Really enjoyed this piece—your breakdown of Trump’s trade policies is sharp, and I appreciate how you tie in both the historical and economic context. You make a strong case for how the aggressive tariff approach hurt more than it helped, and the way you unpack the ripple effects is super compelling.
That said, I see it a little differently. While the tariffs were messy and definitely came with short-term pain, they also forced some much-needed conversations about trade imbalances, intellectual property theft, and the risks of overreliance on foreign manufacturing—especially with China. Some industries actually benefited from the push to bring production back home, and while the execution wasn’t perfect, the broader goal of strengthening U.S. industries had its merits.
Curious—do you see any long-term positives that came out of this, or do you think it was all downside?
Hey Sean,
Really enjoyed this piece—your breakdown of Trump’s trade policies is sharp, and I appreciate how you tie in both the historical and economic context. You make a strong case for how the aggressive tariff approach hurt more than it helped, and the way you unpack the ripple effects is super compelling.
That said, I see it a little differently. While the tariffs were messy and definitely came with short-term pain, they also forced some much-needed conversations about trade imbalances, intellectual property theft, and the risks of overreliance on foreign manufacturing—especially with China. Some industries actually benefited from the push to bring production back home, and while the execution wasn’t perfect, the broader goal of strengthening U.S. industries had its merits.
Curious—do you see any long-term positives that came out of this, or do you think it was all downside?