Here's your daily reminder of how Donald Trump is blowing up GOP
This is your daily reminder that Donald Trump is blowing up the foundations of Republican policy orthodoxy, and that even if he loses the GOP presidential nomination the party itself may never be the same.
That was our reaction to Tuesday鈥檚 Trump interview with 鈥淔ox & Friends,鈥� in any case. And it had nothing to do with the part about The Donald being happy that Lena Dunham has vowed to move to Canada if he wins. Nope 鈥� what got us thinking were his remarks about Social Security, the mother of all government entitlement programs.
is a comfortable venue for Mr. Trump. The billionaire developer/TV star has long phoned in to the morning chat/news show and bantered with co-host Steve Doocy and the gang about the latest whatever. They don鈥檛 particularly push him. It鈥檚 not 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� nor is it meant to be.聽
Tuesday鈥檚 call-in was typical. Trump criticized the Kasich-Cruz nonaggression pact, calling it 鈥減athetic.鈥� He boasted about his latest polls.聽
Co-host Brian Kilmeade brought up Ms. Dunham, of 鈥淕irls鈥� fame, saying that she鈥檚 threatening to move to Vancouver, British Columbia, if Trump gains the White House. Others chimed in claiming that Rosie O鈥橠onnell, Jon Stewart, and Whoopi Goldberg have made similar move-to-Canada claims.
鈥淣ow I have to get elected, because I鈥檒l be doing a great service to our country,鈥� said Trump.
That鈥檚 probably from the conversation. But the GOP front-runner also briefly blipped into campaign mode, and said this: 鈥淪ocial Security is being absolutely decimated.鈥�
He pointed out that his Republican opponents are proposing to cut Social Security鈥檚 costs as a way to strengthen the program鈥檚 fiscal projections.
鈥淭hey all want to kill Social Security. I鈥檓 the only one 鈥� we鈥檙e going to make our country rich. We鈥檙e going to be able to afford Social Security,鈥� said Trump.聽
You know who else talks like that? Democrats. Democratic presidential candidates have run against perceived GOP plans to gut Social Security and Medicare for decades.
You know who鈥檚 the poster person for Republican plans to try and reform (Democrats would say 鈥済ut鈥�) entitlement programs? House Speaker Paul Ryan. He鈥檚 supported raising the Social Security retirement age and proposed a privatized system for younger taxpayers.
Yes, that鈥檚 the same Paul Ryan the GOP establishment hopes in its heart might emerge as its champion at a contested convention to vanquish Trump.
Trump鈥檚 Tuesday remarks on Social Security were nothing new. He鈥檚 unique in the GOP field for saying he鈥檇 defend Social Security and Medicare against all attempts to reduce benefits.
He鈥檚 also unique in that he鈥檚 the only candidate left who can win an outright delegate majority in the primaries. He remains the front-runner and the man to beat. The core of his support is working class white Republicans 鈥� a demographic that relies on big government a lot more than boardroom types.
Does the rise of Trump mean the Republican Party鈥檚 ideological perspective on the size of Washington and its fiscal responsibilities could be changing in front of our eyes?
Well, Trump鈥檚 already blown up the party鈥檚 position on immigration, for example. He鈥檚 made a tough line against illegal immigrants into a litmus test for the right, exposing the fact that the traditional GOP platform isn鈥檛 inscribed on a stone tablet. There are different factions in the party, and they have different priorities. Win or lose, Trump has attracted a lot of followers 鈥� and they haven鈥檛 blinked an eye at his Social Security stance.
Consider this bit of evidence. Fox News is often described as an arm of the Republican Party, writ large. It leans right at the least. It was just one moment, but聽on Tuesday聽after Trump referred to Social Security, co-host Mr. Kilmeade said one word.聽
鈥凌颈驳丑迟.鈥�
Then the show moved on to other subjects.
