The article examines President Trump's announcement of new tariffs, framing it as part of his reality-TV style of governance. The event was less about detailed policy and more about presentation, with Trump branding it as 'Liberation Day.' Despite last-minute efforts by federal agencies to analyze the impact of these tariffs, the specifics were deemed less important than the timing and promotion of the announcement. Trump's conflicting messages about the tariffs suggest a lack of focus on substantive economic analysis, prioritizing spectacle over strategic policy.
Everything in the Trump governing playbook follows the broad dictates of reality-TV programming, and yesterday's announcement of a historic lurch back into the hoary dictates of 19th-century protectionism was no exception.
The announcement of the Trump tariffs package wasn't just another policy briefing; it was Liberation Day: a bold and sweeping vindication of long-traduced American economic liberties.
At times, the president has promised a punitive array of 'reciprocal tariffs,' matching the trade barriers established by other nations on a strict one-to-one calculus.
This last-minute bid to assess just what an extensive new tariff regime might do to the US economy didn't really matter to Trump in the first place.
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