Donald Trump’s tariff plan wasn’t a trade war at its inception (or maybe it was), but as it has been rolled out, it has definitely taken on a trade war-type turn, particularly with China.
As I wrote in my opinion piece a few days ago, Donald Trump understood China’s 100-year dream, instituted in 1948, to overtake America as the economic and military hegemony on Earth that America has been for at least a hundred years or more.
The tariff response from allied nations are skirmishes, no doubt, but they were rolled out all-at-once on “Liberation Day” to serve two purposes;
One: to rebalance our trade deficit. Some of our doing (overconsumption), some not (import tariffs and export trade barriers).
Two: to force allies, fringe allies, and adversaries to make a choice -- America or China.
This [trade] war with China was necessary.
Now.
War is seldom a decision one takes lightly, but there are causes that are just. Our respective economic trajectories could have very easily seen China put our supply chain for critical components that serve critical infrastructure, prescription drugs, rare earths, and other material goods into a stranglehold, while simultaneously using our money to build up their military.
What’s needed to win [this] war is leadership and resolve. I believe that Donald Trump, Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick and the rest of the Cabinet are the right leadership to manage this conflict.
The challenge for the president is America’s resolve.
He’s resolved. His team is resolved. His America First followers are resolved. The challenge for the president is whether a plurality of the American people can (or will) withstand some short-term market disruption in order to allow the tariff policies time (and resolve) to succeed.
China has been pursuing their dream for more than 76 years, and in my opinion was only a short time away from achieving the economic and military success that they had worked towards for three quarters of a century. We are three months into this fight, and while the American people are generally onboard, the Democrat left and the “legacy media” would [seemingly] rather China win, than for Donald Trump to claim victory. Even if it means that America and Americans would suffer by our loss.
A China win and a full-throated denunciation of President Trump by congressional Democrats and their media sycophants would be bad for America, but good [electorally] for Democrats.
We (the faithful) need to stand strong with the president and show more resolve than those who would burn it all down to rule over the ashes.
America’s future depends on us winning this [trade] war. If we lose and the trajectory of our two nations proceeds, China will achieve their long-sought dream. America will be brought to heel.
I do not want my children and grandchildren functioning as vassal serfs of a Chinese global superpower.
Our fight (if you choose to accept it) is to defeat China and the American left. Now.
Image: Screen shot from Pixabay video // Pixabay License