The math is made up, the perceived grievances are just that — perceived — but just like everything he does, Trump’s global trade war makes sense according to the twisted logic that guides him.
He believes this will convince people the world over that he is the most powerful man on the planet.
How much actual power he will end up with remains to be seen, but he at least has proved that he is the world’s biggest bully. (Step aside, Vladimir Putin.)
The problem with Trump’s tariffs is they are predicated on the notion that the U.S. economy is a separate entity when in fact it is completely enmeshed in a globalized supply chain of trade deals that makes every country dependent on every other country.
But Trump is right that the U.S. is by far the biggest kid on the block economically, so the pain will be felt disproportionally depending where in the world you live. While U.S. consumers will pay more for stuff, people in the poorest countries will starve.
And with USAID disbanded, the U.S. under Trump will no longer be there to help alleviate the pain.
With one massive blow, Trump has just reversed 75 years of progress, albeit inadequate, to establish a more equitable distribution of resources worldwide. Although they remain far poorer than the rich countries, Third World nations have for the most part been making progress against the pervasive poverty that holds them back.
Meanwhile, Trump doesn’t care about that or anything else outside of his crazed quest for complete power over everyone and everything.
He won’t achieve that goal, but he will cause a lot of pain all over the world in the process.
HEADLINES:
Trump’s Trade War Escalates as China Retaliates With 34% Tariffs (NYT)
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq crater after China's tariffs turn up the trade-war heat (Yahoo)
Trump tariffs pile stress on ailing world economy (Reuters)
Is ‘The Nerd Reich’ Taking Over the Government? (KQED)
The Truth About Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” (New Yorker)
Trump tariff fallout begins as layoffs, price hikes and retaliation tank markets (CNBC)
China vows ‘firm countermeasures’ to Trump tariffs; E.U. ready to respond (WP)
With Trump’s Tariffs, the Chasm Between Allies and the U.S. Widens (NYT)
Trump’s Tariffs Send Deliberate Shock to Heart of Global Economy (Bloomberg)
Canadian travel to U.S. is plummeting: ‘There’s a lot of anger’ (WP)
Trump smashed a more than 75-year-old global trading system with a new baseline 10% US tariff on goods from all countries and higher reciprocal tariff rates for nations that his administration says have high barriers to US imports. (Reuters)
Trump Fires N.S.C. Officials After Oval Office Meeting With Laura Loomer (NYT)
After promising transparency, RFK guts public records teams at HHS (NPR)
DOGE’s access to the payroll system of 276,000 federal employees puts government on path to have ‘unprecedented power and control’ over Americans’ information, experts say (Fortune)
Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon (Politico Mag)
America Is Headed for a Grim Fiscal Reckoning (Bloomberg)
The Brewing Transatlantic Tech War (Foreign Affairs)
A look at the people ensnared in Trump’s campaign against pro-Palestinian activism at US colleges (AP)
Hungary withdraws from International Criminal Court during Netanyahu visit (BBC)
Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer (Guardian)
NYC Mayor Eric Adams says he will run for reelection as an independent (CNN)
Major breakthrough in Parkinson’s disease treatment (Star)
U.S. Copyright Office issues highly anticipated report on copyrightability of AI-generated works (Reuters)
An AI-enhanced treatment has reduced Parkinson’s symptoms for some people (WP)
FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States (The Onion)
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