In a tumultuous week for U.S. politics, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s commission, “Make America Healthy Again,” released a report highlighting various health studies that have drawn significant criticism for inaccuracies. Research by nonprofit news site NOTUS made a shocking discovery. They found that at least seven studies referenced in the report were fabricated. This announcement set off an instant firestorm. One day after the NOTUS findings were made public, the resulting report was sneakily updated to remove many of these fictionalized details.
The health policy implications of these findings are important, but they go beyond health policy. Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to continue his administration’s harsh anti-immigrant agenda. He continues to order federal agents to do 3,000 daily immigration arrests. Rather, Trump is still energetically weighing a stopgap measure—Section 232—to slap tariffs on large swaths of the international economy. This plan has already been met with legal challenges.
Trump’s tariffs regime has come under fire from multiple sides. Recent ruling by a U.S. trade court that determined imposing those tariffs was illegal. To be sure, critics contend that Trump has overstepped his authority, thus exposing U.S. trade policy to the caprices of his whims. Nevertheless, Trump continues to assert the economic benefits of his tariff policies, claiming that “many Trillions of Dollars have already begun pouring into the U.S.A.” and attributing this success to his administration’s tariff strategy.
The Federal Reserve has issued a rare, strongly worded statement reaffirming its independence in the face of mounting pressure from Trump. Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, had warm conversations with Trump at the White House. They addressed the Federal Reserve’s unique responsibility to help guide our nation through these stormy economic waters.
The debate over Kennedy’s draft report and debate over Trump’s tariff policies is a stark reminder of today’s complicated and contentious political environment.
Kennedy’s commission, the National Advisory Commission on Health Care Implementation, sought to undo the deepening health crisis among Americans. While the core idea has merit, its credibility has been deeply eroded by the recent disclosures from NOTUS. The organization discovered that several studies cited in the report were fabricated or misrepresented, raising questions about the validity of its health claims.
Kennedy’s report faced immediate scrutiny following NOTUS’s findings. Seeking to quickly counter the negative press, the commission amended the report to delete the faulty studies. This editing only came one day after NOTUS’ original discovery had gone viral, a clear slap-on-the-wrist attempt to mitigate damage.
In a second, less publicized arena, Trump has doubled down Trump on immigration enforcement. Combined with his administration’s target of a record 3,000 arrests per day, you can easily see the bigger picture here—a long-term strategy to undermine immigration. This strong-armed tactic has received as much praise as it has condemnation from environmental and highway state activists.
Trump is reportedly mulling new tariffs on all imports from China. He argues that all these measures will help the U.S. economy to grow. Legal opposition to his tariff policies notwithstanding, Trump continues to insist that they are the key to robust, long-term economic growth.
“It is only because of my successful use of Tariffs that many Trillions of Dollars have already begun pouring into the U.S.A. from other Countries, money that, without these Tariffs, we would not be able to get.” – Donald Trump
Trump is certainly doing his part to sell his economic agenda. He faces mounting opposition from trade lawyers and economic forecasters who argue that his tariff regime lacks a firm legal basis. The recent decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which ruled Trump’s tariffs illegal, was the last punch to make Trump’s position less tenable.
Trump has attacked the ruling personally on his TruthSocial platform, calling it a politically motivated attack on U.S. interests.
“The ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade is so wrong, and so political!” – Donald Trump
Trump continues to tout his policies loudly, repeatedly saying they will make America great again and lead the country to unprecedented prosperity.
Aside from his trademark obsession with tariffs and immigration, Trump is preparing to pull some stunts. We now know he’ll be doing it together with Elon Musk at the Oval Office during an upcoming press conference. This event marks Musk’s potential departure from direct involvement in Trump’s administration.
“I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office. This will be his last day, but not really, because he will always be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House.” – Donald Trump
This is why Trump’s populism on issues such as trade and immigration is so effective. He stays personally involved, getting to know the key players in business and government.
The Federal Reserve’s recent statement emphasizes its commitment to maintaining independence amid pressures from Trump’s administration. In its mission to thread the needle on high inflation and the risk of a recession without abandoning its independence.
“Where do these initial three Judges come from? How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America? Is it purely a hatred of ‘TRUMP?’ What other reason could it be?” – Donald Trump
The convergence of these two storylines haunts a very different, very chaotic, and very frightening political landscape. Each of these two issues are symptomatic of bigger rifts in American society and governance.