The Drift: Stopping America's Slide to Socialism

by Kevin A. Hassett

Kevin Hassett wasn’t always a Trump supporter. Before his surprising appointment as the top White House economist, he took a dim view of the populist agenda and mercurial temperament of the man who had won control of the Republican Party. But experience would soon change his mind. As chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Hassett helped Donald Trump bring about a golden age of prosperity, in which Americans who had been left behind by decades of failed policy were given the opportunity to succeed. The miracle lasted three years, until a virus from China killed it. Trump proved that a mix of free-market principles and enlightened nationalism could revive the American economic dynamo. Guided by an unlikely team of brilliant advisers and driven by his own force of will, he recognized that Washington bureaucrats had undermined the American dream by inserting themselves into every aspect of the economy. These “experts” were leading us down the path to socialism, and Trump fought like mad to turn things around. Enjoying not only direct access to the president but also his trust and respect, Hassett was involved in almost every important policy debate. After two exhausting but successful years, he stepped down from the CEA and returned to private life—only to return as a special adviser on pandemic policy in 2020. The Drift offers a unique perspective on a pivotal presidency. Unconnected and unbeholden to Donald Trump, Kevin Hassett came to the administration with a critical eye. But working with Trump the president convinced him that this flawed leader might be the only man who could halt the drift toward a statist and moribund economy. Filled with urgent lessons, this book is essential reading as the drift resumes.

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...if you think President Trump overreacted in his attacks on "globalism," read the Obama administration's cost-benefit analysis of an environmental regulation of greenhouse gases, arguing that the global benefits outweighed the U.S. costs! That was the first time a U.S. regulation was, to my knowledge, justified on the basis of global benefits, in violation of American law."
Hmmm, sounds a lot like Ukraine doesn't it?
"While the media and Republicans fixated on Keystone, President Biden pulled a fast one, a measure barely noticed but with an impact a thousand times greater. President Biden issued one executive order with the narcotizing title, "Modernizing Regulatory Review." It effectively ends the practice of subjecting every new regulation to a cost-benefit analysis, a practice in place since at least the Clinton administration. Regulators now do not even have to attempt to cook up numbers that justify their actions. The Drift has shifted to fast forward."

[PG Pariseau · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a detailed account of the making of Trump Administration economic and trade policy, very good. Lacks much real discussion of the larger issue posed by the title until the last couple of chapters. For that reason I found it disappointing, though anyone just interested in Trump policy-making should give it a read.

[Jessie Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great case for no socialism!

Very succinct argument for why capitalism is truly the correct path for the US. Socialism is not the path and we must become activists in moving us closer to capitalism and further from the socialist/marxist/ communist world the Democrats want to put us in.

[Don Leet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Favorable Review of the Trump Era

Bassett writes about the battle between capitalism and socialism. His experiences in the Trump administration are eye opening. Trump won some major battles, but capitalism may still lose the war.

[John Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Larry Kudlow has suggested, this could be the most important current book to read on economic policy. Kevin Hassett does a great job backing up policy results with data and facts, a refreshing change from most economist publications based solely on theory. Highly recommended.

[Jon Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. As an economics professor, it is so clear to see the success of capitalism in so many, but not all areas. And the damage socialism does and it's absolute certainty of destruction to Liberty and freedom and how it harms the poor the most. Beware of the drift towards socialism.

[Jim Dowdell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read of inside the Trump White House.

[Martin F. Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for those with TDS

I thought this book revealed much about the present state of our country via a vid the conflict between socialism and capitalism.