- Again, the entire episode is farcical, & I know Reagan gave lots of speeches to the effect of 2), but the reality is that he oversaw the implementation of extensive protectionism that Trump has used as a template & supercharged. We don't need to revise history like this. bsky.app/profile/mcop...
- It's good to distinguish here between 1) what Reagan believed and 2) what the Reagan administration did due to political calculations and Congressional pressure.
- On 2, check out Clashing over Commerce by @douglasirwin.bsky.social at p 574, quoting administration adviser Bill Niskanen: The Reagan administration's strategy was "to build a five-foot trade wall in order to deter a ten-foot wall [that would have been] established by Congress."Oct 25, 2025 20:10
