Most rural voters I know believe that we are already at war or soon will be. Many in the military believe so as well. Even the Secretary General of NATO has said that all NATO countries should be on a war footing right now.
President Trump has leaned into this core Commander-in-Chief issue.
And to the rural voter, and disregarding tactics, Trump is eating Democrats’ lunch when it comes to defense.
To prepare for war, Trump correctly identified that the U.S. must ensure control over the Panama Canal as well as Arctic military and shipping lanes as the Arctic becomes passable year-round; he is increasing the number of heavy ice breakers for the U.S. from 2 to 40, more on par with Russia; he noted that we need to ensure that we have resilient back up power in a time of war if our pipeline infrastructure is blown up; he has proposed an “Iron Dome” over the U.S. to shoot down enemy missiles; he imposed steel tariffs (which Biden wisely kept in place) to encourage the re-opening of foundries in the U.S. – and it worked: we do have more foundries today; he wants the U.S. border as secure as possible and our neighbors to pay for some of that cost; Hamas is releasing the hostages and he has proposed a solution to the issue of Gaza (which could be the starting point to something that does work); he reinstated veterans who were discharged under the Covid vaccine mandate; and military recruitment is up – even PBS reported that “Army to meet 2025 recruiting goals in dramatic turnaround.”
This is a rational strategy. But his tactics?
Trump’s tactics come at a steep cost. He is eroding U.S. Goodwill and creating future military risks.
Democrats should be running on that issue rather than criticizing strategy.
Instead I hear Democrats and legacy media advocating that Democrats should be running on the price of eggs and how egg prices haven’t come down since Trump came into office.
My friends and neighbors, on the other hand, are talking about when historians will say WW III started. Was it the invasion of the Ukraine? Hamas’ invasion of Israel? The alliance of Greenland with the U.S.? When China invented an EMP generator that does not rely on a nuclear explosion?
My father always said, as do the 25 year-olds who returned from Afghanistan, that the only way to prevent war is to prepare for war. As Sun Tzu pointed out, you should never go to war with someone who is strong.
So while Trump addresses this rural narrative and concern by talking about and preparing for war, Democrats are talking about egg prices. And USAID, which voters have never heard of. Democrats need to look in the mirror and realize how weak and out of touch they sound.
I was convinced Harris would lose the election when I received my first and only flyer from the Harris campaign, the day before the election, that said that as my Commander-in-Chief, her first priority would be abortion. (In Michigan, which has constitutionally protected abortion rights).
Democrats need to show a better way and stop the harm the chattering class is causing
Trump’s tactic on the border issue seems very clear. He threatened tariffs to bring Mexico and Canada to the table. That worked. He then gave them 30 days to come up a proposal. They are working on that now. I suspect that when they come back there will also be some level of trade concessions in their proposals as well so that Trump can claim victory on both border security and our trade imbalance. Will this take 30 days or 60 days? I don’t know, but I suspect it will happen. And yes, it could include a much smaller tariff – he is keen on essentially imposing a regressive national sales tax on Americans to raise revenue.
But there will be a deal.
The media responded first by arguing that this was a disastrous trade war. It wasn’t. Then when he paused tariffs the media ridiculed him for “caving” and not getting a good deal. But we have no idea what the deal is yet. He clearly said when asked if the tariffs will be lifted in 30 days: “We’ll see” what they come back with.
The media’s mocking of Trump is poking the bear and making Trump more likely to exact even more from our neighbors than he would have, just to prove them wrong. While Trump is playing with matches, the media is spraying gasoline in the air.
Hasn’t it occurred to anyone that farmers know exactly how much Canada buys in American agricultural products? And that the Farm Bureau is all over this, trying to temper Trump’s demands? The media is making these efforts more difficult.
Democrats need someone to step up and say “Yes I understand the strategy – but look at the cost with Trump’s tactics. Democrats have a better way.”
Trump is simply spending our accumulated good will. You can only take advantage of your best friend so many times. I have no doubt Trump’s tactics will work here. But it is costing trillions of dollars in Goodwill. And our allies will quickly work to U.S. Proof their economies.
Democrats could be pointing out that this is a bad deal. Even if Canada and Mexico came up with $10 Billion in additional border security, is that worth $3 Trillion (10% of GDP) in American Goodwill?
I had suggested this very strategy to Kamala Harris last year, but with a different tactic. I suggested that the U.S. and Canada help pay for Mexico to secure their borders and address their gang and cartel issues. It would be inexpensive and generate Goodwill. All while letting the Biden administration save face on its handling of the border.
Start this narrative now and show that Democrats know how to talk about defense.
And get the media off the rabbit holes that they go down.
Mark W. Yonkman 5 February 2025