Some fans of Roman literature may be a little jumpy this week. As depicted In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, the Ides of March (roughly the middle of March) was the time when Caesar was warned by a fortune teller to beware of an assassination attempt. The Roman dictator ignored the warning, and things did not turn out well for him. From then on, the ominous phrase, “beware of the ides of March” has been mildly unsettling to many. This year, I would say President Donald J. Trump might have reason to number himself among those finding that they are a bit uneasy about the state of things and the future ahead. Now, I don’t believe the president is in any mortal danger like Caesar, but things don’t seem to be going exactly his way.
After a quick start out of the gate in the first part of 2025 and a plate full of domestic policy victories as well as foreign affair triumphs, the sky has become cloudy and threatening for President #47. Economic challenges, the problems with tariffs, declining favorability with the public, and the possibility of a drawn-out conflict in Iran are making for rough seas around the White House. Like Caesar, Trump also has discovered that the climate in Congress is not warm and sunny, especially among members of the Senate. These modern-day Senators may not have daggers as did the ones on March 15, 44 B.C., but they do have CBS, NBC, CNN and the New York Times, all of which can be just as lethal. If the war in Iran drags on into the fall and gasoline prices rise above $4.00 a gallon, President Trump can claim responsibility for one of the worst Republican mid-term election defeats in recent history. Even worse, the Democrats will seize majority control of the House and Senate and all the committee chairmanships and leverage that go along with that. The progress of the past months will be reversed and the ghosts of Bidenomics will return.
The policy changes that are now needed to forestall this dire turn of events are simple. 47 must lightly apply the brakes. The basic programs that will produce the needed corrections are already in place. But the attention of the media and the public is lost within the flurry of issues that are introduced every time the President holds an impromptu press conference before boarding a helicopter or Air Force One. Discipline demands that this stops. The “so called” big, beautiful bill will begin taking effect by the start of this summer, and the public will become aware and appreciative of lowering inflation and taxation as well as the positive effects of increased GNP. Also, pressure must be applied to bring the war in Iran to a point where it is not the lead story of every news report on every network. A path toward the resolution of this conflict must include a commonsense explanation to the public and a larger explanation of the logic, the reason and the cost in blood and treasure for reducing the influence and power of the world’s most divisive and evil terroristic country. The end of this conflict will also reorder the dynamics of international primacy and cooperation. It is time for the national focus of this administration to be firmly fixed onto the priorities of affordability, economics, and the constitutionality of law and government. Dwelling on subjects like the acquisition of Greenland, Cuba or Venezuela is detrimental to the larger picture unless you can convince the public of the “why and wherefore” of such action. Finally, re-establish the conduct of government as it was originally intended to function with fairness, responsibility, compromise and respect. Mr. President, beware of the ides of March.
