Source: Washington Post
by Eduardo Porter
“On the face of it, President Donald Trump’s all-out attack on world trade makes no sense. The United States was the main architect of the liberal trading order built after World War II, which ultimately brought about the globalized economy Trump is now trying to dismantle. And it benefited handsomely from this order, which ensured America’s economic preeminence over the ensuing 75 years. But Trump’s hostility toward global commerce is not a psychological quirk. Americans have exhibited an ambivalence about trade, their support for it ebbing and flowing over the years. This is inspired by a powerful fear of American decline. Though it has proved to be largely misplaced, the fear lives on, stoking demand for barriers to protect the nation from the enemy outside.” (07/18/25)