Trump’s Playing Chess While Everyone Else is Playing Checkers

Look, I’ve been covering Washington for long enough to know when something big is happening, and right now Trump’s making moves that are going to reshape how business gets done in America. We’re talking about everything from who counts the jobs to who makes the computer chips to how you buy your clothes online. And if you’re not paying attention, you’re missing the story.

The Guy Who’s Going to Count the Beans

So Trump just nominated E.J. Antoni to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Never heard of him? Well, you’re about to. Antoni’s this economist from the Heritage Foundation who’s spent years basically calling bullshit on the government’s jobs numbers. And now Trump wants him in charge of those same numbers.

This is like putting a restaurant critic in charge of the kitchen. Antoni’s been saying for years that the BLS cooks the books, that unemployment numbers are fake, that the whole system is designed to make politicians look good instead of telling the truth. Now he gets to prove it—or eat his words.

The woman he’s replacing, Erika McEntarfer, got the boot after July’s jobs report came in weaker than expected. Word is Trump wasn’t happy that the numbers made his “booming economy” talk look silly. So out she goes, in comes the guy who’s been saying the numbers are rigged anyway.

Here’s the thing though—Antoni might actually be onto something. The way we count jobs in this country is pretty much the same as it was 50 years ago. Gig economy? Doesn’t really capture it. Remote work? Barely counts. People working three part-time jobs to make ends meet? Shows up as low unemployment.

But here’s where it gets interesting. If Antoni starts changing how we measure the economy, everything else changes too. The Federal Reserve bases interest rate decisions on these numbers. Investors move billions based on monthly jobs reports. Hell, elections get won and lost over unemployment statistics.

Trump’s basically saying “you know what, we’re going to change the scorecard.” Which is either genius or completely insane, depending on whether you think the current scorecard is accurate.

The Intel Flip-Flop That Actually Makes Sense

Meanwhile, Trump did this complete 180 on Intel’s CEO that had everyone scratching their heads. One minute he’s calling for Lip-Bu Tan to get fired because of ties to China. Next minute they’re having dinner at Mar-a-Lago and Trump’s singing the guy’s praises.

Classic Trump move, right? Except this time it actually makes sense.

See, Trump figured out that Intel is basically the only American company that can make the most advanced computer chips on U.S. soil. Everyone else either does it in Taiwan or South Korea—places that might not be so friendly if things go sideways with China. So even if Tan has some questionable connections, Intel’s too important to mess with right now.

It’s like having a mechanic you don’t totally trust, but he’s the only guy in town who can fix your car. You keep him around because you need him, but you watch him like a hawk.

The semiconductor thing is basically the new oil. Whoever controls the chip supply controls everything—your phone, your car, your smart fridge, the missiles that defend your country. Everything runs on chips now. And right now, most of the world’s chips come from places that could get very unfriendly very quickly.

Trump gets this. So he swallowed his pride, had a nice dinner with Tan, and now Intel’s back in the good graces. It’s realpolitik at its finest—sometimes you’ve got to dance with the devil you know.

The Clothing Company Nobody Saw Coming

And then there’s this weird success story that nobody’s talking about—Stitch Fix. Remember them? The company that sends you clothes in a box? They were basically dying a slow death for the last three years. Stock price in the toilet, customers jumping ship, the whole nine yards.

Then this new CEO, Matt Baer, shows up and pulls off what might be the retail turnaround of the decade. How? By basically admitting that their original idea was half-baked and completely rebuilding it from scratch.

The old Stitch Fix was like “trust us, our algorithm knows what you want to wear.” The new one is more like “here’s a bunch of options, pick what you want, and we’ll learn from that.” Turns out people like having choices. Who knew?

But here’s the kicker—they’re not just growing again, their customers are spending more money per order. That’s the holy grail of retail right there. It’s easy to get customers back with discounts and promotions. It’s hard to get them to actually spend more money because they think you’re providing more value.

Stitch Fix figured out how to use AI without making people feel like they’re talking to a robot. The tech helps, but humans are still in the loop. It’s like having a really smart shopping assistant who remembers everything you’ve ever liked but doesn’t try to replace your own judgment.

Why This All Matters

Now, you might be wondering what the hell jobs numbers, semiconductor CEOs, and clothing subscriptions have to do with each other. Fair question.

Here’s the deal: Trump’s not just making random moves here. He’s systematically trying to rebuild American economic power from the ground up. New numbers to measure success. Domestic control of critical technology. Innovation that keeps American companies competitive globally.

Antoni at the BLS isn’t just about getting friendlier unemployment numbers—though that’s probably part of it. It’s about creating metrics that actually capture how the modern economy works. If you’re still measuring the economy like it’s 1975, you’re going to make policy decisions that don’t make sense in 2025.

The Intel thing isn’t just about one company or one CEO. It’s about making sure America can build the stuff that matters when things get hairy. You can’t fight a modern war—economic or military—without semiconductors. And you can’t negotiate from strength if all your critical infrastructure depends on factories in other countries.

The Stitch Fix story shows that American companies can still innovate and win, even in sectors where everyone assumed the game was over. It’s proof that you can compete with Amazon and survive, that you can use AI without becoming soulless, that you can grow a business by actually serving customers better instead of just cutting costs.

The Bigger Picture

Put it all together and you’ve got a strategy that’s actually pretty sophisticated, even if it doesn’t always look that way from the outside. Trump’s trying to create conditions where American businesses can win in the long term, not just juice the numbers for the next quarter.

Will it work? Hell if I know. Economics is complicated, global competition is fierce, and there are a million ways this could all go sideways. Maybe Antoni’s changes to jobs reporting will backfire and make the numbers less reliable. Maybe the Intel situation will blow up again when the next China crisis hits. Maybe Stitch Fix will fall apart as soon as the novelty wears off.

But at least someone’s trying to think strategically instead of just reacting to whatever crisis happened yesterday. Whether you love Trump or hate him, you’ve got to admit the guy’s thinking bigger than most politicians do.

The real test is going to be whether these moves actually improve life for regular Americans, or whether they just shuffle the deck chairs while the fundamental problems stay the same. Jobs numbers are great, but do people have good jobs? Semiconductor independence is smart, but can we build the factories fast enough? Innovation is awesome, but does it create wealth for everyone or just the people who already have money?

Those are the questions that’ll determine whether Trump’s economic chess game was brilliant strategy or just clever marketing. And we probably won’t know the answer for years.

But man, it’s going to be interesting to watch.