Trump's Struggle To Win the Gary Johnson Vote

President Donald Trump has been making some libertarian noises lately, and also some noises about libertarians. In the latter category, POTUS declared himself in an interview last week to be “somewhat libertarian,” and a likely recipient of ex-Libertarian votes.

“Jill Stein took, what? Half a percent?” Trumped mused innumerately to Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham. “Well, I have a Libertarian—I’m somewhat libertarian; I have to be honest with you; Rand Paul will tell you that—I have a Libertarian candidate on last time that got, what? Four and a half or so percent? Those are all Republican voters. They’re wasting their vote, because—they have to vote for us.”

Well, no, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about some of Trump’s most libertarian noises, such as calling out military brass and their enablers for backing “endless wars.” On today’s Reason Roundtable podcast, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, Matt Welch, and Katherine Mangu-Ward discuss the president’s actual record on policies dear to libertarian hearts; critique Joe Biden on same, and also spend time on school reopening, teachers unions, Christopher Nolan’s filmography, and the true meaning of Labor Day.

Audio production by Ian Keyser and Regan Taylor.

Music: “Noisey” by ELPHNT.

Relevant links from the show:

“Bridget Phetasy is Politically Homeless. You Probably Are Too.” By Nick Gillespie

“Will-to-Power Conservatism and the Great Liberalism Schism,” by Stephanie Slade

“You Have Libertarian Alternatives to Biden and Trump This November,” by John Stossel

“This Labor Day, Police and Teachers Unions Are Making a Bad Year Worse,” by J.D. Tuccille

“Teachers Unions Push Families Out of Public Schools,” by J.D. Tuccille

“Hispanic Parents Want More Choices for School,” by Daniel Raisbeck

“California’s Job-Killing A.B. 5 Scaled Back, but Only for Some Professions,” by Scott Shackford

“California Police Unions Once Again Side With Bad Cops To Kill a Good Bill,” by Scott Shackford

“School Calls Cops on 12-Year-Old Boy Who Held Toy Gun During Zoom Class,” by Robby Soave

“Be Skeptical of Stories About TikTok ‘Benadryl Challenge’ Overdoses,” by Scott Shackford

“Disney Thanks Chinese Labor Camp Authorities in Mulan Credits,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Time May Not Exist Anymore, but Tenet Does, and It’s in Theaters Now,” by Peter Suderman