Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride : Business Deregulation in the Trump Era

This Essay identifies and takes stock of the Trump Administration’s deregulatory efforts as they impact business interests, with the thought that even incomplete or biased information may be useful to transactional business lawyering. What of significance has been done to date? With what articulated policy goals, if any? How may — or how should — the success of the administration’s business deregulatory plans and programs be judged? What observations can be made about those successes? For example, who may win and lose in the revised regulatory framework that may emerge? The Essay approaches these questions from a transactional business law perspective and offers related observations. Spoiler Alert: to date, the deregulatory journey is characterized by haphazardness not unlike the motorcar experience that is the subject of the beloved Disneyland attraction, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride — a joyride that includes surprises and may sometimes feel like it is taking us “merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily on our way to nowhere in particular!”