They called it a trade war. Trump called it leverage. Now the clueless class is about to learn what economic warfare really looks like.

We were cruising at 32,000 feet when the conversation caught my ear. Two men in their 60s, wearing golf shirts and sneakers—no laptops, no earbuds—just confidently exchanging opinions somewhere over Georgia, halfway through their Bloody Marys.

“I don’t get it,” one said. “Trump’s going to slap tariffs on everything again? That’s just going to drive up prices.”

The other nodded, with the certainty of someone who’d never been challenged. “It’s the same thing all over—tax the American consumer and pretend it’s tough on China.”

They didn’t whisper. They weren’t unsure. They were loud, certain, and completely wrong.

I didn’t say a word. But I wanted to. Not because I crave debate—but because I’m tired of watching this country get gaslit by a class of people who stopped thinking critically the minute CNN started thinking for them.

This is where The Reckoning begins.
Not in the headlines. Not in Washington. But at 32,000 feet, in a casual conversation that revealed just how badly the American people have been lied to.

Because tariffs aren’t taxes.
They’re tools.
They’re leverage.
They’re how you say no to a global system built to exploit us—and yes, to the American worker we nearly lost.

Tariffs: The Tool the Left Pretends Not to Understand

Here’s the truth no one at the cocktail parties wants to say out loud: tariffs are not taxes on Americans. That’s a lie told by people who either don’t understand economics—or don’t care who’s getting steamrolled, as long as their stock portfolio stays padded.

A tariff is a penalty. It’s a strategic toll on products that come into this country under unfair terms. It’s how we say, “You want access to our markets? Then play fair. Otherwise, pay up.”

Think of it like this: If someone’s dumping cheap steel into your town and undercutting every local business, what do you do? You don’t say “Let the free market sort it out” while your factories shut down and your neighbors lose their jobs. You block the dump truck. You protect your own. You draw a line.

That’s what President Trump is doing. And it’s working.

They Called It a Trade War—But It Was a Wake-Up Call

Once again, the left loses its mind and gaslights the American people. The media screamed about a “trade war” with China. Economists clutched their pearls. Meanwhile, Trump said: Good. Let it be a war—because we’ve been losing a silent one for 30 years.

While they panicked over hypotheticals, Trump went to work:
– China blinked.
– American steel production jumped.
– Manufacturing started to come home.
– And for the first time in decades, we had a president who fought for our economy like it mattered.

Instead of supporting it, the left mocked it. They defended China. They propped up the same broken system that hollowed out our middle class. Why? Because they’re not interested in American strength—they’re addicted to globalism.

The Reckoning Is Economic First. And It’s Just Getting Started.

We’re now in the early days of a reckoning they never saw coming. A correction. A course reversal. A restoration of economic sovereignty.

President Trump is bringing tariffs back not to punish—but to protect. Not to isolate—but to negotiate. And this time, it won’t just be China on the receiving end. Every country that’s taken advantage of American generosity while mocking our weakness should be on notice.

This week, Vietnam’s General Secretary signaled a willingness to drop tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump announced a 46% tariff on theirs. Argentina, under President Milei, pledged to align with Trump’s reciprocal tariff framework despite being hit with a 10% tariff. It’s working. This isn’t chaos—it’s leadership. The markets may flinch, but as Secretary Rubio said, “No, their economies are not crashing. Their markets are reacting to a dramatic change in the global order in terms of trade.” He went on to say, “Ultimately, the markets, as long as they know what the rules are going to be moving forward… the markets will adjust.” A signal to the world: play fair, or pay. This is what America First looks like in action.

Call It What It Is: America’s Economic Counterstrike

Tariffs aren’t scary. You know what is? A country that can’t make its own medicine. A country that begs foreign nations for baby formula. A country where skilled labor has been replaced with overseas sweatshops and supply chain chaos.

That’s what we inherited under the old way.

Trump’s way?
We build again. We produce again. We defend our economy like it’s the beating heart of the nation—because it is.

Let the men in golf shirts talk.
Let the media sneer.
Let the left whine about prices they helped inflate.

The Reckoning has begun. We voted for this because we understand what’s at stake. We knew the adjustment would come. And we trust the man we sent to do the job—because we know he’s got us. It starts with tariffs, truth, and finally putting America—not global markets—first.

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Wendy Kinney (@paymentsSHEEO) is a Christian, attorney, legal strategist, and Founder & CEO of Revere Payments, a company dedicated to protecting financial freedom and supporting values-driven businesses. She writes about faith, freedom, and the fight for truth in an age of
spiritual and political darkness, challenging both cultural complacency and institutional
silence.