To understand Trump’s economic vision, you need to know two key players: Robert Lighthizer and Jamieson Greer. Lighthizer, Trump’s trade czar in h

Why Does Trump Love Tariffs? - by Dean Magee - FutureWealth

submited by

Style Pass

2025-01-22 04:00:06

To understand Trump’s economic vision, you need to know two key players: Robert Lighthizer and Jamieson Greer. Lighthizer, Trump’s trade czar in his first term, championed the tariff-heavy trade strategy. This time, Greer steps into his mentor’s shoes as the U.S. Trade Representative.

Economists argue tariffs disrupt the principle of comparative advantage. By making imports more expensive, they distort trade, raise prices, and reduce efficiency.

But that’s not the whole story. While tariffs shrink overall economic output, they also reshape the playing field. Some win, others lose—and the debate often overlooks the deeper social and geopolitical stakes.

For decades, America pursued free trade with gusto, chasing cheaper goods and higher corporate profits. The result? De-industrialized towns, millions of lost jobs, and rising inequality.

Between 2000 and 2016 alone, the U.S. lost 5 million manufacturing jobs. For many of these displaced workers, the promise of “retraining” often led to low-wage service jobs, stripping them of economic stability and dignity.