As the political landscape continues to shift, early policy fights provide a glimpse into future battles between the Trump administration and its opponents. Our Alternative Futures team offer a few early observations about what’s to come:
Trump is not going to slow down. The president will continue to “flood the zone” every day, leaving opponents and the media struggling to keep up. According to a New York Times report, before taking office in 2017, Trump told aides to “think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.”
The conservative media ecosystem is driving the president’s messaging. From Elon Musk’s X to Fox News, conservative outlets are pushing the narrative. Without content moderation, social platforms are filled with disinformation. The administration favors conservative and niche media outlets over legacy news operations.
Opponents are looking to the courts to constrain Trump. Democrats have yet to find their footing as an effective opposition party. Those impacted by the president’s executive actions have filed lawsuits to stop his policy changes. In the weeks and months ahead, we will get a better idea of how courts – up to and including the Supreme Court – will react.
Financial markets remain an important guardrail. As we learned during the tariff fight with Mexico and Canada, the administration pays attention to financial markets. Moving forward, the bond market, in particular, will send strong signals to the administration.
The reshaping of the federal government could have unintended consequences. Between the furloughs, buyouts, and layoffs, the dismantling of the government is likely to impact key constituencies and services on which key stakeholders rely.
Stakeholders can still impact policy decisions. During the tariff fight with Mexico and Canada, key stakeholders in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and on Wall Street provided important input that impacted the current outcome. Strategic engagement is required to protect your interests.
