Visions of Trumptopia

IN HIS speech on Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, Mr Trump presented himself as having made an aggressive start at championing the cause of working people.

We heard again the same sorts of gauzy promises and assertions of a future Edenic America, a sort of Trumptopia, that characterised his campaign. He didn’t explain how he would get it all done, much less pay for any of it; indeed, it sounded at times as though he were still running for the job, rather than confronted with actually doing it. Across his first few weeks in office, Mr Trump has shown little sign of delivering anything for working Americans.

Mr Trump likes to describe his chaotic first month as “promises kept”. Really? Remember how he promised during the campaign to “immediately” fix Obamacare and deliver “great health care for a fraction of the price”? He hasn’t even put a plan on the table. On Monday, he complained to the nation’s governors that “nobody knew” replacing Obamacare “could be so complicated”.

It’s hard to escape the conclusion, so far, the only working people the president has really delivered for are members of his own family using his presidency as a brand-building opportunity, and former campaign officials cashing in as lobbyists in Washington.

Mr Trump closed his address to Congress by recalling the historic accomplishments of “the country’s builders and artists and inventors”, and imagining what Americans can accomplish today. It’s time for the American president to do his job as well.