Report fell far short of expectations.

Begun the trade wars have.

President Trump seems intent on walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran. If he does, he’ll be handing a gift to Iran and harming American national interests significantly.

Under the proposal certain visa-seekers (such as China and India) would have to have their social media presence scrutinized.

After initially praising the completion of a trade deal with South Korea, President Trump is now suggesting he may withhold final approval contingent on progress on talks with North Korea. This makes no sense whatsoever.

As a general rule, Presidents are entitled to have a Cabinet and advisers he is comfortable with, but a Cabinet full of “yes men” is not ideal with any President, and certainly not with this one.

Another significant development on the Korean Peninsula.

After several days of speculation, it was confirmed that the leaders of North Korea and China had met in Beijing. This was meant as much for external consumption as it was the relationship between the two nations.

In selecting John Bolton as his National Security Adviser, Donald Trump has signaled to the world that he’s likely to take action that will only serve to make the world a more dangerous place.

From Europe to the Middle East, to Asia, America’s allies are concerned about what the selection of John Bolton as National Security Adviser means going forward. They should be, and so should every American.

The selection of Mike Pompeo as the next Secretary of State makes it more likely that President Trump will take the foolish and dangerous step of withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran.

Best known as a television host, he served in the Reagan administration and chief economist of Bear Stearns.

While the nature of Rex Tillerson’s firing as Secretary of State was shocking in its abruptness, taken in context with the rocky nature of his tenure it was hardly surprising.

Nine years later, at least one member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is admitting what seemed at the time a rather obvious fact.

By threatening to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, Donald Trump is making it far less likely that any upcoming talks with North Korea will succeed.

There won’t be any tanks, but it looks like President Trump will get his military parade.

The chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors is out after failing to convince the boss not to impose tariffs.

The circumstantial case for corruption by Kushner is growing.

After skipping such events in his first thirteen months in office, the President tried his hand at stand-up last night to mixed reviews.

The President jokingly praised his Chinese counterpart’s power grab at a fundraiser. But he seriously doesn’t understand the rule of law.

John Bolton is leading a cry for preemptive war against North Korea.

The President provided a contender for most ignorant tweet this morning, as he makes a proposal that would disrupt the global economy.

President Trump has announced that he’ll be imposing significant tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. This is an unwise decision.

This is very much why the security clearance process requires so much financial disclosure.

The White House chief of staff has downgraded the President’s son-in-law’s access to classified information. We’ll see how long that lasts.

China’s Xi Jinping solidified his hold on power well into the next decade over the weekend.

A mass wave of mainland Chinese immigration to Australia has led to discrimination against Taiwanese expats there.

President Trump continues to make irresponsible and dangerous threats in connection with American policy toward North Korea.

President Trump has announced a new round of sanctions against North Korea, but they are unlikely to work given the unrealistic nature of the Administration’s current policy toward North Korea.

Billy Graham was the son of a North Carolina farmer who grew up to become a counselor to Presidents, Prime Ministers, and even a Queen.

Elliot Cohen laments the lack of steel in the spine of the statesmen, diplomats, soldiers, and thinkers of the current generation.

Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty in response to clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a staggering and flagrant dereliction of the duties he agreed to take on when he took the Oath Of Office more than a year ago.

President Trump’s tweets, other public statements, and actions are causing world leaders to doubt the reliability of the United States on the world stage.

Donald Trump is now claiming that he had never denied that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. This is, of course, not true.

Phil Carter makes an interesting argument but he’s ultimately mistaken.

Expecting North Korea to agree to diplomatic talks that are aimed at getting rid of their nuclear weapons is asking for the impossible, and ensuring there will be no progress on the diplomatic front for the foreseeable future.

My latest for The National Interest takes a contrarian view on the new National Defense Strategy.

America’s closest European allies are rebuffing the Trump Administration’s efforts to renegotiate the nuclear deal with Iran. They’re right to do so.

President Trump has alienated America’s allies and friends, and they are acting accordingly.

Just over one year after President Trump’s foolish and ill-informed decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Canada has stepped in to rescue the deal.

President Trump is apparently pressuring the President of South Korea to give him the credit for talks between North and South Korea that the United States isn’t involved in at all.

Thanks to Donald Trump, public opinion around the world about the United States is at its lowest level in ten years.

Two Republicans spoke out today against the President’s war on the news media, but don’t expect their colleagues to follow suit.