Trump, Bernie, Bessent, and the Return of the “American System”
Behind the Scenes?
Hi friends,
A recent Promethean Action Saturday Wrap-Up raised an interesting question: What is going on when President Trump says he and Bernie Sanders are “not that far apart” on certain economic issues, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticizes what he called America’s “slavish devotion to free markets”?
The point of the video is not that Trump has changed sides politically. The argument is that Trump and his economic team are operating from a different economic framework altogether — one that is neither modern free-market globalism nor socialism.
The program begins with Trump’s comments on his way to Wisconsin. When asked about Bernie Sanders, Trump said many Sanders voters came over to him because, economically, “we have certain things that aren’t that far apart.” The video argues that the important phrase is Trump’s reference to “an economic plan.” According to Promethean Action, Trump was not simply being polite to Sanders. He was pointing to a different way of thinking about the economy.
The video then connects Trump’s remarks to comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said that for the past 25 years, America had a “slavish devotion to free markets” and assumed that things would automatically “recalibrate.” Bessent’s point, as presented in the video, is that many Americans lost faith because they felt trapped in a rigged system where hard work no longer reliably led to a stable, comfortable life.
Promethean Action frames this as a major break from the usual political debate. Instead of arguing only about “free markets” versus “socialism,” the video says there is another system — an older American system — based on national production, industrial strength, tariffs, infrastructure, finance, and directed economic policy.
The video also points to recent economic numbers as evidence that this approach is beginning to work. It cites a May jobs report showing 172,000 non-farm payroll jobs added, compared to lower expectations. It also notes that March and April job numbers were revised upward. The host emphasizes that factory jobs were only up by 7,000, which is positive but still modest. The point made is that manufacturing growth does not immediately appear in payroll numbers. According to Peter Navarro, the sequence is: first orders, then production, then capital investment, and only then more robust hiring.
In other words, the video argues that after decades of de-industrialization, a manufacturing comeback would first show up in orders, machinery, construction, overtime, and productivity before it shows up fully in job totals. Promethean Action presents this as the early stage of Trump’s broader economic plan.
The program describes that plan as industrial policy. That means government does not simply step back and trust the “invisible hand” to solve everything. Instead, the government takes an active role in protecting and supporting producers and workers. The video specifically mentions tariffs, tax policy, directed investment, and possible public-private partnerships, including the idea of the government taking stakes in large AI companies, similar to what has been discussed regarding Intel.
Another theme is skilled trades. The video says young Americans are beginning to respond to the administration’s skilled trades initiative, citing claims that 60% of Gen Z Americans plan to pursue skilled trade work this year, that many college graduates are pivoting toward trades, and that skilled trade pay can match or exceed many four-year-degree paths without the burden of large college debt.
The historical centerpiece of the video is Henry Clay’s “American System.” Peter Navarro is quoted describing Clay’s view that a nation unable to produce what it needs is vulnerable. Clay’s American System, as summarized in the video, followed Alexander Hamilton’s earlier vision and included tariffs to build industry, finance to fuel growth, and infrastructure to tie the country together as one economic unit.
Promethean Action argues that this system helped turn the United States from a young, developing nation into the world’s strongest economy. The video says America later drifted away from this model, outsourcing its strength and calling it progress.
The closing argument is that the American System is neither free trade, nor socialism, nor the modern global free-market model. It is presented as a distinct American tradition focused on national sovereignty, production, infrastructure, and the ability of the country to make what it needs.
The video’s main message is that Trump, Bessent, Navarro, and others are not merely criticizing the old system. They are pointing back to an older American economic tradition — one Promethean Action believes has been hidden, forgotten, or deliberately pushed out of the national conversation.
Whether one agrees with the full interpretation or not, the argument is worth understanding: the current economic debate may not be only about capitalism versus socialism. It may also be about whether America should return to a national-development model that prioritizes production, workers, infrastructure, and economic sovereignty.
Resources:
Trump Agreed With Bernie, Bessent Trashed the Free Market, What’s Going On?! (13-minute video)
Henry Clay and the Architecture of American Strength (>3 minutes)
https://www.prometheanaction.com/
As always, do your own research and make up your own mind.
White paper on land and water rights: Property Rights and Freedom: A White Paper on America’s Disappearing Land (8/13/2025)
United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Disclaimer:
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