Donald Trump recently spoke at the Libertarian National Convention.
Good for him, and it’s encouraging that he is reaching out to those of us who often disagree with him.
We libertarians put individual freedom first, and we believe that government governs best by governing the least.
This is why we fear today’s Democrats: we fear that their eagerness to tax and regulate, and to funnel newly printed money to thousands of special interests, will destroy our future.
So, Trump He was met with rapturous applause.“I have been indicted by the government on 91 charges. If I wasn’t a libertarian before, I definitely am now!”
Trump promised to put “Libertarians in his cabinet.”
he, Ross UlbrichtHe is the entrepreneur who created Silk Road, an underground website where consenting adults could buy products that most government officials dislike.
“Our goal is nothing less than the restoration of fair, equal and impartial justice under the rule of law as provided for by our Constitution,” Trump told the libertarians.
Libertarians should love that. But when Trump spoke, he was mostly booed. Why?
President Trump has acted in support of freedom as president: he has cut back on some regulations (though not as much as he promised). Withdrew He ratified the Paris Climate Agreement and appointed Supreme Court justices who could potentially check the government.
“We must fight for the same fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of the right to own firearms,” he said at the convention.
Libertarians have complained that Trump has broken his promise to “bring our troops home,” but at least he hasn’t started a new war, unlike most recent presidents.
So why did libertarians boo?
That’s because many of President Trump’s policies are authoritarian.
Liberals want a humble, restrained government that preserves the peace while respecting individual rights. We want a government that does less, but does it better.
Trump is anything but “humble,” despite what he likes to say about us rhetorically. Who knows what he’ll do next?
Trump has criticized President Joe Biden for using executive power, but as president, he did so when he tried to build a border wall without congressional approval and The inspector was fired. They are investigating his administration.
Trump does not know the benefits of economic freedom. He bragged about helping politically connected companies by imposing steep tariffs. Now he wants even more. hopeful “If China and all other countries mistreat us, impose severe penalties on them.”
“If you fool us, we will fool you” He said proudly.
But China selling us cheap goods doesn’t hurt us; it actually helps us.
To be sure, Chinese subsidies cost American jobs when companies cannot compete with subsidized imports.
But imports would be much cheaper and create many more jobs — thousands of them. Trump’s tariffs will hurt Americans, not just the other side.
Unfortunately, Biden has now raised Trump’s tariffs. And will Trump raise them even more?
America’s biggest problem may be the future of retirement benefits.
of Libertarian Party Platformwisely points out that both Medicare and Social Security are unsustainable and proposes “a move to a private voluntary system.”
That’s better. Retirees should decide for themselves how to invest their retirement funds, and the money will belong to you, not the government.
But tough-guy Trump, like most politicians, is a coward when it comes to admitting that Social Security and Medicare are broken.
As president he made the problem worse. Almost Doubling American spending.
Finally, Trump doesn’t care about free speech as long as it’s not his own.
Trump recently said: He will cancel his visa Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “Get them out of our country!”
This is appealing to some Americans, but as I explain in my new video, freedom of speech is a great thing. As long as people don’t directly incite violence, it’s important to allow hateful speech. Censorship creates more hate. It’s the opposite of freedom.
America needs a president who understands and cares about such things.
That is why libertarians and libertarians (like me) primarily booed Donald Trump.
It’s not that Joe Biden is any better.
Perhaps he could do worse.
He didn’t even have the courage to show up to the tournament.
Every Tuesday on JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the government and the fight for freedom.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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