Many voters supported Donald Trump not as a disrupter of norms and institutions, but for policy reasons. They hired him to accomplish specific tasks, such as reducing prices, cutting taxes and halting illegal immigration. The incoming administration’s success will depend on Mr. Trump’s ability to accomplish these tasks. It won’t be easy—in part because some of his policies contradict each other and could undercut these goals.
Take Social Security as an example. Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social this July: »SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!« This statement, which he repeated on the campaign trail, was popular because it seemed intuitive. Workers are taxed on their earnings throughout their working lives to pay for future Social Security benefits. Why should they be taxed again when they receive these benefits?
