J. Pharoah Doss: Is Trump similar to Bill Clinton on foreign aid?

When Donald Trump unexpectedly won the presidency in 2016, his political opponents included far-left progressives and “Never Trump” conservatives. Both saw Trump as a demagogue who would disregard the constitution, mismanage the federal government, and further harm America’s reputation abroad. By the midterms, fair-minded observers realized Trump wasn’t as reckless as his opponents had predicted. Reason Magazine’s editor-at-large suggested that Trump was more similar to former presidents than his opponents were willing to admit. On trade, foreign policy, and other issues, the editor-at-large described Trump as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama without the charm and respect, which was a good thing. Working-class Democrats who backed Trump recoiled from the Clinton comparison. They disparaged Clinton for signing the North American Free Trade Agreement, which made it easier for US firms to relocate operations to Mexico. These former Democrats backed Trump because he promoted their opinion that NAFTA was the “worst trade deal in history” and that Clinton was to blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States. Single-issue voters find it difficult to accept that the presidential candidates they support will always resemble some part of predecessors they dislike. As Trump begins his second term...