The Yolk's On You!
Trump fans scramble to defend the president’s inconsistency.
This Easter, we've hidden a dozen colorful, egg-centric stories across Reason.com. Hop around the site to find them—or click here to see them all in one basket.
This Easter, while children will be dying eggs and searching for hidden treats, the president's sycophants will be tirelessly rationalizing Donald Trump's rhetorical and political inconsistency. It's a full-time job defending someone whose positions flip faster than a spatula at a diner brunch. The following are just some of the positions that the commander in chief's supporters must walk on eggshells while discussing to avoid looking overly scrambled.
Tariffs
Trump's tariff logic is hard to crack—sometimes sunny side, sometimes hardboiled—and has managed to be both for and against free trade. The president's April 2 executive order characterized American tariffs as reciprocal, merely a response to other nations imposing tariffs on American exports and implying they will be lowered to zero if other nations do the same. But when Israel eliminated its tariffs on U.S. goods in anticipation, the president still imposed a 17 percent tariff on Israeli imports. His reasoning? Compensation for foreign aid: "We give Israel billions of dollars a year. Billions." Trump has also identified "protecting the soul" of the country (read: domestic industrial jobs) and stopping the flow of fentanyl as motivations for his protectionist policies. Having multiple motivations is perfectly rational; having mutually exclusive ones is not.
If consistency is the hallmark of sound policy, Trump's trade strategy is more of an egg soufflé—liable to collapse under scrutiny.
Immigration
The promised hunt for bad eggs—violent criminals who threaten the safety and security of Americans—has morphed into a crackdown on anyone Trump finds distasteful, now including "all inadmissible and removable aliens." Non-citizen students—visa holders and permanent residents—are being deported for expressing politically incorrect opinions and participating in pro-Palestine protests. The president who represents a rebellion from cancel culture is now deporting legal residents.
The promised protections for good eggs have gone out the window like yesterday's yolks.
Law
The American right has historically appealed to the rule of law, and so has Trump. The president has repeatedly accused his political opponents of violating the law and called for their prosecution. Yet in February, Trump posted to Truth Social, "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law."
But actions speak louder than words. Trump is determined to deny due process to aliens, legal or otherwise, and has ignored court orders to return those wrongfully deported. It's hard to argue that you are the president of law and order when you're poaching the law at every turn.
Turns out, the biggest shell game isn't on the White House lawn—it's in the minds of those still calling this consistency. And like a chocolate egg left in the sun, their principles are melting fast.
