Peter Baker, the New York Times chief White House correspondent, was in Springfield the day Republican plans to dismantle Obamacare fell apart. It’s not easy for a president to dismantle a predecessor’s legacy, even though this president seems obsessed with doing so, said Baker, here to discuss his new book, Obama: The Call of History. Sure, with an executive order, Trump can exit the Paris climate agreement, clear the way for the Keystone pipeline and pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. However, Baker said, bigger policies, like health care and the Iran nuclear deal, are built to be complicated and hard to undo. So far Trump has shown himself not up to the task, while Obama’s legacy – and Baker’s book – seem destined to last. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO
This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2017.
