Useful visual aids at the link.
[BruceMehlmanSubstack] 6 Infographics + 1 Video (President Trump meets with the Technology CEO Council)Interest in decoding the "Trump 2.0 operating system" has been off the charts this year. How have things changed from last time? What are their methods and goals? Where are they going next? How does one win their attention, hearts & minds... or resist effectively? Here are six critical elements for understanding the T2.0 OS.
1. A Very Different Presidency
Attitudinally, politically and globally, Trump 2.0 is operating with broader ambitions, more fearlessness & greater understanding of how to maneuver the levers of power to get things done. T2.0 knew exactly whom they wanted in the Cabinet (only 1 departure this year)... how to flood the zone from day one to overwhelm resistance (pick every fight, everywhere, all at once)... how to engage other Washington centers of power (ignore Democrats
...every time you hear the phrase white people,
white supremacy,
whiteanything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word
(Thomas) Nastyto the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
, dominate Republicans, litigate everything, move fast and break the "deep state"). 2025 is not 2017.
2. Unilateral
They say if you want to go fast, go alone. The Trump 2.0 White House has issued more executive orders in its first year than any Administration since FDR’s, recognizing that executive orders take effect instantly while court challenges to their legality take months. Likewise the great "unlock" for Presidential power is declaring emergencies, as Congress created special authorities for moments that demand quick and decisive action, such as 9-11, COVID or the Iranian hostage crisis. Courts usually defer to the Executive Branch on what constitutes an emergency, and T2.0 declared more first-year emergencies than the seven prior Administrations combined.
3. Transactional, Not Ideological
T2.0 lives to make deals, befitting the author of "The Art of the Deal." Most other Presidents start with an ideology — anti-Communism, pro-ESG/DEI, neo-con, democracies vs autocracies — and aim for policies that fit over-arching world views. This provides helpful clarity but also potentially limits action. T2.0 has shown a willingness to change its mind... e.g. on TikTok, crypto, Zelenskyy... and less concern about "interfering in the market" (e.g. taking equity stakes or cuts of export sales) than traditional adherents of Milton Friedman / Ronald Reagan conservatism.
4. Domination Imperative
When challenged, T2.0 has only one response... hit back twice as hard. A bit like a coach "working the refs," T2.0 aims to give critics pause and prompt negotiation rather than retaliation. And it appears to be working: general counsels at media companies & universities are reviewing a lot more copy than they used to, and some big law firms stopped taking "resistance" cases. Businesses and foreign leaders hoping to change minds in T2.0 prefer an inside game of maximum alignment, flattery and conciliation, seeking "wins" for Trump that are not "losses" for themselves.
5. There Will Be Tariffs
President Trump’s most consistent policy belief over five decades is that other nations take advantage of America, selling us more than they buy (trade deficits) & restricting their own markets while expecting ours to be more open (lack of reciprocity). Trump’s longstanding solution is to impose tariffs, which he did last time and is doing far more aggressively in T2.0. Whether or not the Supreme Court overturns the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), there will be tariffs. The President believes deeply in their need & effectiveness, and T2.0 can leverage many other statutory authorities to impose them broadly.