When you refer to “free trade”, you refer to the status quo of the past decades, not to the concept itself. How many US banks operate in Canada? How many US car brands are sold in Europe? Exactly zero. Top that of with the fact that the US is 70% of nato spending, and you get the feeling “free trade” has been a one way street. To be clear: this was by design (marshall plan) and the rebalancing is long overdue.
As he is delivering on his campaign promises (drain swamp/budget cuts, restore freedom, kill woke, close borders, get other countries to pay their share), disruption was always going to be part of the outcome. In a way it can be a good thing. In a narrow sense, it depends on which side of the trade you are. In a broader context, it can benefit others as well as they need to recalibrate their priorities and practices.
No argument on disruption, but there is a trade agreement between US-Canada & Mexico (USMCA) which Trump's team negotiated and signed during his 1st term. The US is in breach and in the process creating chaos on the markets and indeed damaging the US economy. If he wants to rebalance then there is a process for that.
But there is no process by which Trump can get Canada to take US concerns of Chinese infiltration seriously, and there is no process by which the US can persuade Canada to reform its criminal law and customs practices to purge Canada of large scale drug smuggling, except, perhaps the one he is following. Canadian propaganda has succeeded in getting the typical Canadian NPC to completely discount the importance of these 2 issues in US-Canada relations. Oh well, Trump has tried! Responsibility for the situation now falls entirely on the Liberal Party of Canada.
Pissing off Canada, Mexico, and Europe and appeasing Putin doesn't sit well with me, at all.
When you refer to “free trade”, you refer to the status quo of the past decades, not to the concept itself. How many US banks operate in Canada? How many US car brands are sold in Europe? Exactly zero. Top that of with the fact that the US is 70% of nato spending, and you get the feeling “free trade” has been a one way street. To be clear: this was by design (marshall plan) and the rebalancing is long overdue.
As he is delivering on his campaign promises (drain swamp/budget cuts, restore freedom, kill woke, close borders, get other countries to pay their share), disruption was always going to be part of the outcome. In a way it can be a good thing. In a narrow sense, it depends on which side of the trade you are. In a broader context, it can benefit others as well as they need to recalibrate their priorities and practices.
No argument on disruption, but there is a trade agreement between US-Canada & Mexico (USMCA) which Trump's team negotiated and signed during his 1st term. The US is in breach and in the process creating chaos on the markets and indeed damaging the US economy. If he wants to rebalance then there is a process for that.
But there is no process by which Trump can get Canada to take US concerns of Chinese infiltration seriously, and there is no process by which the US can persuade Canada to reform its criminal law and customs practices to purge Canada of large scale drug smuggling, except, perhaps the one he is following. Canadian propaganda has succeeded in getting the typical Canadian NPC to completely discount the importance of these 2 issues in US-Canada relations. Oh well, Trump has tried! Responsibility for the situation now falls entirely on the Liberal Party of Canada.
Henry Kissinger once said “ The USA does what is best for the USA”.
Donald Trump does what is best for Donald Trump ... and if what is best for Donald Trump aligns with the USA interests, then "lucky" USA.