Opinion | America is not China, as Donald Trump and the Republicans may find out in 2018 and 2020

Robert Delaney says bold moves from the US and China, on tax cuts and internet controls, require political support to thrive. But while popular opinion is unlikely to significantly influence Beijing, Trump may well face a reckoning for selling out his base

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President Donald Trump celebrates with Vice-President Mike Pence (far left), House Speaker Paul Ryan (fourth right) and congressional Republicans, after the US Congress passed sweeping tax overhaul legislation, at the White House on December 20. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:31am, 25 Dec 2017Updated: 11:30am, 25 Dec 2017

The Chinese and US governments have each recently made bold moves that align more with the interests of their respective ruling parties than with rank-and-file citizenry.

One of the two has a much better chance of making their plans permanent.

US Republicans in control of Congress just passed a tax overhaul that even The Wall Street Journal – a publication that broadly supports Republicans and tax cuts – criticised, calling the assumptions behind their plan “murky”.

“Independent economists say the tax cuts won’t pay for themselves,” the newspaper reported, adding that the changes would drive deficits “higher by US$1 trillion over a decade even after accounting for stronger growth”.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey released on October 31 showed 25 per cent of Americans rated the tax plan a “good idea”, compared with 35 per cent who called it a bad one.

As The New Yorker put it, “the unfairness and ideological bent of the proposal are widely recognised, as is its corrupt nature” – because of the breaks it offers to the wealthy, large corporations and the kind of commercial real-estate entities that make up a large portion of Donald Trump’s business empire.

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