John Bruton: Donald Trump policies are ‘greatest concern’

The Dow Jones Industrial Average passed 21,000 for the first time yesterday in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s address to Congress — but former taoiseach John Bruton has expressed “the greatest concern” about the impact of his policies on world trade.

Trump said he wanted to boost the US economy with a “massive” tax relief, make a $1 trillion (€0.95tn) effort on infrastructure and overhaul Obamacare in his first address to a joint session of Congress. His comments, though lacking in detail, helped underscore his pro-growth stance that has pushed Wall Street to record highs in a post-election rally.

However Mr Bruton, taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, and EU ambassador to the US from 2004 to 2009, said Trump’s $54bn commitment to military spending and anti-trade agreement positions, posed great threats to the world economy.