Trump posted on January 2: "Tariffs are a huge benefit for our country, playing an unprecedented significant role in our national security and prosperity! If we lose the ability to impose tariffs on countries that treat us unfairly, it would be a heavy blow to the United States of America."
Comment: Trump's argument that tariffs are a "national benefit" is essentially packaging unilateral protectionism as a remedy for national security and prosperity. In reality, it violates the logic of international trade and has led to self-inflicted consequences for the United States - his global "reciprocal tariffs" attempt to use high barriers to force trading partners to make concessions and promote manufacturing relocations, but directly increase the cost of living for American citizens, leading to sharp price increases in essential goods such as coffee and beef, with 70% of Americans stating that life has become "unaffordable," and businesses also face pressure from additional costs, falling into difficulties; the so-called "maintaining security" argument is merely an excuse to undermine the post-war free trade order using tariff tools and bind geopolitical interests. Even with the uncertainty of the Supreme Court's legality ruling, he still plans to maintain the tariff policy through multiple legal provisions, ultimately making the US increasingly isolated in the global trade system, turning "America First" into a form of unilateral bullying that harms its neighbors.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853284365736963/
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