Trump Tariffs: Make China Great Again

Trump promises 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Day 1

The MAGA show is all set to begin. Donald Trump has promised to kick off his second administration by targeting the U.S. economy from two angles. He plans to impose tariffs on goods entering the United States, and it is almost certain that he will issue some form of executive order to deport immigrants.

“As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before,” Trump wrote. “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.”

What do open borders have to do with tariffs? Who knows, and who cares? Trump’s online troll army and propaganda chief will undoubtedly find a clever way to package both issues together. That’s their job: to take Donald Trump’s statements and spin them as far from reality as possible. They will construct an alternate universe and present it for public consumption.

This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on products entering the United States from Mexico and Canada. Both nations are deeply integrated with the U.S., with extensive trade connectivity that makes the exchange of goods and services faster and more efficient. In 2022, the United States exported $789.7 billion worth of goods and services to Mexico and Canada, while importing $974 billion.

The trade deficit stands at just $184.6 billion.

If Trump imposes tariffs on the entire $974 billion worth of imports, Mexico and Canada could retaliate by imposing equivalent tariffs on the $789.7 billion worth of exports flowing from the United States to their countries.

Every country Trump picks a fight with to prove to his MAGA base that he is a “strongman” who doesn’t back down will respond in kind. When Trump became President in 2016, he did the same. Tariffs were slapped on with little strategy, as if merely to make a point rather than to expand the U.S. economy.

No country targeted by Trump’s tariffs will simply accept them without retaliating. They can’t…