On Sunday, President Trump acknowledged that his plan to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will likely cause “pain” for Americans but insisted it will be worth it to bring about a “golden age” in America.
The president wrote on Truth Social: “THIS WILL BE THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!).”
The post came a day after Trump signed an executive order increasing tariffs on goods coming from Canada and Mexico by 25% and an increase of 10% on goods from China, which will raise costs for consumers in the US. The order includes a carve-out that will raise tariffs on Canadian oil and gas only by 10%.
Trump tied the tariffs to the flow of fentanyl and other opioids through the US’s northern and southern border. Reducing the flow of fentanyl into the US is extremely difficult because its high potency means traffickers can smuggle massive numbers of doses in tiny, hard-to-detect packages.
In his executive order, Trump accused Canada of “failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.”
Trump also tied his tariffs to what he calls US “subsidies” for Canada, which appears to refer to the trade deficit and also likely US funding for NORAD, which provides joint defense for the US and Canada.
“Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Another aspect of Trump’s strategy is to try to incentivize more companies to manufacture goods inside the US. “MAKE YOUR PRODUCT IN THE USA AND THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!” Trump wrote.
In response to Trump’s executive order, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on US imports, and Mexico vowed some would be imposed soon. China has said it will file a legal complaint with the World Trade Organization and warned of other potential “countermeasures.”
Well, shoot, I certainly feel “greater” already … now, my pocket will surely be significantly lighter, but greatness is more than being able to afford food, surely.
Well someone said the other day that we can all admire adn enjoy Melania's style, taste and that richness and pride has returned to America. Well let's look at Melania, concentrate hard and maybe the price of eggs will change from $10.00 a dozen to $1.00 a dozen. Some advanced masters can do that but we are not there yet.
Be a hungry and proud American…!
Well the Golden Age is here again for the Robber Barons of the Rockefeller's and Rothchild's.
Trump, Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Thiel, the AI guy and another assortment of billionaires will dump a chicken in everyone's pot. Enjoy.
Trump is here to serve his donors while enriching himself…That's all…!
Yes, the Don is aware of the pain we will feel. I mean, after all, he lives on $24,000 a year just like me.
At least he acknowledged the fact this time around…! During his last presidency on China tariffs he said the opposite…!
How could Trump tear off an international trade treaty with Canada and Mexico without asking for Congress's consent?
I did not know that the November election made him a dictator.
Canada is a member of NATO and NORAD. What a way to treat an ally!
This is a trade treaty that Trump himself negotiated 6 years ago
The fentanyl excuse is nonsense. In 2024, 43 lbs of fentanyl crossed the border from Canada to US while over 21,000 lbs came from Mexico.
What’s more, more illegals have crossed into Canada from the US than the reverse
antiwar.com recently published an article by Judge Nap that explained why the POTUS can unilaterally declare tariffs. In 1935, the Supremes ruled that the POTUS had complete control over foreign policy, including imposing taxes(which right the Constitution reserves for Congress).
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/02/06/tariffs-and-the-constitution/
P.S. 1935 was during reign of another dictator, FDR.
One of the causes of the great depression, not the only cause, was the reduction world trade as the results of Smoot-Hawley Tariffs. Hopefully history does not repeat its self.
Importers pass on the burden of customs duties on imported goods as a cost by increasing the prices of those goods. The US government's revenue from punitive tariffs is small in relation to the size of the budget and does not enrich the US, but it does make consumers poorer. A trade war is launched by the Emperor of America, USA. The autocratic president of the USA does not negotiate with other countries and creates a customs bureaucracy, although Mexican Presidenta Sheinbaum, for example, has declared that she will work with the USA against the Mexican drug cartels.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/03/us/trump-tariffs
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html Trump pauses Mexico tariffs for one month after agreement on border troops
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-us-claim-cartel-alliance-slander-vows-tariff-retaliation/
https://www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/delegations-from-mexico-canada-and-u-s-participate-in-eighth-meeting-of-north-american-drug-dialogue
https://www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/11th-conference-of-the-pan-american-network-on-drug-regulatory-harmonization-concludes-in-mexico-city?idiom=en
https://usafacts.org/state-of-the-union/budget/
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60843/html Congressional Budget Office, Monthly Budget Review: Summary for Fiscal Year 2024