Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg
Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Offers a Unified Theory of Trump
11 minutes Posted Jan 19, 2026 at 1:00 pm.
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In a piece written for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor of MIT's Department of Economics, muses on whether there is a way to better understand the mind and methodology of US President Donald Trump. Acemoglu writes that "most of the (Trump) administration’s actions — the questionable crypto dealings, the appointment of unqualified allies to high-level positions, the unconstitutional deportations and National Guard deployments, the ouster of a Latin American head of state — have a logic. They’re all attempts to expand executive power, steps toward a type of imperial presidency."

The 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences details his assessment and whether the expansion of Trump's executive powers will ultimately lead to a fundamental change in American politics. Professor Acemoglu speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

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