Can Trump Win Trade Wars Before They Start?

Donald Trump is completely aware of what he is doing with taxes.

Everyone else is perplexed: Why did the president impose hefty import taxes on Canada, Mexico, and China?

America has an evident curiosity in economic decoupling from China, a great-power enemy.

And by initial enforcing and then suspending taxes on Mexican goods, Trump was able to provide Mexico’s state to the table on his terms.

That has achieved instant benefits in the fight against the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into our nation:

President Claudia Sheinbaum is now sending 10, 000 soldiers to stable Mexico’s side of the border. &nbsp,

She has one month to complete the task and reach a bigger, long-term agreement with the US, or taxes will end in March.

Then there are those Yukon organizations and the Canadian Communist Party, and… waited, what?

What issues could America possibly have with Canada that justifies a 25 % tax on the goods they sell us? &nbsp,

Like Mexico, Canada has been given a 30-day break to work things out. &nbsp,

There’s more to talk about than just the northern borders. &nbsp,

Trump slams Justin Trudeau as prime minister for making Canada our nation’s 51st position. &nbsp,

It’s hard to imagine taxes large enough to accomplish what a couple of attacks couldn’t reach over the last 200-odd times, if:

In both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, America attempted to occupy Canada by pressure, hoping that Canadians may unintentionally rebel against their own government and need the rights and liberties of American citizens. &nbsp,

A key part of Canada’s national personality, however, comes from the pro-British Tories who fled the British colonies more than join our trend.

Even French liberals, including the person with the best hope of beating the Democratic party at the next vote, Pierre Poilievre, don’t want to become Americans.

If Canadians rally to the Liberal government as keeper of their independence and national pride, they are in political risk and nobly outraged by the price risk.

However, President Trump is aware of all that.

He uses taxes to set expectations for our northern neighbor, only as he has for China and Mexico.

Often, a person or region can help a friend through difficult times.

Canada has much neglected to fulfill its security obligations to its own citizens and NATO friends.

NATO users are expected to contribute at least 2 % of their GDP to security.

Trudeau promised his country would pass the 2 % threshold by 2032, but Canada spent a meager 1.37 % last year.

That’s not the commitment of a president who feels any necessity about providing for his nation’s protection, let alone helping companions when there’s a battle near their territories.

Trump asks why we should pay for it if the land isn’t ours because Canadian prime ministers have been content to let America foot the security bill for the past few months.

His tough treatment of Trudeau sends a message to Europe, where more NATO states are beginning to meet their 2 % minimum contributions, but just barely: &nbsp,

Germany, for example, spent 1.3 % on defense in 2023 and only brought that up to a little more than 2 % last year, despite NATO facing its greatest challenge since the end of the Cold War with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

America can’t afford to be ripped off by friends any more than it can be unwary about Mexican disorder or Chinese power.

Trump is using gentle, if painful, strategies to alter both friend and foe’s behavior.

To be sure, he thinks “tariff” is the most beautiful word in the English language: Trump is unabashedly a tariff man. &nbsp,

But he’s a dealmaker first and foremost, and the tariffs can be avoided if the other side is willing to reach a deal that better serves America’s interests.

After all, trade with America is in everyone’s best interests, from China to Mexico to Canada; we’re offering something but not getting enough in return.

Trump wants to change that, and tariffs are a powerful tool in doing that.

Without the president’s plan, the tariffs could even be used to restore jobs and supply chains to America.

Businesses who are afraid of paying tariffs have a competitive advantage by returning production to America and giving the domestic market more attention.

And American businesses that depend on foreign imports have every reason to start releasing their dependence right away by looking for alternative components that won’t be tarnished.

Trump knows how to win trade wars before the first shot, so to speak, is fired.

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