There is a fundamental divide in American governance between the 'economy of words' (lawyers, academics, rule-makers, bureaucrats, publishers) and the 'economy of things' (real estate, trucking, manufacturers); the governing class increasingly inhabits only the economy of words and has no understanding of regulatory burden on business, making Trump's business background valuable.

normativepending

Speaker

Brett Stevens

Evidence Quote

there are essentially two economies in America there's an economy of Words which I inhabit... and there's an economy of things... the economy of Words which increasingly is the governing class in America has no clue what it's like to be in the economy of things

Source

The Comeback: The NYT’s Bret Stephens and the GoodFellows Recap the ’24 ElectionHoover Institution
Created: 8/11/2026, 1:46:20 AM

My Notes

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