As it stands, nationalists already don’t like the trade surplus the U.S. does have. They demean jobs in finance and tech as unmanly and hold intangible products to be less vital than tangible ones, even though the U.S. services trade surplus is nearly $300 billion.

There are also many real-world examples of excessive exports coming under attack as the unpatriotic policy that prioritizes foreigners. In 2023, the government of Narendra Modi in India prohibited the export of most kinds of rice as a domestic political play to lower rice prices. Even before the ban, the Indian government was taxing rice exports at 20 percent, a kind of reverse tariff. Argentina has long taxed its beef and crop exports for similar reasons. In the U.S., almost all crude oil exports were banned for decades as a flag-waving declaration of “energy independence” from foreign suppliers.

But what if nationalists achieved their model economy, one led by exports of durable goods by durable men? I’m skeptical they’d enjoy it as much as they believe they would.