Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe by Niall Ferguson review
(Evening Standard) – From plagues and volcanic eruptions to the current Covid pandemic, mankind has always been faced with catastrophes.
Thought Leader: Niall Ferguson
Mike Pence: What the 47th President Can Learn From the 45th
Time-honored conservative principles guided the first Trump administration. America needs them now.
President Trump’s victory in November was a political comeback unrivaled in modern American history. While he deserves credit for that, the election was about more than personality. For many Americans, a vote for Mr. Trump was a vote to return to the ideas and policies that made his first administration a success.
Mr. Trump inherited a crisis at the border, an economy struggling after the worst inflation in 40 years, and a world more dangerous than it was in January 2021. A hundred days later, our country has corrected course in many ways, but the results are undeniably mixed. The early progress—hard-won and overdue—can easily be lost if the current Trump administration walks away from the time-honored principles that guided the first Trump administration.
Start with the good news. When Mr. Trump took office, the southern border existed on maps but not in reality. In only three months, the administration has cut illegal immigration by more than 90%. No new laws. Just a president with the backbone to do his job and keep America safe.
Abroad, Mr. Trump has reasserted American leadership in the Middle East, a region the Biden administration all but abandoned. In the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthi militants were terrorizing global commerce with impunity. The Trump administration immediately brought them to heel with decisive force, reminding the world that peace is best preserved through strength.
After years of cuts in inflation-adjusted defense spending, Mr. Trump has pledged to transform the military back into a lethal fighting force with the first ever trillion-dollar defense budget. He wasted no time restoring a culture of merit within the armed forces, and now, after years of shortfalls, all branches of the military are exceeding quarterly recruiting targets. Mr. Trump also made clear that universities that turned a blind eye to antisemitism would lose billions in federal funding.
Yet even as American strength returns in some areas, there are troubling signs of retreat in others. After the Trump-Pence administration provided lethal aid to Ukraine, this administration’s wavering support for Ukraine has emboldened Russia to reject negotiations for a cease-fire and expand attacks on civilian targets. The past 100 days have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Vladimir Putin doesn’t want peace—he wants Ukraine. Only renewed American military support for our close partner provides any hope for a just and lasting peace.
Similarly, reports of negotiations with the mullahs in Tehran sound increasingly like President Obama’s failed nuclear deal. In the interest of peace, and our cherished ally Israel, the Iranian nuclear program must be verifiably dismantled or destroyed.
At home, inflation is no longer shattering records, and American families are breathing a little easier. But economic warning signs are flashing. The first quarter of 2025 marked the second-worst economic start for a presidential administration since Richard Nixon. The cause? A massive policy misstep in the form of sweeping tariffs imposed on friend and foe alike. Since the president announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, the only thing America has been liberated from is trillions of dollars in investments.
Mr. Trump’s proposed tariffs would be the largest peacetime tax hike in American history, harming consumers and driving inflation. Broad-based tariffs may scratch a populist itch, but protectionist economics are no substitute for principled conservatism. The Trump administration can still get the economy back on track through free trade with free nations, even as the U.S. retains targeted tariffs on adversaries such as China. Instead of punishing free nations, we should rally them—uniting the democratic world in trade agreements that isolate China, not Europe and our Pacific allies.
Extending all the Trump-Pence tax cuts must also be an immediate priority. Failure to do so would amount to the largest middle-class tax hike in modern history, costing millions of American jobs. Congress should also resist populist calls to raise the top rate, a move that would put an enormous burden on small-business owners, including farmers and manufacturers.
And despite excitement surrounding Elon Musk’s promising DOGE initiative, the broader fiscal picture remains cloudy. Federal spending is up 8.5% compared with last year. With the president and congressional Republicans retreating from even modest entitlement reforms, there’s little hope of meaningfully reducing the national debt, even if Mr. Musk succeeds in cutting billions in waste.
President Trump deserves credit for an energetic and effective start. His instincts on security, strength and sovereignty are as sharp as ever. But if we want to see this nation become truly great again, we can’t exchange time-tested conservative principles for populist platitudes. We need to stand with our allies and stand up to our enemies. We need to cut taxes and tariffs, keep our military strong and well-funded, and lead on the world stage.
A strong first 100 days is a foundation. But only a return to the conservative principles that guided our administration and achieved peace and prosperity during the president’s first term will ensure that this administration builds something lasting—for the president’s legacy, and for America’s future.
Mr. Pence served as vice president of the United States, 2017-21. He brings a wealth of experience from the highest levels of government, offering audiences firsthand insights into leadership, public service, and the future of American politics. Known for his calm demeanor and principled leadership, Vice President Pence is a compelling speaker for audiences seeking clarity and perspective in today’s complex political landscape. To host Vice President Pence at your next event, contact WWSG.
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