We’re at a point where it is impossible to comment on the present administration’s policies. Trump’s pledge to end both the Ukraine and Gaza wars quickly has dissolved into continued bloodshed, with only a few hostages returned and some prisoners exchanged. The administration apparently may move away from peace efforts. We must wait for information on what the administration is up to now.

There are three ways our tariff policy could go. First, Trump could come to his senses and reverse most of these taxes. The loss of trust in the U.S. will remain, but it mayn’t get worse.

On the other hand, if Trump truly wants us to produce everything within our borders, he has to raise the walls so high that nothing comes in from abroad. Of course, if nothing comes in, we take in no revenue—just higher prices and less choice.  

The third outcome may be an expanded version of Trump’s first-term approach: imposing tariffs and negotiating a patchwork of cut-outs and individual deals with countries, industries, and companies.

If I had to bet, I’d go with the last option. An endless procession of supplicants competing for favor is a narcissist’s dream. Of course, granting favors to those best appealing to his vanity would be a mercantilist economy on steroids—cronyism rules. Will this work better now than in the past?

While waiting for the fog to clear, it’s a good time to deal with the sudden spate of books and articles on Biden’s cognitive decline by people who were aware of it or should’ve been aware the former president wasn’t on top of his game.

Readers of this blog know I never expected Biden to continue as the Democratic nominee. I thought he would only continue until Trump secured the Republican nomination. Once the weakest opponent was locked in, it was time to bring someone untainted by Biden’s abysmal administration through a mini-primary. The bright, younger candidate benefited from wall-to-wall media attention rolling over the least loved Republican.

The widespread “lawfare campaign” against Trump was never about denying him the nomination—just the opposite. Drawing constant attention to these mostly bogus cases made him sympathetic to Republicans and denied other G.O.P. candidates any media attention. It was brilliant, and it worked. Rather than facing a Nikki Haley, who polled far better than any Democrat, they got “never over 50%” Trump. If this weren’t the plan, how do we explain pushing Biden into an early debate insiders had to know would expose his decline?

Up to that point, the plan worked like clockwork. A George Clooney Op-Ed revealed that he suddenly found Biden adrift and incapable of moving forward. The party Mandarins joined in expressing their desire for Joe to drop out for the best for the Democrats and the planet.

What happened next is a great mystery. Biden dropped out with enough time for a made-for-media mini-primary, likely resulting in an electable candidate. What occurred after a short pause was a Biden endorsement of the highly unelectable Kamala Harris. Obama, Pelosi, and other party leaders were surprised and slow to fall in line, but ultimately, they fell in line.

I hoped insider books would resolve the mystery of how the Democrats ended up with arguably their worst possible candidate. Instead, we’re getting incoherent butt-covering. It doesn’t wash that Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, journalist Chris Whipple, and CNN’s Jake Tapper blame Biden and others around him for a cover-up when they should’ve known Joe wasn’t up to the job. After all, we all saw the president looking lost on TV.

The proof that these authors aren’t leveling with us is the fact that the Wall Street Journal published a well-researched article exposing Biden’s actual state three weeks before Biden’s debate debacle. Rather than supporting the story, all we heard was Democrats and their media supporters slamming the article as a “hit piece.”

This stance seems quaint now, but the time to expose a cover-up is before the harm. As I’ve said before, the Wall Street Journal is the most reliable newspaper in the country.

What went on from when Biden agreed to step down to his endorsement of Kamala Harris is still a question that needs answering. Did James Claiborne, the black congressman from South Carolina, play a part? Joe Biden was heavy in debt for resurrecting his 2020 nomination race by handing him a big South Carolina win and heavy black backing in other primaries. His demand for a black woman on the ticket as payment led to Harris being on the ticket in the first place.

Was it just Joe exacting revenge on those forcing him out? As I outlined, if there was no plan for a last-minute candidate switch, why not force out the sure loser sooner and move away from the dismal Biden-Harris record? Why was the unknown congressman Dean Phillips the only one to run against Biden, derided by the rest of the Democrats and their media allies?

You shouldn’t waste your money or time on these nothing-burgers. It will take some time for someone to crack and tell the real story. Nobody wants to admit to devious plans or the use of their influence to achieve a disastrous outcome. There’s a great story out there; we haven’t heard it yet.