Opinion: The only constant with Trump is that he always changes his mind
President Trump greets people upon arrival at Naval Air Facility El Centro, in El Centro, Calif., Friday. By Max Boot Max Boot Columnist covering national security Email Bio Follow Columnist April 5 at 5:02 PM Just before noon on March 29, President Trump tweeted a blood-curdling and very specific threat: “If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug [sic] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING . . .
“We’re going to give them a one-year warning, and if the drugs don’t stop or largely stop, we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, particularly cars,” Trump said. “And if that doesn’t stop the drugs, we close the border.” There is, of course, no reason to assume Trump will be any more willing to carry out his threat in the future than in the recent past. Closing the border would have a “potentially catastrophic economic impact,” as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell noted. Doing so would interrupt $615 billion in two-way trade and could throw 5 million Americans out of work. Automobile production would grind to a halt. Avocados would disappear from store shelves. No guacamole? Now that’s a national emergency.
The good news: Trump did not carry out an ill-advised ultimatum. The bad news: The president of the United States has once again been exposed as a very bad poker player. Trump is the maestro of empty threats. The pontiff of broken promises. The bard of bluster, bluff and BS. You cannot take him seriously — and increasingly, few do, either at home or abroad. Both foreign governments and savvy Americans by now know to discount most of his rhetorical effusions.
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