[By Guancha Observer Network, Shao Yun]
US President Trump 2.0 has made a strong comeback, aiming to bring "strongman politics" back to the White House. On April 20, a column article in the conservative Wall Street Journal complained that faced with Trump's tough measures, the United States seemed to have lost its "backbone." The Democratic Party, law firms, and universities were all bending over. Moreover, even Trump himself couldn't "stand straight." The article joked that his "reciprocal tariff" policy "folded like a cocktail napkin." The only one still standing firm was China, which Trump targeted.
This article titled "Our Surrender Nation" bluntly stated at the beginning: from Trump, the Democratic Party, law firms, to universities, Americans are now all "surrendering" (folding, originally meaning "to fold").
Andy Kessler, the author of the article and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, said that the White House claimed that countries were calling in droves, ready to compromise on Trump's "reciprocal tariff." However, reality showed that the US bond market significantly corrected, and the stock market plummeted. Eventually, Trump "folded like a cocktail napkin," announcing a 90-day suspension of most "reciprocal tariffs."
Trump did not grant China a 90-day reprieve, but U.S. Customs recently exempted smartphones, computers, chips, and other electronic products from "reciprocal tariffs," which was seen as a concession to tech companies like Apple, which have large production lines in China. Statistics show that the exempted electronics account for 20%-25% of China's total exports to the US, with 73% of US smartphones and 78% of laptops produced in China.
Local time on April 3, 2025, Washington D.C., USA, President Trump of the United States leaves the White House and heads to his private club in Florida. Visual China
In Kessler's view, this "folding," or the trend of changing one's original principles under new circumstances, is spreading and does not discriminate between parties ——
Elon Musk, Trump's ally and Silicon Valley tycoon who has been receiving electric vehicle tax credits and green loans for years, "folded" and became a new advocate of free markets. He proposed setting up a "free trade zone" with the EU and called White House Trade Advisor Navarro, a key architect of Trump's tariff policies, a "moron."
The New York Times, a flagship media outlet for American liberals, also "folded." Its recent column reversed the usual liberal stance, encouraging Democrats to embrace free trade. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California and a strong contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in the next election, recently distanced himself from the progressive faction within his party, opposing transgender women's participation in female sports events, and further focusing on crime issues.
In academia, faced with the threat of Trump's administration cutting federal funding, Columbia University, a bastion of liberalism, did not display courage in resistance. The article described it as a poker player discarding a bad hand, choosing to "fold instantly." Harvard, with $53 billion in social donations, is still "resisting," but the author doubts that once its tax-exempt status for donations is revoked (as Trump threatened on the 15th), Harvard will quickly compromise.
In the legal field, several well-known major US law firms recently reached an agreement with the White House, agreeing to provide a total of $940 million in free legal services for Trump administration's trade negotiations and other matters. Previously, the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders targeting several well-known law firms, including revoking security clearances, restricting access to federal buildings, and instructing various agencies to cancel government contracts with these law firms and their clients.
Even less to say, the major American companies that have recently weakened or canceled diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs to please Trump. The article suspects that due to Trump's skeptical stance on climate change, companies' attention to climate issues will also wane in the future.
Local time on April 12, 2025, New York City, USA, people walk into Columbia University. Visual China
It is reported that the number of mentions of climate action in corporate earnings conference calls has decreased by 75% compared to three years ago. "This shows that these issues were never 'truly important'; they were just previous 'surrenders' to the progressive fringe. Now that the wind has shifted, so have their positions."
The article also mentioned recent protests against the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), nationwide "Hands Off" street demonstrations, and Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from the U.S., along with his former campaign staff, current Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (i.e., AOC), in their "anti-oligarch" tour, with a rather sarcastic tone.
In the article's view, Trump's cancellation of electric vehicle subsidies barely caused any protests, whereas his cuts to federal spending drew more demonstrations, reflecting that people seem unclear about the focus of his political demands. The "Hands Off" demonstration's demands were also disorganized. The article considered this a common ailment of progressive gatherings, "protesting everything equals protesting nothing." It was especially ironic that Sanders appeared at a Coachella music festival, where tickets start at $539, promoting "anti-oligarchy" and seeking social justice.
The article frankly stated that Trump, a businessman by origin, views everything as a "power game," and only "complete submission" satisfies him. Faced with Trump's pressure, the United States seems to have lost its "backbone." By contrast, China, which Trump targeted, has yet to "fold." The article also does not see much hope in the trade war Trump initiated. In the author's view, if the so-called "trade negotiations" do not benefit both sides—such as allowing him to buy a $20,000 BYD car—then this tariff farce is a failure.
Regarding the 90-day grace period for Trump's "reciprocal tariffs," Navarro previously claimed that the US would finalize trade negotiations with 90 countries during this period. Although he was confident, Reuters and others disclosed on the 11th that Trump's negotiation strategy was "a mess": not only short-handed, leaving many countries' negotiation requests unattended, but also seemingly inconsistent internal positions within the Trump administration.
The report said that this made experts doubt how long other countries could tolerate Trump's demands. "Serious negotiations are needed to make these decisions," said Wendy Cutler, former acting deputy representative of the Office of the US Trade Representative and vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. "We cannot reach a comprehensive agreement with any of these countries within this time frame."
According to multiple overseas media reports, sources revealed that the Trump administration is preparing to pressure other countries during tariff negotiations, demanding restrictions on trade with China in exchange for tariff exemptions. In response, on April 21, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said that China noted the relevant reports.
The spokesperson said that recently, the US has imposed tariffs indiscriminately under the pretext of "reciprocity," while coercing各方 to initiate so-called "reciprocal tariff" negotiations. This is using the guise of "reciprocity" to promote hegemonic politics in the economic field and implement unilateral bullying. Appeasing will not bring peace, and compromising will not earn respect. Seeking exemption by harming others' interests for one's own temporary private gain is akin to seeking a tiger's skin, ultimately resulting in losses for both parties, harming oneself without benefiting others.
The spokesperson emphasized that China respects all parties resolving their economic and trade differences with the US through equal consultations, firmly opposing any party reaching a deal at the expense of Chinese interests. Faced with the impact of unilateralism and protectionism, no one can remain aloof. If international trade regresses to the "law of the jungle," all countries will become victims. China is willing to strengthen unity and coordination with all parties, work together to respond, jointly resist unilateral bullying behavior, safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, and defend international fairness and justice.
This article is an exclusive article of the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496128016628695571/
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