Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who co-chairs Mr. Trump's US House Leadership Committee, is steering Trump toward lawmaker proposals because proposals coming out of think tanks "exist in a fake world." Here is more from Hunter:
Hunter said the advice from lawmakers is more valuable than those coming out of a standard think tank because members know the political realities of their policies, and what it’s like to run for office on an actual legislative agenda.
“Think tanks exist in a fake world; they don’t have to run for reelection,” Hunter said. “Members of Congress not only have to get reelected every two years, but they get in the weeds on many policy issues like any think tank does. … I think that’s more valuable than anyone else’s input.”
But Mr. Trump has already been embracing think tanks and various think tankers. The most recent example is the fact that he has asked Steve Moore of the Heritage Foundation to help him revise his tax plan.
Over the past few weeks, Mr. Trump and his team have been cozying up more to think tanks, holding secret meetings with some of them. Last month, Trump was hosted by a conservative think tank in Washington, DC to present his foreign policy address.
