Tariffs, Trump, and the Collapse of Economic Logic

 

Tariffs, Trump, and the Collapse of Economic Logic

We are living through a crisis of reason. Across the U.S. news media, a spineless Congress, and a right-wing dominated Supreme Court, truth and critical thinking have all but vanished. The public continues to follow the economic delusions of a deeply ignorant con man whose decisions ripple across the world economy—unchecked and unanalyzed.

One of Donald Trump’s most destructive claims is that countries with which the U.S. runs a trade deficit are "taking advantage" of America. This lie forms the basis for his obsession with tariffs. But let’s break it down with a simple analogy:

Imagine a farmer sells you all of their milk at 30 cents a gallon. You then process it, repackage it, and sell it for $3 a liter. If that farmer buys nothing from you, who is actually benefiting in this arrangement? Clearly, you are taking advantage of the farmer.

This is precisely how global trade works when resource-rich countries like Chile sell copper, lithium, and silver for pennies—often receiving as little as 7% in royalties—only for multinational corporations based in the U.S. or Europe to transform those raw materials into high-margin products. The real economic exploitation is flowing from developing countries to developed ones, not the other way around.

Trump's narrative flips reality on its head. His tariffs are not punishment for unfair trade practices—they're simply taxes on imports. And who pays those taxes? American businesses and consumers. Prices rise. Cost of living goes up. Manufacturing becomes more expensive. And as other nations respond with their own tariffs or economic slowdowns, American exports suffer. Production falls. Jobs are lost.

This is how global recessions begin.

What Trump fails to grasp is that trade deficits do not inherently mean a country is losing. The U.S. benefits from cheaper goods, specialized labor from abroad, and global supply chains that boost productivity and innovation. Slapping tariffs based on trade deficits is like burning down your house because the heating bill was too high.

But in today’s America, stupidity reigns supreme. Trump’s administration—and those still enthralled by his economic nonsense—seem determined to lead the U.S. and the world into a deep economic crisis based not on facts, but on fear, ego, and sheer ignorance.

We need a national conversation rooted in economic literacy, historical awareness, and mutual respect with our global partners. Until then, the danger of letting lies shape policy will only grow more catastrophic.