The possibility of a second term for former president Donald Trump witnessed a new development this Friday. The GOP candidate announced two significant contributors and two of his own offspring will spearhead his transition team in the event of his triumph. Those receiving the responsibility of this task are Linda McMahon, ex-leader of the Small Business Administration (SBA), together with well-known entrepreneur Howard Lutnick. Rounding up the team are Trump’s vice-presidential colleague, Senator JD Vance (R-OH), alongside his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, who serve as ‘honorary chairs’.
Trump’s 2024 agenda styled as ‘The 2024 GOP Platform to Make America Great Again’, promises a promising look into the future, focused on guaranteeing safety, prosperity, and liberty to the nation’s citizens. The candidate confidently assured his potential administration’s ability to fulfill these ambitious promises. Speaking highly of his team, Trump claimed that his administration will reinstate power, efficiency, and rationality within the Oval Office. He added he has profound faith in the capability of the Trump-Vance Administration to govern effectively right from the outset.
Linda McMahon, married to the previous CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon, had been at the helm of SBA during Trump’s inaugural term as president. Currently, she presides over the America First Policy Institute, a think tank championing pro-Trump ideologies. Howard Lutnick, the billionaire custodian of the trading and financial services’ firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has also shown strong support for Trump. Lutnick hosted a fundraising event in favour of Trump earlier this month, where he was joined by nearly 100 people at the Hamptons, Bloomberg reports.
Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, played pivotal roles during their father’s initial term, and are set to reprise such advisory positions if Trump secures a victory come November. During the Republican National Convention, Donald Jr. expressed his ambition of having “veto power” over the selections his father makes for his potential second term administration.
In Donald Jr.’s own words, he wants to ‘block the liars’, the individuals who portray themselves as allies while working against their interests. His goal is clear: to keep the ‘bad actors’ away. The two sons were reportedly influential in their father’s choice of Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. This resonates with them reading the pulse of the nation and ensuring that their team is comprised of honest, well-intentioned individuals.
Trump’s choice of team members, with evident leanings towards business and economy, does not come as a shock. This decision ties in seamlessly with his focus on reviving and sustaining economic growth, a theme he stresses routinely on the campaign trail. Supplimenting this, he has recently held a session in North Carolina, and a press briefing in New Jersey, where he expressed candid criticism of the current Biden-Harris administration’s dealings with the economy and inflation.
Addressing a gathered crowd in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump invited Vice President Kamala Harris to address the prevalent economic distress experienced by Americans. In a scathing critique, Trump suggested that Harris must divert her focus from future aspirations, and instead address the current economic suffering that many Americans face, which he holds both her and Joe Biden accountable for.
Trump was not shy to point out Harris’ policy blunders during the past week. Most notably, her proposal for introducing price controls to deal with inflation, which he sternly criticized. Trump accused her of blaming the surge in costs on ‘corporate greed’, conveniently overlooking the potential negative impacts of the existing economic and energy policies of the Biden-Harris administration.
In a heated commentary during his press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump referred to Harris’ proposition as ‘communist price controls’. He mentioned his stance on price controls, saying that if they indeed were effective, even he would endorse them, but past experiences and economic theory tell a different story.
In his views, such approaches have repeatedly led to more harm than good, resulting in food scarcity, rationing, widespread hunger, and ironically, further inflation. Trump emphasized these costs associated with attempting to control prices, arguing that such policies ultimately fail to serve the economic interest and wellbeing of the American people.
In a direct quote, he stated: ‘Now, Kamala is proposing communist price controls — which DON’T WORK! All they do is lead to food shortages, rationing, and bread lines.’ Through these staunch statements, Trump evidently seeks to present a stark contrast between his economic strategies and those of the current administration.