Sen. Mitch McConnell has warned of similarities between the contemporary political landscape and that of the 1930s. The former Senate majority leader, who is set to retire in two years, singled out foreign policy and tariffs introduced by the Trump administration in his comparison. Speaking to the Lexington Herald-Leader, he said: “I think this is the most dangerous period since before World War II,” adding, “There’s certain similarities right now to the ‘30s.” He drew a link between Trump’s tariffs and those introduced in the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. McConnell, 83, also said the U.S. was underprepared for unity between anti-Western nations, with leaders of Russia, China, North Korea, and India meeting in Beijing to discuss a new world order this week. “Those who were totally anxious to stay out of all of what was going on in Europe were called ‘America First.’ Sound familiar?” McConnell asked. “So what do we have today? North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, and Iran’s proxies. They’re very different kinds of countries, but they have one thing in common: They hate us.” The veteran Republican echoes billionaire hedge funder Ray Dalio, who told the Financial Times on Tuesday: “I think that what is happening now politically and socially is analogous to what happened around the world in the 1930-40 period,” following the White House’s acquisition of a 10 percent share in chip manufacturer Intel.
Read it at Lexington Herald-Leader
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