Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast
Trump Attacks & Chickens Outs: A Misguided Narrative 6-4-25
Wed, 04 Jun 2025
In this episode, Scott Becker discusses the controversial “TACO” narrative.
Chapter 1: What is the purpose of this podcast episode?
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Private Equity and Business Podcast. So just to warn you, this is likely to be our least popular podcast in a while, particularly amongst certain circles. Before I get started, a couple notes. Thrilled to be ranked first today in the Apple Business Notes podcast rankings.
We also recently passed 7 million downloads between this and the other podcasts that we host. We're at about 25 million downloads. So God bless our listeners, our guests, our audience, and our sponsors. Thank you so much. So today's discussion is about the phrase taco. Taco's been used to describe the president.
Chapter 2: What does the term 'TACO' mean in this context?
It's a concept used by journalists and pundits and political enemies to try and inspire the bull, President Trump, to do dumb things or to try and be derisive towards the president. And taco stands for Trump attacks, then chickens out. You know, if you're talking about a bully, probably no better way to egg him on than to say he attacks and chickens out.
Chapter 3: How has President Trump been portrayed by the media?
At the end of the day, and here's where this is going to be a horribly unpopular argument, He is dealing with some problems that have been problems for a very long time. And I'll agree, he's doing a horrible job on the federal deficit. I don't think he's doing anything on it. But in terms of the trade war, there are certain countries that tear off us that we don't tear off.
Chapter 4: What are the criticisms of Trump's handling of the federal deficit?
It's been an incredible imbalance for a very long time. I don't mind a trade imbalance. What I mind is unfair trade where other countries tear off us. We don't tear them. So what I like about the president is this. and they can call it taco, I would say this. I wish an entrepreneur tests things and tries them back, tests them and tries them back. I'm guilty of this.
Chapter 5: What is the significance of trade imbalances in Trump's policies?
I wish we had more presidents who were entrepreneurial and saw an error in what they did and changed course and made pivots. The market, the stock market, which is one barometer, but not the all-in barometer, is already almost entirely back from the panic that came when his initial trade gambits were overdone. When I see him changing and evolving, for better or for worse, I don't love him.
Chapter 6: How does entrepreneurial thinking apply to presidential decisions?
I don't love or hate him. I think there's all kinds of things wrong with him, all kinds of things right with him. But calling someone who's smart enough and engaged enough who would just a taco, I think is such a bad narrative and characterization. Now, again, I don't love or hate him. But I'm a huge fan of entrepreneurs, of leaders that make adjustments. They see something, they make adjustment.
Came into office being very harsh on Ukraine, very pro-Russia. He finds that Russia is hard to deal with, as President Obama did when President Obama famously said we're going to reset our relationships with Russia and then found it wasn't as possible as he thought. And then he adjusts, and that's what he's doing.
So I am thrilled to see a president, for all his warts, for all his challenges, to be more engaged than not. I don't want to compare him to President Biden. President Biden, by all accounts, is a pretty good person. It turns out, as you read all the bios and all the information, that Kamala Harris is actually probably a better person, but who knew? But the fact is, President Biden was not engaged.
So as much as a president is engaged in trying to fix some serious problems and be engaged in the world, they're not. And with that, it's going to come some pivots and some entrepreneurial changes. if people that are pundits want to call it taco, Trump attacks, check it out. I just think it's totally misguided. Thank you for listening to the Becker Private Equity and Business Podcast.
I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal. My guess is this will be one of the most unpopular podcasts. If you have a comment on this and you're the first person to text me with a comment on this, text 773-766-5322. I'd love to hear your opinion. You could hate it. You could like it. I don't care.
If you're the first person to text, I'll send you a $100 gift certificate to Amazon from Becker Private Equity Business.
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