Trump sees tariffs as much more than a policy, and we should, too. Trump’s tariffs will make life materially worse for people around the world – not least Americans – but what matters to him is the heroic spectacle, the leader’s demonstration of his capacity to induce shock and awe.
NEW YORK – In the days since US President Donald Trump unleashed his tariff tsunami on the world, economists, investors, and business leaders have almost universally questioned its rationality. As a policy matter, they are right to be scratching their heads. But Trump’s tariffs are not simply about policy. They are of a piece with the animating features of his MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) movement: contempt for science and the rule of law, persistent lying, and a propensity for irrational theorizing.
NEW YORK – In the days since US President Donald Trump unleashed his tariff tsunami on the world, economists, investors, and business leaders have almost universally questioned its rationality. As a policy matter, they are right to be scratching their heads. But Trump’s tariffs are not simply about policy. They are of a piece with the animating features of his MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) movement: contempt for science and the rule of law, persistent lying, and a propensity for irrational theorizing.