This year’s G7 summit is over and did not go well for the President. The meeting of leaders of world powers has been marked by Trump’s roundly-denounced recommendation that Russia be allowed to attend the summit, as well as French President Emanuel Macron’s suggestion that the nations convene a G6 summit without the United States.
Clearly, Trump’s goal of making the world respect America again with endless wins has not turned out. And this is only further proven by Donald’s trade war against America’s allies, which has backfired bigly.
So far, Trump’s trade policy of the past few weeks has been a series of disasters of monumental proportions. His tariffs against Canadian steel and aluminum were described as “insulting” by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they were made under the pretense that Canada represents a national security threat to the United States. Retaliatory tariffs have been issued against America by both Canada and the European Union, which was also hit by tariffs. Despite promises that “trade wars ... are easy to win,” the current trade policy is not only working against American businesses, but also divides our closest allies on a deep political level.
The unanswered question remains: Why is the president of the most powerful country in the world needlessly dividing our allies in pointless trade wars? The official reason is the typical “America First” rhetoric that put Trump in the White House in the first place, highlighted by the nationalist rationale that imports to the US result in a loss for the country.
I think the real man behind the curtain in Trump’s trade circus is either Russian influence, pure ignorance, or a combination of the two.
It’s no secret that Trump has had Russia’s interests in mind since his primary campaign. Paul Manafort of Trump’s campaign team has a long history of being involved with Russian politicians and oligarchs. Even Trump himself always seems to come to Russia’s defense, namely when he downplayed the invasion of Crimea during the G7 summit. Or maybe when he demonstrated his bromance with Putin after admitting they had a good relationship. Who else would have as much to gain by splitting the trans-Atlantic partnership of the past 70 years if not Russia, which has been hemmed in by former Warsaw Pact nations that have joined NATO?
Another possibility is raw ignorance. Trump is also no stranger to sounding like a nursing home-bound senior citizen, like his embarrassing ramble of a Fox and Friends interview. The President’s famous Twitter account is another example of his senility, highlighting his inability to maintain one narrative for, say, the average lunar cycle. Not to mention rumors that the White House staff treats the Commander in Chief like a child, complete with a lack of reading comprehension. It’s no wonder Trump started a trade war, as an infant would with his toy trucks in a sandbox.
Unfortunately, America is not Trump’s sandbox. Although Trump’s approval rating is not as low as it probably should be, his actions have real repercussions for all Americans, especially small business owners and the working class. I find it extremely disheartening that a spoiled billionaire is under the illusion that a trade war would be anything but terrible for the economy, especially when that billionaire is the president of the United States.