Barackface: WTO Minus One: Trump’s Tariff Chaos and America’s Self-Inflicted Decline

Friday, April 04, 2025

WTO Minus One: Trump’s Tariff Chaos and America’s Self-Inflicted Decline

The Trade Wars: Tariffs, Globalization, and the Battle for Economic Dominance

Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible

The Trade Wars: Tariffs, Globalization, and the Battle for Economic Dominance

WTO Minus One: Trump’s Tariff Chaos and America’s Self-Inflicted Decline

Tariffs are back in the headlines, but not in a good way. Donald Trump’s latest wave of protectionism is a throwback to 17th-century mercantilism—an outdated economic theory that believes hoarding wealth and restricting imports will somehow make a nation richer. We’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well.

Let’s be clear: it was a similar trade war, underpinned by short-sighted economic nationalism, that helped trigger the Great Depression. That economic collapse didn’t just devastate livelihoods; it fueled the rise of fascism and ultimately led to World War II. And now, here we are again, playing with the same fire.

Trump seems to be running the American economy like one of his failed casinos—recklessly, with bravado, and without a long-term plan. They say the house always wins in the casino business, but not when Trump is in charge. This time, the stakes are global.

The world has changed. The BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—now represent a bigger economic bloc than the G7. The notion that the United States is the irreplaceable center of global trade is increasingly outdated. If America raises tariffs high enough, global markets will adapt. They already are.

We may be entering a “WTO minus one” era—a global trading order that simply bypasses the U.S. Yes, the American consumer market is massive, but it’s no longer indispensable, especially if the cost of doing business becomes too high. With every new tariff, the U.S. risks isolating itself from the very systems it helped create.

And make no mistake—the blowback will be immediate. The stock market will reflect investor anxiety before the effects even hit the real economy. We’re already seeing signs of political instability. Traditionally hard-red districts are beginning to turn purple. The political ground is shifting.

A massive Democratic wave in the next U.S. congressional elections is more than possible—it’s looking increasingly likely. Hakeem Jeffries, a leader with clarity and competence, is poised to rise. I got to know Jeffries since before he ran for office, and I believe he’s the right person to help steer Congress through this chaotic moment.

To be fair, the structural challenges facing the U.S. economy are real—inequality, underinvestment in infrastructure, a fragile middle class. But instead of addressing these challenges with vision and cooperation, Trump’s tariff mania is accelerating America’s decline.

This is not just bad policy—it’s unnecessary.

Meanwhile, China stands to gain from all of this. So might the European Union. In fact, we might even witness something no one saw coming just a few years ago: a China-EU trade alliance forged not out of ideological alignment, but out of necessity and shared economic interests. The more erratic and hostile the U.S. becomes on trade, the closer the rest of the world grows.

The silver lining? Unlike the 1930s, we may avoid a full-blown global depression. Instead, we may enter a new multipolar world of trade—WTO minus America. The rest of the world will move on. The question is: will America catch up, or be left behind?

Trump’s Trade War

The Trade Wars: Tariffs, Globalization, and the Battle for Economic Dominance