“We’ve been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth,” President Trump declared in his address to Congress on Tuesday. “Countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. … This system is not fair to the United States and never was.”
Trump’s solution? Reciprocal tariffs. “Whatever they tax us, we will tax them.” No longer will foreigners be free to sell their goods in America while simultaneously shutting the doors to American products.
Free trade is far from free. Friends and foes alike use predatory trade practices against the United States, exploiting American apathy and weakness.
The president is right. Unfair trade with the Third World has ballooned the trade deficit and led to the great looting of America. Our lands are sold to the highest bidder. Our corporations are bought by foreigners. Our industrial secrets and advanced technologies are stolen or shipped abroad — all to pay for the never-ending smorgasbord of “cheap” imports.
The cancer of globalism has metastasized into every facet of America’s economy. At this point, tariffs are no longer just a question of economic necessity — America needs them if we are to survive as an independent people and a sovereign nation.
What’s good for the goose …
To begin with, global free trade is anything but free. American industry fights an uphill battle across the globe. As the president aptly summarized:
This is obviously true. Foreign tariffs price out U.S.-made goods from foreign markets. Meanwhile, foreign businesses are free to sell their products in America. This explains why European countries like Germany and Italy run enormous trade surpluses with America — despite American industry being much more efficient.
If the playing field were level, American goods would be cheaper than European goods, and we would dominate their markets. The Europeans know this, so they tilt the playing field in their favor.
Foreign nations not only tax American goods but also create various nonmonetary barriers to trade.
China, for instance, routinely violates the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and multiple World Trade Organization agreements. It imposes unreasonable and often unclear regulations, engages in dumping — selling large quantities of products below cost to eliminate local competitors and then raising prices once it holds a monopoly — and suppresses labor rights for Chinese workers. These practices reduce labor costs in China by an estimated 47% to 86%, depending on the industry.
China also provides extensive subsidies for its exporters. Consider that between 2000 and 2006, roughly 33% of Chinese exporters sold over 90% of their goods abroad. For context, only 0.7% of American exporters did the same during this period. This period is relevant because China joined the WTO in 2001. Essentially, China “cheated” to get an early advantage over America.
This has snowballed into the greatest wealth transfer in all human history. In fact, America’s cumulative trade deficit with China since 2001, in 2024 dollars, is over $9.23 trillion. This is money that should have been reinvested in America but instead went to fund China’s rise.
President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will help to level the playing field. May the best man win.
Survival of the fittest
America faces growing threats from unfair and imbalanced trade relationships that allow foreign economies to outcompete U.S. industries. These practices not only damage the American economy but also endanger the nation’s long-term survival.
Researchers across diverse fields — including political science, economics, evolutionary biology, pathology, botany, zoology, psychology, philosophy, and mathematics — have examined the optimal levels of cooperation between groups. Depending on the context, these groups may consist of different species, genetically related plants and animals, corporations, or nations.
Despite the varied contexts, researchers have reached a common conclusion: The most effective survival strategy combines cooperation within a group with indifference or hostility toward out-groups.
Groups that focus on sharing resources exclusively among their own members — a practice often associated with nationalism — enhance their chances of survival. In contrast, groups that share resources freely with all others — a hallmark of globalism — end up boosting the survival chances of both themselves and their competitors. As a result, nationalistic groups consistently outcompete globalist groups in the long run.
A study conducted by McGill University used simulations to model in-group competition with different cooperative strategies. In the study, the nationalistic approach was labeled “ethnocentric,” while the globalist approach was called “humanitarian.” The results showed that during early stages, when competition was minimal and resources were abundant, both strategies performed equally well. As competition intensified and resources became scarce, however, ethnocentric cooperation proved to be far more successful, ultimately outcompeting all other strategies.
In-group cooperation focuses benefits exclusively on a specific group, whether it’s a family, corporation, or nation. This approach strengthens the group’s survival prospects by prioritizing its interests above those of outsiders.
Since 1974, America's trade policy has followed a globalist, or humanitarian, approach. This strategy involves trading with all nations, even when they do not reciprocate. In contrast, most other nations — particularly China — adhere to a nationalistic or ethnocentric strategy. They trade with us, but only on terms that benefit them.
In the long run, America’s commitment to international free trade — like all globalist strategies — is a death sentence. It cannot succeed in a world where other nations can exploit our openness without offering anything in return.
“Free trade” is far from free. Friends and foes alike use predatory trade practices against the United States, exploiting American apathy and weakness. By allowing this, we force American companies to compete against foreign state-backed enterprises and workers earning near-slave wages.
This is neither a free market nor a fair fight. President Trump recognizes that economics is politics and that money is power. Tariffs are a tool to restore balance.
To thrive, America needs tariffs to encourage domestic cooperation and protect our national interests. We need tariffs to reshore industries, create jobs, and revive the American Dream.
The post <a href=https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/trumps-tariffs-expose-the-real-price-of-free-trade target=_blank >Trump’s tariffs expose the real price of ‘free trade’</a> appeared first on Conservative Angle | Conservative Angle - Conservative News Clearing House
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