False Promises
How Economic Nationalism Hurts American Workers
In his second term, Donald Trump is once again promising to revive American industry through aggressive tariffs and economic nationalism. He claims that higher taxes on imports will bring manufacturing back to U.S. soil, creating a new golden age of prosperity for American workers.
But we’ve seen this movie before—and it doesn’t end the way he says it will.
Tariffs aren’t a new idea. Trump’s first term already tested this approach, and the results were clear: rather than reviving American manufacturing, tariffs raised costs for U.S. businesses, triggered retaliatory trade wars, and ultimately hurt the very workers they were supposed to help.
How Tariff Chaos and Economic Nationalism Undermine U.S. Power
For nearly eight decades, American global leadership has rested on a fragile but powerful promise: stability. The Pax Americana wasn’t built solely on military might or cultural influence—it was rooted in the idea that the United States was a predictable partner, a safe haven for capital, and a steady hand guiding global trade and diplomacy.
That foundation is starting to crack.
Donald Trump’s return to power threatens to accelerate the erosion of this global trust. His erratic approach to trade, particularly his obsession with tariffs, may play well at rallies—but abroad, it signals volatility, nationalism, and unreliability. And in a global economy that depends on long-term confidence, that unpredictability could shake the very pillars of American dominance.