Trump’s Outrageous Trade Policies Could Bankrupt Americans, Threaten Global Stability

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the global trade system based on a fundamental economic misconception. He incorrectly asserts that the U.S. trade deficit stems from other nations exploiting the United States, often saying things like, “Over the decades, they ripped us off like no country has ever been ripped off in history…”

Trump’s strategy to shrink the trade deficit involved implementing tariffs to hinder imports and rebalance trade—or to compel other nations to stop their so-called exploitation of America. However, Trump’s approach with tariffs would neither shrink the trade deficit nor benefit Americans; rather, it would impoverish U.S. citizens and adversely affect the global community.

A nation’s trade deficit, more accurately termed its current account deficit, isn’t indicative of unfair trade practices by countries with a surplus. It reflects a different reality altogether. A current account deficit means the country is spending more than it’s producing, or it’s investing more than it’s saving.

The U.S. trade deficit is a manifestation of the extravagance of America’s corporate leaders, particularly due to large, ongoing budget deficits caused by tax breaks for the affluent along with trillions wasted on fruitless wars. These deficits aren’t due to any wrongdoing by nations like Canada or Mexico, who happen to sell more to the U.S. than they buy from it.

Trump faults other countries for America’s deficit, but this is nonsensical. It is the U.S. that is living beyond its means.

To truly address the trade deficit, the U.S. needs to tackle the budget deficit. Imposing tariffs will increase prices (e.g., for cars) but won’t close the trade or budget deficits, particularly since Trump planned to counterbalance tariff revenues with significantly larger tax cuts for his wealthy backers. Additionally, as Trump imposed more tariffs, other nations responded with their own, which hindered U.S. exports directly. The outcome is detrimental for both the U.S. and the global community.

By examining the figures, in 2024, the U.S. exported $4.8 trillion in goods and services, and imported $5.9 trillion, resulting in a current account deficit of $1.1 trillion. That $1.1 trillion gap is the difference between America’s total expenditures in 2024 ($30.1 trillion) and its national income ($29.0 trillion). The U.S. is spending more than it earns, borrowing the difference from abroad.

Trump’s allegation that other countries are to blame for America’s deficit is illogical. The reality is that the U.S. is spending beyond its income. Imagine you are an employee: you have a current account surplus with your employer and a deficit with stores where you shop. If your spending matches your earnings, you have a balanced account. But if you overspend using credit cards, you create a deficit. Are the stores cheating you, or is your own spending pushing you into debt?

Imposing tariffs won’t solve the trade deficit as long as fiscal irresponsibility by corporate moguls and tax dodgers in Washington persists. For instance, if Trump’s tariffs reduce automobile imports, Americans might buy domestically-produced vehicles that would have otherwise been exported. Imports might drop, but exports will also decrease. New tariffs by other countries in response to U.S. policies will further reduce American exports, maintaining the trade imbalance.

While tariffs won’t eliminate the trade deficit, they will compel Americans to purchase higher-priced goods made in the U.S. that could have been bought more cheaply from abroad, squandering the economic benefits of trade based on the comparative advantage of different producers.

The budget deficit isn’t caused by the salaries of civil servants, who are being unjustly dismissed, or by government R&D investment, which is critical for future prosperity, but by tax cuts for the wealthy and reckless expenditures on endless wars…

Tariffs will increase prices for cars and possibly raise wages for auto workers, but these wage increases will be offset by a lower overall standard of living across the country, not by an increase in national income. The effective way to support American workers is through federal initiatives that are the opposite of those Trump favored, including universal healthcare, stronger support for unionization, and increased funding for modern infrastructure and green energy, all funded by higher taxes on the richest Americans and businesses.

The federal government doesn’t match its spending with tax revenue, largely because affluent donors push for tax cuts, tax avoidance, and evasion. Note that DOGE has significantly reduced the IRS’s ability to audit. The budget deficit is currently about $2 trillion, or roughly 6 percent of the U.S. national income. With such a high budget deficit, the U.S. is likely to maintain a chronic trade deficit.

Trump claimed he would reduce the budget deficit by cutting waste via DOGE. However, this approach misunderstands the true cause of fiscal excess. The budget deficit isn’t due to civil servant salaries, who are being wrongfully terminated, nor to crucial government R&D spending, but to tax reductions for the wealthy and profligate spending on America’s ongoing wars, U.S. support for Israel’s continuous conflicts, America’s extensive overseas military bases, an oversized CIA and other intelligence agencies, and interest on the soaring federal debt.

Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are reportedly targeting Medicaid, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable Americans, to pave the way for further tax cuts for the wealthiest. They might soon target Social Security and Medicare as well.

Trump’s tariffs will not only fail to close the trade and budget deficits but will also raise prices and impoverish both America and the global community by wasting the economic benefits of trade. The U.S. risks becoming a pariah on the world stage for the damage it is inflicting on itself and others.