Since Donald Trump broke onto the national political scene, Republicans have debated his commitment to conservative principles. Neither his flamboyant style, nor his questionable morality, nor his outrageous behaviour and language could be identified with staid, “buttoned-down” conservative circles.

In recent decades, Republicans have latched onto social issues like gay marriage, transgender rights, and abortion, and cultural matters like xenophobia and opposition to affirmative action. These issues, however, haven’t been central to textbook conservatism, which historically has been understood as “lower taxes, smaller government” and an insistence that the government’s principal role should be “securing the national defence.” President Trump has proven his bona fides in advancing these core conservative goals. In his first and second terms, he coupled significant reductions in taxes with dramatic increases in defence spending — to expand the Pentagon’s already bloated budget or underwrite foreign wars fought by the US or its allies.

This week’s rollout of Trump’s proposed 2027 budget looks like a conservative’s dream come true. He’s asking for a $500........

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