Alexander B. Gray
In announcing the recent “Liberation Day” tariffs, the Trump administration has offered several explanations for returning the United States to its highest cumulative tariff rates since the first decade of the twentieth century. The president, in imposing a 10 percent universal tariff and additional reciprocal tariffs on numerous countries, spoke to the fundamental American desire for fairness. The universal tariffs, now paused, have already successfully driven dozens of countries to the negotiating table, seeking to make a fair deal with the United States. The restoration of a vibrant manufacturing sector, protected by sound trade policies, will have salutary socioeconomic effects on communities across the United States.
These arguments are valid and important, and Americans of all political persuasions have a vested interest in the success of President Donald Trump’s trade agenda. Yet the most critical argument in favor of the Trump tariffs is one of national security: without a tariff policy that fundamentally reorients manufacturing capacity to the United States, the American military will be unable to sustain a protracted conflict with its greatest likely adversary, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Trump’s tariff agenda is not simply a policy preference; it is essential for the security and safety of the United States in the decades to come.
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