If our Twitter-in-Chief thinks what he has done today is going to “make America great again,” he is sadly mistaken. Actually, he has put the United States in the perilous position of being in a weakened position on the world stage. And need I remind people – We will be all alone.
Many of us in the media have tried to explain why balanced trade and the give-and-take of the movement of goods is so critical to not only the U.S. but to the world’s economic health as well. While Trump seems to want this country to operate independently of any outside help – it won’t work in today’s technologically advanced workplace where supply chains are digitally integrated on a global scale.
But, perhaps even more worrisome is the fate of other countries’ workforces. In the UK, the country is already dealing with what it calls a “fragile steel manufacturing industry.” The new tariffs will hit the 34,000 people employed manufacturing steel in the UK, with the highest concentrations in already deprived areas in Wales and the North of England.
Shadow Steel Minister Gill Furniss said: “This is a catastrophic blow to the sector and steelworkers across the country.” Furniss points out a trade war is not the answer to the global overcapacity already being seen in the global steel industry, calling the tariffs “a recipe for disaster – everybody will lose out.”
The UK’s CBI international director Ben Digby said: “The President’s measures are deeply concerning for firms in the UK, for close trading partners and across supply chains.” Digby also reiterated that there are no winners in a trade war.
“There are no winners in a trade war, which will damage prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. These tariffs could lead to a protectionist domino effect, damaging firms, employees and consumers in the US, UK, and many other trading partners.”
In France, the Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the tariffs would be “unjustified and dangerous,” adding the EU would take “all necessary measures” to respond if the US did impose tariffs.”
I sometimes wonder just how much more of this insane political-comedy the American public will take before we stand up and say “Enough is enough.” I mean, after all, this trade thing is serious, folks. And as I reported earlier today, Trump wants to rid American highways of German cars? Come on, now.
Am I the only one who’s noticed that every time Trump pulls something like this tariff move, it usually happens when he is ranting about his Russia Probe? He manages to keep the American public off-balance with his Twitter-rants and then, out of the blue, he fires a shot hitting the world square in the gut.
It’s interesting that George Washington has gone down in U.S. history as the “Father of our country,” but in many people’s eyes today, Trump has become the dictator that will destroy this nation so lovingly and hard fought for over two hundred years ago.
