The morning after President Donald J. Trump announced a new chapter in American prosperity by imposing reciprocal tariffs on foreign countries, my Salem Radio Network colleague Mike Gallagher posed a fascinating question to his nationwide audience: “Whether it is the Democrats or legacy media outlets or RINO Republicans with no backbone, why do you suppose so many people are voicing their hopes that America fails?”
It's true. Donald Trump ran for—and won—the Presidency, promising to end the decades long rip-off of America by what we laughingly refer to as “global trading partners.” These so called partners have slapped tariffs on American products while crying crocodile tears at any hint the United States will stand up for our own interests by imposing reciprocal tariffs. Now that the White House has declared a minimum 10% tariff on products from every foreign nation and even higher tariffs on many countries, the Democrats, RINOs and their acolytes in the media have a new bone to chew on….since their absurd week-long “Signal-gate scandal” gained exactly zero traction.
“Tariff-gate” (ugh) has pumped some new spring into their steps, and from MSNBC to the New York Times to the usual pious bloviators like Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, naysayers are popping up on TV news programs like Bluebonnets across the Texas plains this month. Joining the usual Donkey suspects are alleged Republicans like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and the bitter former GOP leader of the Senate Mitch “his term cannot end soon enough” McConnell.
A sampling of national headlines includes “Tariffs Send Wall St. Tumbling Toward Worst Day Since 2022” (The New York Times) – “World leaders blast Trump tariffs” (ABC News) – “The false things Trump said about tariffs during his announcement” (The Washington Post) – “It’s Donald Trump vs. The World” (CNN) - and “Policies like Trump’s gave us the Great Depression a century ago” (San Francisco Chronicle). Scraping the bottom of the Trump-hating barrel, NBC News.com even featured an interview with one of America’s biggest names in retail—Johnathan Echeverry, owner of something called the Paper Plane Coffee Company—who offered this hand-wringing economic analysis: “It’s the cups we serve it in, the lids, the sugar, the stirrers, the sleeves, the equipment we use, even the espresso machines. ... All of that stuff comes from somewhere and all of it gets more expensive when tariffs like these go into place,” Echeverry bemoaned while urging Americans to contact their representatives to oppose the Trump tariffs.
(Historical sidebar: during the Vietnam War, when President Lyndon Johnson learned that CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite had declared the war unwinnable, LBJ reportedly told aides: “If we’ve lost Walter Cronkite, we’ve lost this war.” Our 47th President is made of stronger stuff than LBJ was, so my guess is he won’t be shaken to abandon America’s trade war when he learns the owner of the Paper Plane Coffee Company wants to throw in the towel after less than one day since tariffs were imposed.)
This is the template used by malcontents in government and media who despise the concept of America First…the very theme that swept Donald Trump back into the White House. If DOGE or Elon Musk uncover billions in waste, fraud and abuse…focus on one disgruntled ticket holder to the now defunded DEI musical in Ireland. If Trump deports violent gang members (all of whom were illegal aliens) to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, single out one whose mother goes on camera crying that her kid is—wait for it—“a good boy who just got in with a bad crowd.” If America declares Economic Independence Day and wants to eliminate the unfairness in our Free Trade with “allies,” trot out the head of a pipsqueak coffee company to whine about the coming increases in the cost of cups, lids, and stirrers.
Our Founding Fathers—or “Founding Leaders” as silly anchors on MSNBC refer to them—would roll over in their graves at the opinion makers and governmental leaders who literally are cheerleaders for the United States to fail, as long as they can smear Donald Trump in the process. People who cannot even find Greenland on a map are “standing with our Greenlandic brothers” in opposing Trump…and waving maple leaf flags in support of Canada, an odd landmass best known for Molson’s Beer and Tim Horton’s Donut Shoppes. (Don’t believe me? Fly to Toronto and check out the great Canadian magazines like TIME or Newsweek, or the popular Canadian chewing gum brands like Juicy Fruit, Big Red and Wrigley’s Spearmint. Not exactly a real independent country, eh?)
If we had honest, functioning media outlets in America we’d be hearing more from business leaders like Nate Morris, chairman of Republic Financial: “As someone who was raised by a proud autoworker - thank you President Trump for putting AMERICAN workers first again!” Or Becky Rasdall Vargas, Senior Vice President at the International Dairy Foods Association: “The U.S. dairy industry exports more than $8 billion of high-quality dairy products every year to approximately 145 countries around the world. IDFA supports the Trump Administration’s efforts to hold trading partners accountable and expand market access for U.S. dairy.”
The old adage goes: “The Queen Mary ocean liner can’t turn on a dime.” Neither can the American economy, which has been battered and bruised by shortsighted politicians and business leaders who were asleep at the switch while foreign nations ripped off the United States. However, we now have a new captain at the helm, and whiners and naysayers notwithstanding…our nation will be turned around and sail into a bright future.
As U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson declared: “President Trump is sending a clear message with Liberation Day: America will not be exploited by unfair trade practices anymore. These tariffs restore fair and reciprocal trade and level the playing field for American workers and innovators. The President understands that FREE trade ONLY works when it’s FAIR!”
Tom Tradup is VP/News & Talk Programming at Dallas-based Salem Radio Network. He can be reached at ttradup@srnradio.com