Was a trade war with China necessary?

Was a trade war with China necessary?

The trade war with China has spooked investors but also has its supporters among business leaders who feel ripped off by the world’s second-largest economy. Business leaders for years have decried intellectual property theft, unequal treatment of U.S. companies and cyberattacks. “Shark Tank” star and investor Kevin O’Leary said he would like tariffs of 400% on China. Still, the trade war has its critics. The Wall Street Journal editorial page ar…

Trump Doth Bid The Mills To Rise Again

About three weeks before last year's presidential election, President Trump appeared before John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg, at the Economic Club of Chicago. The topic was how Trump's tariff and industrial policies would impact voters. Micklethwait: Why should they trust you with that?Trump: Because we're about growth. She's got no growth whatsoever, and we're all about growth. We're going to bring companies back to our country. …

A Trade War With China Is a Very Bad Idea

Yes, the U.S. has the larger consumer economy. No, that won’t be enough to avoid major (and majorly self-inflicted) pain.

Return of the Robber Barons – Trump’s Distorted View of US Tariff History

By Michael Hudson – Apr 15, 2025 Economist Michael Hudson argues Donald Trump has no plans to deal with the problems that caused US deindustrialization. His tariffs are just a neoliberal program under another guise, to benefit the wealthy donor class. Summary Donald Trump’s tariff policy has thrown markets into turmoil among his allies and enemies alike. This anarchy reflects the fact that his major aim was not really tariff policy, but simply t…

Trump’s tariff madness is based on anti-capitalist zero-sum thinking

What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past, writes Rainer Zitelmann Throughout history, absurd economic theories have repeatedly caused immense damage. From Marxism to other forms of anti-capitalism, these ideologies have plunged numerous countries into poverty. But rarely have economic zero-sum beliefs and scapegoating caused such economic carnage in such a short space of …

Financial Times Trump’s tariff chaos is being described as a master plan to create a coalition to fight Chinese mercantilism. However, this plan is doomed to failure, says the British newspaper Financial Times. There are three reasons for this: — Trump mistakenly believes that all countries in the world want access to the American market. As long as Trump is in power, the United States will be unreliable and no sane leader will join him in a cru…