Stop the Presses—Donald Trump Actually Did Something Good for Once

He is against private equity buying up single-family homes. Democrats should take note—and do him one better.

Donald Trump has made just about everything he’s touched worse. He’s going to spend this week bragging about his peace deal with Iran, but please remember that in 2018 he tore up the Barack Obama–negotiated deal that was working, which led Iran to start enriching far more uranium, which then made Trump decide to go to war to solve a problem he created, which is wrecking the U.S. and global economy, which he’s now trying to fix in part by reportedly preparing to release around $20 billion in Iranian assets (right-wingers wanted Obama tried for treason over $1.7 billion).

So that situation is a disaster entirely of his making. But I’m here to acknowledge something today I’m not sure I’ve ever done, or maybe once (with respect to his Covid vaccine–era Operation Warp Speed), and may never do again: Trump has done something good. I point this out not just to be contrarian and Slate-pitchy, or to “prove” that I’m one of those “open-minded” liberals. Rather I note it because Democrats can learn from it and do him one better.

Last week, the House of Representatives, pushed by Trump, passed a big housing bill that included a provision barring private-equity firms from buying up single-family homes. The Senate had already passed such a bill back in March. The votes in both houses were hugely bipartisan and lopsided. The Senate vote was 89-10. The House vote was 396-13.

All 23 no votes were cast by Republicans. The Senate bill was championed by Elizabeth Warren, who worked with South Carolina Republican Tim Scott. So it’s not as if the Democrats are out to lunch on the issue. They held the right position. But I still say they........

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