We agree with President Donald Trump and others who believe that China’s trade abuses are a real threat to U.S. economic interests and jobs, but his decision to launch a trade war with China, and, indeed, the whole world, is not a fitting response. Various measures, including tariffs and countervailing duties, can be used to deal with proven unfair trade practices, but blanket tariffs are irresponsible and destined to do real damage.
The president mistakenly believes America has been cheated by devious trading partners and ripped off by ungrateful, freeloading allies.
The president mistakenly believes America is a victim, that she has been cheated by devious trading partners and ripped off by ungrateful, freeloading allies over the past 80 years. We categorically reject this dark view and believe that the president should heed the wise words of President Ronald Reagan, who said, “We should beware of the demagogs who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends—weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world—all while cynically waving the American flag.”
But Trump has shown little interest in acting as a friend toward our friends. He has wrongly accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of instigating Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. He and Vice President JD Vance have expressed hostility toward Europe, the European Union and NATO and have undermined the transatlantic partnership so severely that few people believe the United States would honor an Article V commitment if Russia were to attack a NATO ally. Further, Trump’s insulting comments about making Canada the 51st state and his obsession with taking Greenland from Denmark have forced longtime friends and allies to re-examine their relationships with the United States.
Trump also wants to retake the Panama Canal, which was returned to Panama under a treaty many decades ago. Tragically, for far too many countries around the world, America is now viewed as a threat to the cause of freedom and democracy and not a protector of it.
Imperialism, spheres of influence and Manifest Destiny have returned with a vengeance.
It all feels so 19th century, which may explain why President William McKinley’s name is regularly invoked to validate Trump’s determined effort to impose tariffs.
Trump’s rollout of his so-called reciprocal tariff schedule this month used a formula that did not factor in tariff rates imposed by other countries. Nor did his administration factor in nontariff barriers and currency manipulation. Whoever created the formula appears to have entered the witness protection program, because they’ve not stepped forward to explain it.
Trump’s tariffs plan has done more than roil the markets. It has further isolated America and most disturbingly created a crisis of competence and confidence in the United States government. The markets are chaotic, businesses are demanding predictability and stability, farmers are worried about access to export markets, and consumers are bracing for higher prices on essential goods. Fears of a self-inflicted recession are real. Never before in the history of this great republic have we borne witness to such a poorly planned and executed act of economic malpractice.
Combined with the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the planned silencing of the Voice of America and other critical elements of American soft power, this unprovoked trade war signals to the world that America is mindlessly disengaging and isolating itself. Trump’s rejection of a more open trading system has caused many to fear that America is closed for business.
Conversely, China is opportunistically filling the void and reaching out to America’s despondent friends, allies and strategic partners. America’s disengagement is a cause for deep concern, because it makes the world a much more dangerous place. After all, trade wars often precede hot wars. America cannot recede from the global stage and expect security.
Fears of a self-inflicted recession are real. Similarly, we cannot isolate ourselves from the global market. Although the United States is the richest nation on Earth with the world’s strongest and most dynamic economy, we cannot go it alone on trade. Self-sufficiency does not work, and balanced trade with each individual trading partner, as Trump seems to seek, is an impossibility. Indeed, seeking balanced overall trade through artificial trade barriers doesn’t make any sense except for those who preach junk economics. There are many factors that determine trade balances, and traffic in goods, alone, is just one measure of them. For example, services trade, which should be included in an overall trade balance, were excluded in the administration’s absurd tariff formula. Their inclusion would significantly narrow the trade deficit. We published an article in The Hill before November’s election, in which we warned of the dire consequences of Trump’s tariff threats. We anticipated the stock market to sink, inflation to rise, manufacturers to suffer and farmers to be harmed, as well as the possibility of a resulting recession. We stand by that story today, although we did not anticipate the administration would be this reckless in imposing tariffs. There are no winners in trade wars. Ongoing turbulence in the markets proves the point, which forced Trump to blink and announce a 90-day pause on many of his extreme, misguided and so-called reciprocal tariff increases. While this development is a welcome reprieve, uncertainty and risk remain. The president’s senseless tariff actions have signaled to the world America has abandoned the post-World War II global order it has led for the past 80 years. America has abandoned the post-World War II global order it has led for the past 80 years. In the quote from Reagan above, he goes on to say: “The expansion of the international economy is not a foreign invasion; it is an American triumph, one we worked hard to achieve, and something central to our vision of a peaceful world of freedoms.” We much prefer the bright light of Reagan’s shining city on the hill than the darkness of Trump’s American carnage. Clearly, the president and some of his economic team recognized their recent decisions needed to be modified and corrected. The question is will they accept reason in their future decision-making or continue to fall prey to the chaos of the past few days?
Charlie Dent
Charlie Dent is executive director and vice president of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, where he leads bipartisan, bicameral policy education programs for members of Congress. He is a board member of the National Archives Foundation, CARE USA and Research America and an advisory board member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Previously, he served seven terms in the House representing the 15th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
Dan Glickman
Dan Glickman is a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture who also represented Kansas's 4th Congressional District as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives 
