Trump is not a conservative. He was a Democrat, he still acts like one, and anyone who believes otherwise is not looking closely enough. Look at the money first. He signed stimulus packages that added billions to the deficit while claiming victory for the economy. He expanded unemployment benefits beyond what any Republican before him would have done. Farms that were already profitable got subsidies. Infrastructure projects were sold as job creators but often helped political allies more than the public.
Trade policy shows the same pattern. Tariffs on steel and aluminum, government deals that forced private companies to comply, protections for industries that should have competed on their own. Conservatives once called these policies harmful to free markets. Healthcare was no different. He attacked Obamacare with words but kept many of the rules and subsidies in place. Student loans were floated for partial forgiveness, adding cost to taxpayers under the guise of populism. Corporate tax cuts existed, but they were paired with handouts to favored industries and more government spending. Energy and environmental policies used executive power to reward some companies and punish others instead of letting the market work. Defense spending increased in ways that rewarded political friends and punished rivals rather than following principle.
Step back and it becomes clear. Every action, every policy, points left. Spending is high, intervention is routine, redistribution is constant, and bailouts favor allies while leaving everyone else exposed. Labels no longer mean anything. Conservatives who expected discipline are watching it disappear. The system has shifted under their feet, and Trump’s policies push it further in the same direction. People celebrate his leadership while the country takes on more debt, more market risk, and more hidden obligations than ever before.
