Donald Trump and his operating mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, are combating girls voters, and it’s not a brand new downside for them. In 2020, Trump misplaced them to Joe Biden by 15 share factors (57% to 42%), in line with exit polls. And right here’s a enjoyable truth: Regardless of profitable married girls by 4 factors (51% to Biden’s 47%), Trump misplaced girls with kids by 13 factors (43% to 56%).
To deal with these points, you would possibly anticipate Trump to supply—on the very least—warmed-over pablum when requested tips on how to make youngster care inexpensive. As an alternative, he supplied but extra proof of his psychological collapse.
On Thursday, at a supposed financial handle in Manhattan, Trump was requested, “If you win in November, can you commit to prioritizing legislation to make child care affordable? And if so, what specific piece of legislation will you advance?”
And right here is Trump’s complete, unedited reply:
Nicely, I’d try this, and we’re sitting down. , I used to be someone—we had Sen. Marco Rubio—and my daughter Ivanka was so impactful on that subject. It is an important subject. However I believe once you discuss in regards to the sort of numbers that I am speaking about—that, as a result of look, youngster care is youngster care, could not—you realize, it’s one thing—you need to have it on this nation. You need to have it. However once you discuss these numbers, in comparison with the sort of numbers that I am speaking about by taxing overseas nations at ranges that they are not used to. However they will get used to it in a short time. And it isn’t going to cease them from doing enterprise with us. However they will have a really substantial tax after they ship product into our nation. These numbers are a lot larger than any numbers that we’re speaking about, together with youngster care, that it’ll take care. We will have—I sit up for having no deficits inside a reasonably quick time period, coupled with the reductions that I informed you about on waste and fraud and all the different issues which might be occurring in our nation. As a result of I’ve to say, with youngster care, I need to stick with youngster care. However these numbers are small relative to the sort of financial numbers that I am speaking about, together with progress, however progress additionally headed up by what the plan is that I simply—that I simply informed you about. We will be taking in trillions of {dollars}. And as a lot as youngster care is talked about as being costly, it is, comparatively talking, not very costly in comparison with the sort of numbers can be taking in. We will make this into an unbelievable nation that may afford to care for its individuals. After which we’ll fear about the remainder of the world. Let’s assist different individuals. However we’ll care for our nation first. That is about America first. It is about ‘Make America Great Again.’ We’ve to do it as a result of proper now we’re a failing nation. So we’ll care for it. Thanks. Excellent query. Thanks.
Evidently some within the media—resembling Sahil Kapur of NBC Information, who tweeted out a full transcript of Trump’s garbled response—are waking as much as Trump’s cognitive travails. However the place are the handfuls of front-page New York Occasions tales about it, like these they ran after President Joe Biden’s terrible debate efficiency?
The truth is, New York Occasions reporter Michael Gold sane-washed the reply for Trump:
After his speech, Donald Trump was requested how he would possibly handle rising youngster care prices. In a jumbled reply, he stated he would prioritize laws on the problem however supplied no specifics and insisted that his different financial insurance policies, together with tariffs, would “take care” of kid care. “As much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in.”
What in Trump’s full reply suggests he would really “prioritize legislation on the issue”? The query requested if he would prioritize it, however in his phrase salad, he by no means dedicated to any such factor. And there’s no likelihood that laws to meaningfully handle the steep prices of kid care can be thought-about in a second Trump presidency, a lot much less handed.
Gold went out of his method to make Trump’s apart about tariffs sound semi-coherent, versus the nonsensical pivot it actually was. Or, to place it one other means, Gold made it sound as if Trump offers a rattling about youngster care when it’s clear from his reply right here—in addition to his present coverage platform and his priorities throughout his administration—that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about it. He barely even is aware of tips on how to discuss in regards to the subject, helpfully confirming for us that “you have to have [child care] in this country.”
Query: Will you prioritize laws to make youngster care inexpensive?
Trump: Baby care exists. Excellent query. Thanks.
The New York Occasions: Trump commits to prioritizing youngster care, paid for by his proposed tariffs on overseas items.
And The New York Occasions isn’t alone. Right here’s the Related Press:
That is absurd. The political press has to do higher.