Do these libertarians regret voting for Trump?

Three libertarians—Dave Smith, J.D. Tuccille, and Liz Wolfe—revisit their reluctant votes for Trump, weighing the promises, the chaos, and the consequences of his second term so far.

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With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, a contingent of libertarians cast strategic, often reluctant votes for Donald Trump as the lesser of two evils. Among them: Reason's own Liz Wolfe and J.D. Tuccille, alongside comedian and Part of the Problem host Dave Smith. Each a Kamala Harris administration as more troubling, citing concerns about censorship, economic illiteracy, and cultural authoritarianism. One hundred days in, it's time to start asking: do you regret your vote?

Reason's Zach Weissmueller, a non-voter, moderates a conversation on Trump's second term thus far. From the erosion of due process in immigration enforcement and the failure of the much-hyped DOGE initiative, to aggressive tariffs and erratic foreign policy gambits, Smith, Wolfe, and Tuccille dissect the tradeoffs they anticipated with what's actually happened.

This episode was recorded on May 8, 2025.

Episodes referenced:
Just Asking Questions with Dave Smith, David Stockman, and Jacob Grier: Who is the lesser evil? https://youtu.be/WUB7LCnObwQ?list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9
Just Asking Questions with Rand Paul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys5VG0cvzks&list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9&index=5
Just Asking Questions with Vivek Ramaswamy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NonvV2Hc7h0&list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9&index=42
Just Asking Questions with Batya Ungar-Sargon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEpw5_J59Bg&list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9&index=6

Chapters
00:00 Coming up...
00:42 Do you regret voting for Trump?
06:00 Counterfactuals and the Kamala Harris presidency
12:50 The problem with voting shaming and libertarian nuance
20:30 Immigration, deportations, and rule of law concerns
28:55 Is Trump undermining due process?
36:50 Tariffs, economic nationalism, and free trade debate
50:45 Globalization vs. protectionism: What's hurting the middle class?
59:40 The decline of affordability in America
01:11:00 Reflections on DOGE, bureaucracy, and missed opportunities
01:15:00 Trump's foreign policy: Ukraine, Iran, and Israel
01:20:00 Final reflections: best and worst of Trump's second term so far