但这看似荒谬的背后却隐藏着令人不安的逻辑：如今美国几乎所有经济指标都光鲜亮丽——除了就业率。也就是说，经济红利并没有惠及所有人，尤其排除了那些特朗普宣称要“代表”的群体。
我们不妨来看看这个悖论：2024–2025年美国经济势头强劲，道琼斯、标普500和纳斯达克指数屡创新高，通胀显著下降。AI、云计算、生物科技吸引了万亿级别的资本涌入美国市场。美元坚挺，资金持续流入。显然，全世界依然相信“美国神话”，美国的国际影响力如日中天——特朗普对全球挥舞关税与制裁大棒，几乎无人敢正面硬扛；从中东、印巴、非洲、东南亚、东北亚到拉美、俄乌、西欧，各方都得看特朗普的心情行事。
然而，Erika McEntarfer博士激怒了特朗普。为什么？因为他描绘的“让美国再次伟大”的愿景并未实现；他代表的铁锈带蓝领工人根本无缘今日美国的繁荣盛景——他们既不持有英伟达股票，也不懂训练大语言模型，更没有初创公司的期权。所以，在这场美国“盛宴”中，他们只是看客，甚至连当个“端盘子”的服务生的资格都没有。
没错，让美国强大的真正引擎是硅谷科技、华尔街金融、好莱坞文化、顶级大学。但也正是这些导致了美国传统蓝领尴尬的境地。它们越强大，对人力的需求反而越低。自动化、预测性维护、智能物流、AI设计系统的目标都是一样的：减少人工。
这是人类文明的方向，美国再次引领第四次工业革命实至名归。但这却与特朗普那套陈旧的治国理念发生了根本性的冲突。特朗普承诺“让制造业回归美国”，可即使工厂真的回来了，也不意味着工人会回来。今天回流的工厂，如特斯拉、富士康，依然是高度自动化、AI管理、资本密集型的基地。几个工程师和机器人就能完成过去几千人的工作。
曾经的美国确实很伟大。那个年产30万辆坦克、百艘航母的二战胜利者、那个欧洲和世界的最大债主、那个叱咤风云的美国，辉煌无比。因此，特朗普代表共和党喊出“让美国再次伟大”可以理解。但问题在于：形式重演不意味着内容重复。想想看，如果蒙古想要“再次强大”，难道他们要重振曾所向无敌的蒙古骑兵吗？中国正在“伟大的复兴”，难道他们是在提倡多养蚕多织缎吗？
那么特朗普该做些什么呢？我认为，他需要的是一个现代化的、严肃且符合民主原则的系统性方案。他该做的是：让AI时代直接受益最多的科技巨头、对冲基金、文化产业为社会稳定支付主要成本。这不是慈善，而是制度性再分配。
今天的美国已经如日中天，让它“再次伟大”是个伪命题——要不去破坏它就好。但是，如果没有合理的财富再分配，就等于是埋下一颗社会炸弹。
我们必须确保美国的未来不只属于程序员、银行家和艺人的。无论是通过税收改革、提高全民基本收入、普及再培训计划，还是基础设施投资等，必须实现经济红利的再分配。
其实，易怒的特朗普总统真正缺乏的是自省的勇气。他首先要带领自己的支持者们承认他们已经落伍，同时要努力争取他们自己及其子女在新经济中获得一席之地，而不是成为怨恨的破坏者。
特朗普之所以解雇McEntarfer并非因为她的数据错了，而是她揭示了一个他无法忍受的事实：他的政治理念已经落伍了——而这，才是他真正的心理危机。
Reflections on Trump’s Firing of McEntarfer
By Murong Liao
Today, on August 1, 2025, Donald Trump fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following the release of a disappointing jobs report. It’s an absurd move—akin to firing your doctor for an unfavorable check-up result.
But beneath the surface-level absurdity lies a disturbing logic: nearly all U.S. economic indicators are shining—except for employment. In other words, the economic gains have not been shared by everyone, particularly not by those whom Trump claims to represent.
Let’s examine the paradox: In 2024–2025, the U.S. economy has been exceptionally strong. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq keep hitting record highs, and inflation has significantly declined. Trillions in capital have poured into the U.S. through AI, cloud computing, and biotech. The dollar remains strong and capital inflow continues.
Clearly, the world still believes in the ‘American myth,’ and U.S. global influence is at its peak—Trump waves his tariff and sanction stick, and few dare to push back. From the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia to Latin America, Ukraine-Russia, and Western Europe, all eyes are on Trump’s moods.
Yet, it is Dr. Erika McEntarfer who angered Trump. Why? Because his vision of ‘Making America Great Again’ has not materialized. The Rust Belt blue-collar workers he represents are absent from this booming economy—they don’t own Nvidia stock, can’t train large language models, and have no startup equity.
In this American economic ‘feast,’ they are mere spectators—not even allowed to serve the food.
Indeed, the true engines behind America’s resurgence—Silicon Valley tech, Wall Street finance, Hollywood culture, and elite universities—are exactly what have displaced traditional blue-collar labor. The stronger these sectors become, the less human labor they require. Automation, predictive maintenance, smart logistics, and AI design systems all share one goal: to reduce manual labor.
That’s the trajectory of human civilization. It’s no surprise that the U.S. is leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution again—but this fundamentally clashes with Trump’s outdated governing philosophy.
Trump promised a ‘return of manufacturing to America.’ But even if the factories return, the workers won’t. Modern plants—like Tesla or Foxconn—are still highly automated, AI-managed, and capital-intensive. A few engineers and robots can now do the work of thousands.
Yes, America was truly great once—the WWII powerhouse that produced 300,000 tanks and dozens of aircraft carriers annually, the world’s biggest creditor, and the global policeman with unmatched authority.
So Trump’s Republican call to ‘Make America Great Again’ is understandable. But form is not substance. Should Mongolia revive its cavalry to be great again? Should China chant ‘raise more silkworms and produce more tea’ in its path to rejuvenation?
So what should Trump do? He needs a serious, modern, democratic systemic response. Manufacturing’s return won’t fulfill the ‘Make America Great Again’ promise—today’s America is already great, as long as it isn’t sabotaged.
Trump should ensure that the biggest beneficiaries of the AI era—tech giants, hedge funds, and cultural industries—contribute to social stability. This isn’t charity; it’s systemic redistribution.
Without fair wealth redistribution, society is planting a ticking time bomb.
America’s future must not be exclusive to programmers, bankers, and entertainers. Whether through tax reform, universal basic income, retraining programs, or infrastructure investment—wealth redistribution is essential.
What Trump truly lacks is political courage. He must lead his supporters to acknowledge their obsolescence—and help them and their children secure a place in the new economy, rather than become bitter saboteurs.
Trump didn’t fire Dr. McEntarfer because her numbers were wrong—but because she revealed a truth he couldn’t bear: his political philosophy is outdated. And that is his real, psychological crisis.
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