Can Presidents Fix the Economy? No, But They Can Break It

In listening to a podcast this week, I heard an economist reiterate common wisdom about Presidents: "They have little to no control of the domestic economy, either making it better or worse."

She then amended that statement with a critical distinction: there is not much Presidents can do to make the economy better, but they can easily make it worse.

We are living witnesses to this change in common wisdom. Discretionary executive decisions have rattled the economic landscape: starting conflicts that push up global energy prices, instituting worldwide tariffs, passing tax cuts pushing our accumulated federal debt over $40 trillion, firing government personnel charged with protecting consumers, eliminating the Department of Education, speaking out against vaccines resulting in measles outbreaks around the country, and condemning vital institutions like the Federal Reserve.

Midterm Math: Vetoes vs. Investigations

If the Democrats win the midterms, they can introduce legislation to curtail, modify, or stop many of these executive orders. However, these legislative initiatives can simply be vetoed by Trump, leaving political paralysis in place.

That is not so true, however, when it comes to investigations to uncover corruption.

In a recent Fox News poll asking voters what issues are most important in the election, for the first time corruption was right at the top. We saw a similar dynamic drive the successful campaign in Hungary to unseat Viktor Orbán.

Corruption takes money directly from you, the citizens of America—capital that could otherwise be directed toward mitigating surging healthcare premiums and solving our everyday affordability crisis.