Source: Persuasion
by Matt Johnson
“Like other transactional authoritarian leaders, Trump doesn’t believe the United States’[s] relationships with other countries should be based on shared values or the maintenance of international institutions — he thinks those relationships should be conditional and impermanent like business agreements. This is why he says allies should treat the United States like an ‘insurance company.’ Trump’s recent scattershot tariffs are a perfect example of his transactionalism. Beyond the fact that these massive tariffs — the most significant attack on global trade in a century — ignore basic economic principles like comparative advantage, they also target the United States’[s] closest allies and partners.” (04/08/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/authoritarianism-without-ideology