Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump’s Protectionism

Source: The UnPopulist
by Tibita Kaneene

“For too long, American populists on the left and right have treated globalism — the free flow of goods, capital, and people across borders — as a concession to corporate interests, a system to apologize for rather than promote. That defensiveness has become a trap: facing Trump’s assault on the principles of free and open trade, Democrats are pushing back, but on tactical grounds rather than making a full, principled case for free trade. Tariffs raise prices for everyone, reduce employment and output, and weaken the democratic alliances Democrats claim to cherish. In failing to make the principled case against tariffs, Democrats cede the language of economic openness to the very forces dismantling it.” (03/24/26)

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/democrats-should-own-free-trade-not