Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs

🇺🇸 American Liberals support reciprocal trade and a reciprocal tariff system. Most Americans agree with President Trump that if a country charges tariffs on US goods then the USA should impose equivalent tariffs on that country, regardless of whether the country is an ally or an adversary. That is fair.

We also have strategic industries that must be protected at all costs, and the steel industry is definitely one of those industries. We can not make weapons or many other goods necessary for our national security without a robust US steel industry.

I've heard the argument that our services industries are doing well. We have a trade surplus in services - this is true. The Americans that voted for Trump, however, are not in the services industries. They are in manufacturing industries, which are not doing well, and they are angry about it. They have every right to be angry about it, because the US government's job is to ensure that all US industries are doing well.

We would like the US administration to pursue trade talks with all of our allies, not trade wars. But our allies must understand that the American people are demanding trade reciprocity from all countries, even allies, so that will be the new US trade policy no matter who is in the White House. It's best to work these trade issues out in trade talks. Our allies had four years to work it our with President Biden, but neglected to do so. Americans got frustrated about it, and voted for Trump because of it. If Liberals don't deliver, then Americans will turn to populists.

There should be exceptions in US policies for adversarial nations like China, for instance, who use many other methods besides tariffs to engage in economic warfare with the USA, methods we do not wish to reciprocate, such as heavy subsidies, because it will completely change our economic system, which is not what Americans wish to do, and another reason they voted for Trump. (President Biden opted to adopt a more Chinese-like economic strategy, and Americans did not like it. Americans prefer the American capitalist system, and no other.) Tariff wars are still the best method for retaliation against China's economic warfare strategy.

We recommend that our allies engage in trade negotiations with the new US administration, keeping in mind that Americans will not accept anything other than reciprocity.

xo