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| Hakeem Jeffires |
But let us suppose that the Democrats win both houses in 2026 by a sweeping landslide and Trump is unable to throw out the results. On January 3, 2027, Hakeem Jeffries is sworn in as Speaker of the House. The next day a bolt of lightning appears out of a clear blue sky and strikes Trump and Vance dead, so Jeffries becomes the next President. What would I recommend?
Well, if a Democrat wins in 2028 and Trump is somehow unable to overturn the result, my advice would be to act boldly in exposing what Trump has been doing and instituting reforms to keep it from ever happening again. I would advise a President Jeffries to be more circumspect. Not being actually elected to the office he would not have a mandate from the people, so he would be somewhat lacking in legitimacy. That would have to be taken into account. I would recommend that he halt any illegal actions by Team Trump and work to clean up the mess that he made but leave major policy initiative to Congress. Of course, if a duly elected Congress passes a measure, it would have the mandate from the people, so I would recommend that Jeffries sign it and be forceful in implementing it.
Within these limits, what do I recommend? I have often said that I cannot tell if JD Vance is an opportunist with no principles or a dogmatic ideologue, but I hope that he is an unprincipled opportunist, because an unprincipled opportunist can be rational if it is in his interest. A dogmatic ideologue never bends. Tom Homan is an unprincipled opportunist. He tacks with the wind. Greg Bovino is a dogmatic ideologue.
So, my advice to a hypothetical President Jeffries is to get rid of the ideologues in Trump's Cabinet right away but keep the opportunists until they give you a reason to fire them. We will see how long it takes. The absolute first thing he must do is fire Pete Hegseth. Hegseth is the only one who might actually be able to stage a coup. But it will take at least some time to make a plan (we are assuming lightning strike, after all), and everyone in the Pentagon hates Hegseth's guts and might refuse the unlawful order. So, fire Hegseth right away and have him escorted off the premises. There will be great cheers in the Pentagon. Replace him with some apolitical and uncontroversial technocrat who can revamp the military to catch up with all the changes in modern warfare, probably the CEO of some drone contractor.
Once Hegseth is out of the way, fire RFK, Jr. and replace him with some uncontroversial and apolitical technocrat who can clean up the mess he made. Fire Russ Vought and replace him with someone personally loyal but also loyal to the law. (There is no way the Director of the Office of Management and Budget can escape political controversy). Fire Steve Miller. There is no need to replace him. And generally fire the White House staff who do not need Senate confirmation. They are picked for personal loyalty to the President and do not have to administer agencies. Give the rest the benefit of the doubt and let them prove they are unprincipled opportunists who can tack with the wind.* Tell them that firing all of them would be too messy, but that when you give a directive, you expect them to obey or resign. Once Hegseth is out of the way very quietly let your Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security know that any coup attempt will be met with military force.
With that out of the way, what about policy?
(1) Artificial Intelligence (AI) really is getting scary and threatening to run out of our control. But it does no good for us to halt development if China proceeds. It is not a subject I know anything about, but deferring to people who do: Ban the export of Nvidia chips or other important AI components to China or anyone who might let them get to China. Then gather together the leaders of the industry and leading experts and make an agreement to halt its expansion until we have reasonable rules in to keep us in charge. Have them start on a regulatory framework.
(2) Speaking of tech, authorize Starlink to give Ukraine targeting information inside Russia. In exchange, bring ask Ukraine to send us military advisors to revamp our military to learn the immense changes that have happened in warfare since 2022.
These have the advantage of being something that can be done quickly and unilaterally. They are both very important in heading off future disaster, but they will yield no immediate or visible benefits, which are very much in demand, so we need to deliver as well.
(3) Return ICE to the barracks and Border Patrol to the border. Withdraw other Federal law enforcement from immigration and get the back to enforcing the law. Restore Temporary Protected Status where Trump has revoked it. Order ICE lawyers to allow bond for any arrestees who do not have a criminal record and have enough ties to their communities not to be flight risks, including people who are in the vast prison network now.
This will benefit immigrant communities and their neighbors, but the advantage to the rest of us will probably not be immediately apparently. Work closely with the agriculture, construction, healthcare, and other industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor to make sure they get what they need to get going. This may offer some modest economic relief. Publicize it.
(4) In order to deliver actual benefits, get out of the Iran war as quickly as possible on whatever terms we can get. This may require some escalation first. Be smart and cautious about it. Also level with the American people. Let them know that ending the war may offer some immediate relief at the pump, but the effect will be modest. Explain that it will take time to repair the drilling and refining capacity destroyed during the war, to refine oil once it starts flowing, to refill reserves, etc. Give some realistic time frame for gas prices to fall. Give yourself some margin for error here. Also, reduce tariffs on imports. Work on restoring trade relations. Again, let the people know what sort of short term versus long term relief to expect.
(5) Push alternatives to fossil fuels -- solar, wind, nuclear, and geothermal. Since acronyms in in the vogue, call it SWING. Someone I read said to promote SWING as a national security, rather than environmental, matter. But I think most Americans care only marginally more about national security than about the environment. I would say, promote SWING as a consumerist matter. SWING will protect you from swings in oil prices. Don't let your pump prices be hostage to turmoil in the Middle East. Sounds like a winning message to me. Of course, this, too, will take time. Push for permitting reform.
(6) Clean up the mess Trump left across the government. Be as forthright as possible about the mess you are finding and what you are doing to clean it up. Level with the American people that it will take time. Celebrate successes. Blame the previous administration. A lot. The American people will give you at least some leeway. But maybe not all that much.
(7) Don't run in 2028. Prices won't return to what they were in the good old days. People won't adjust overnight. Anger will remain in 2028. Step aside and let someone not associated with you take the reins. Blame the previous administration.
*What about Kash Patel? He is no mere opportunist, given his background. But he appears to be such a lightweight that he can't help but tack with the wind.
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