When President Donald Trump declared what he called “Liberation Day,” he wasn’t just making a political statement; he was announcing an end to decades of unfair trade practices that have hurt the American worker. What he meant was clear: we were finally going to push back against asymmetrical tariffs that have defined our trade relationships for half a century. His goal was simple; bring back fair trade, boost domestic investment, and create better-paying jobs for Americans.
But what struck me — and still does — is how outraged the world seems to be. The backlash came not just from foreign governments benefiting from these lopsided deals for years and years, but from our own citizenry acting as if defending our own American economic interests was some kind of betrayal.
Here’s the question I keep asking: If tariffs are so economically destructive, then why has countries like China, India, Vietnam, and Germany thrived under them for the past 50 years? Why hasn’t their use of much steeper tariffs on American goods wrecked their economies? The truth is, these countries have grown stronger while protecting their markets — often at our expense. So, why are they angry when we finally decide to stop playing “the sucker”?
Let’s be clear. We didn’t start the trade war; we’ve just refused to keep losing it. Since the mid-1970’s, we’ve watched one administration after another – on “both sides of the isle” — sit back as other countries imposed tariffs on our goods, while we offered little in return. Trump just changed that. And instead of praise for finally standing up, the outrage was turned on us, not on the very countries that put these tariffs in place to begin with.
For example, why is Canada so upset with us when it runs a massive trade surplus in the billions of dollars and slaps massive tariffs of over 300% on some of our products? Isn’t it time we stop blaming the responder and start holding the instigators accountable?
What Trump did wasn’t about aggression; it was about parity. His tariffs weren’t punitive; they were reciprocal. If another country tariffed our goods, we mirrored it. And if they remove their tariffs, we have pledged to do the same. It’s a system based on fairness, not force.
People love to invoke the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 when arguing against tariffs. But let’s be honest, that law came after the Great Depression began, not before. The real cause of that economic collapse wasn’t tariffs, it was vast speculation on Wall Street. Somehow, the very institutions that led us into that disaster are now warning us about repeating it. The irony isn’t lost on me. How about you?
This issue goes far beyond economics, though. Trump understands the broader threat that China represents: militarily, diplomatically, culturally. He knows that trade is just one front in the much larger struggle. He believes, as I do, that our response must begin at home, namely: secure the border, revive our energy production, stop the inclusion/racist nonsense, and return us to a culture of merit and productivity.
We are still, by many measures, the most powerful nation on Earth. Sure, China has more people, but we remain far more productive per capita – way more productive. Our Air Force still leads in fifth-generation fighters. Our economy, despite everything, still generates more real value per person. Those advantages won’t last forever, though, if we continue down this path of complacency.
The outlook is not pessimistic. In fact, the message is very hopeful — we still have time, even after our half-century of complacency. Trump is saying that we need to act now, while we still hold the edge. The longer we wait, the more difficult the climb becomes. If we restore fiscal discipline, protect our borders, and refocus our national priorities on merit, energy, and productivity right now, we can maintain our preeminence and ensure that China does not set the rules for the world in the next century.
That’s what this is all about. Not fear, but resolve. Not trade wars, but fairness. Not decline, but renewal.
Well said!