But if he wants to make good on his promise to defy Washington convention, he should adequately address partisan polarization. In other words, Trump should channel his inner dealmaker and try to achieve the kind of bipartisan deals that eluded President Barack Obama, despite his high approval ratings.
The most important policy statement that the incoming administration could make would be a clear and firm commitment that it will not do anything to compromise Social Security and Medicare, two signature measures for the Democratic Party. While Trump promised several times on the campaign trail that he had no interest in touching these popular programs, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has been making noise that he wants to go after these policies. If Trump takes a stand right now, stating that he will not support Ryan’s proposals, he might win some Senate Democratic support for his cabinet appointments.
But this would not be enough. He needs to show with his feet, and not just his mouth, that he is serious about making deals. The most important step that he could take is to allow Democrats to present a new version of an infrastructure stimulus that would create jobs and boost spending for blue collar and middle class Americans.
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