Trump Is Fighting a Trade War That Already Exists, and He Wants to Win

Donald Trump isn’t starting a trade war, he is simply tired of the trade war that has been going on for decades that’s so grossly rigged against the United States of America, as other nations impose extortionate tariffs on our goods while expecting or even demanding no reciprocal tariffs.

Don’t buy into the propaganda and hysteria from Democrat media and politicians, or from “Republicans” Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, and Susan Collins, who voted against Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on Canada. Trump is absolutely right that tariffs can help bring manufacturing and jobs and wealth back to America, boosting economic growth and benefiting workers. In fact, that’s exactly what tariffs did during both Ronald Reagan’s presidency and Donald Trump’s first term.

Other countries, including hostile nations like China, Vietnam, Iraq, the EU, and Syria, are only being made to pay the same tariff rates that they impose on our goods. If the cost is high, that is because their own tariff rates are unreasonable, such as Canada‘s nearly 300% tariff on American dairy and Japan’s 700% tariff on U.S. rice. Why do politicians care more about Canadians, Japanese, Sudanese, and Communist Chinese than about American citizens? Who are their constituents?

Economist EJ Antoni made a brilliant comparison between Donald Trump’s attitude in this trade war and the attitude of US Grant in winning the Civil War:

Amid vicious stalemates that sent other generals into retreat, Grant was resolute. In a famous May 1864 message to Secretary of War Stanton, Grant declared, "I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." He rallied his army, and they would not back down… Although Grant was given the pejorative moniker of "the butcher," it was the strategies of most other Union generals that prolonged the war and the killing. Grant’s tenacity, though, ended the fighting.

Likewise, Trump is being attacked for being anti-free trade or for starting a trade war, but the opposite is true. For most of the last half century, the global economy has become entrenched in a pseudo-free trade that artificially disadvantages American exporters.

By the way, one of Grant’s great and underreported achievements was stabilizing the U.S. economy by returning to the gold standard, in spite of backlash and criticism from friends and foes alike. Like Trump, he was dedicated to doing what was best for the American economy long-term.

Yesterday truly was Liberation Day, the dawn of a new era where the American president prioritizes American workers and businesses over the wishes of foreign governments.