All year people have claimed that Trump only intended

Posted on: July 24, 2018 at 13:05:11 CT

to extract concessions, not start an all-out trade war. I never believed it. Following his statements over the years, it struck me as obvious that he is a convinced economic nationalist. It is not about unfairness from abroad much less the desire to open markets. It is about nationalizing economic production. And it is indeed delusional and deeply harmful to everyone.

The main victims are American consumers and producers who depend on complex supply chains for manufacturing inputs and consumer markets abroad. The main beneficiaries will be foreign manufacturers who do not face these restrictions.

It is deeply alarming that the progress toward open international markets that has gone on for decades is being abruptly reversed. And it is just as sad that the main opponents to this have not been the "conservatives" -- who can barely breathe any criticism of Trump -- but only voices from within the merchant class itself, and the handful of news outlets that allow them to speak.

Of course we hear daily that these tariffs are being imposed against China, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and so on. Nonsense. These tariffs are being imposed on Americans. Tax, tax, tax. As for the muted voices among libertarians on this topic, it's extremely sad.

I've long known that Trump meant harm on this front, but it is still extremely rattling to observe how he has triumphed and gotten his way, ignoring the rule of law, the WTO, Congress, and most of the entire business class. No debate, no input, no consultations, no mechanisms in place to stop him. Amazing. It's the stuff of dictatorships.

Jeffrey Tucker