“Where is the stick you are using to lower tariffs for our trading partners?
These countries have been raping the USA and destroying our industrial base for decades. Tariffs are the only weapon to achieve a change.”
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The claim that Europe and Canada have been “raping the USA” and “destroying our industrial base” is not only false but also a harmful misrepresentation of global economic dynamics. The true threat to America’s industrial base has not come from our long-standing allies, but rather from China — an adversary that has systematically undermined U.S. manufacturing by exploiting America’s own business decisions. American entrepreneurs, in pursuit of lower production costs and wages, have outsourced jobs to China for decades, allowing the country to flood the global market with cheaper goods while often engaging in unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, and forced technology transfers.
In contrast, Europe and Canada are not economic adversaries; they are some of America’s closest allies and most reliable trading partners. The U.S. enjoys a trade surplus in services with both regions, and these partnerships provide tangible benefits that strengthen the American economy. European and Canadian companies invest billions in the U.S. economy, creating millions of American jobs in sectors ranging from automotive manufacturing to pharmaceuticals. Additionally, NATO, which is heavily funded by European allies, directly contributes to U.S. security, reducing the financial burden on American taxpayers for global stability.
The rhetoric suggesting that tariffs are the “only weapon” to fix these trade dynamics is misleading. Broad tariffs on allies do more harm than good, often prompting retaliatory measures that hurt American businesses and consumers. A smarter strategy would involve negotiating fairer trade agreements and addressing the real issue — China’s unfair trade practices—rather than alienating allies who provide the U.S. with economic, technological, and strategic advantages.
I still believe Trump is playing 4d chess, and just pretending to put high tariffs on America’s allies. Its a negotiating trick...
It is disingenuous not to mention that Canada has worked with China to import auto parts from China and then sell them to the US under USMCA rules allowing China to further take advantage of the USA by using Canada as a conduit.