The Trump presidency has been marked by its willingness to break long-standing democratic norms. That can hurt one of Hawaiʻi's economic drivers — tourism.
Military spending is also important to the local economy, and its presence is likely to stay in Hawaiʻi. But tourism can still suffer.
Political scientist Colin Moore spoke with state lawmakers and explained why.
“ The U.S. president can move very, very quickly, and that means slowing down and delaying payments or a variety of other examples I'll mention that can create a great deal of pain even if it's rolled back through the courts," Moore said.
"Our economy is very dependent, of course, on the federal government, from air travel routes, airport funding, aviation safety, visa and customs policies. Even the unpredictability or partisanship of federal actions could disrupt Hawaiʻi's largest industry."
The Trump administration is already disrupting local tourism in another way. Moore said that Canadian visitors this year have started naming the country’s political climate, travel restrictions, and relations with Canada as reasons why they don’t want to visit Hawaiʻi.
