‘He has a pathological obsession’: A MSNBC host destroys Trump over tariff plans as Americans brace for economic downfall
President Donald Trump is courting a trade war with the United States’ closest neighbors. He’s also poking the hornet’s nest by slapping on additional tariffs against China. A political commentator believes that Trump’s economic threats are more than just a stunt.
In an earlier statement, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum extended the desire for coordination against the drug trafficking problem plaguing both states. Nevertheless, she rejects the United States’ push for subordination through excessive tariffs. MSNBC host Alicia Menendez asserted that President Trump “only speaks the language of power.” Thus, it would be difficult to be diplomatic with Trump on that front.
Political commentator and MSNBC host Chris Hayes agreed with this sentiment. He believes that President Trump doesn’t necessarily care if the attention he gets is negative as long as eyes are on him. More importantly, he thinks that Trump “has a pathological obsession with tariffs.” This is so much so that Trump relies on tariffs as a magical solution to all of America’s problems, from immigration to the economy.
“He understands that, like, conflict drives attention, so he’s picking fights, because that is what drives attention. But the scarier thing here, and this is the thing that hasn’t set in — it hasn’t set in when you talk to Republicans, people on Wall Street — he has a pathological obsession with tariffs.”
While this seems like an overstatement, Trump himself expressed his love for tariffs on multiple occasions. The president once said that tariff is “the most beautiful word.” It might seem hyperbolic, but the way he implements his economic policy is reflective of his statement. Many of his voters were led to believe that consumer goods would go down in prices, but Canada and Mexico had also promised tariffs in response.
Room for diplomacy?
Although Trump is heavy-handed on migration, he and Sheinbaum struck a deal to delay tariffs for a month. Sheinbaum decided to reinforce the northern border by stationing 10,000 members of the National Guard to stem the flow of drug trafficking. Nevertheless, Trump claimed he will continue to negotiate regarding border security with Sheinbaum.
While there’s some semblance of diplomacy down south, it’s uncertain if Trump is willing to extend the same for Canada and China. After all, Trump has already set his foot down on putting a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and 10% on Canadian energy; however, shortly after his deal with Sheinbaum, Trump struck a similar one-month delay with Canada. Shortly before the deal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imparted a message to Americans.
“This is a choice that will harm Canadians, but beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people.” He warned that it will put American jobs at risk, including the shutdown of assembly plants and manufacturing facilities. “They will violate the free-trade agreement that the president and I, along with our Mexican partner, negotiated and signed a few years ago.” Canada, on its part, has already promised to enforce a whopping 25% tariff on $155 billion worth of US goods. Fruits, alcohol, clothing, household appliances, and other raw materials will also be hit by Trudeau’s tariffs.
The Prime Minister wants Canada to continue being good neighbors with the United States — but not at the cost of Canadians. Aside from proposing a non-tariff measure against the United States, Trudeau also called on Canadian citizens to consider purchasing local goods over American products.
Meanwhile, China is yet to form an official response against Trump’s additional tariffs. Analysts from the Council of Foreign Relations suggest that China is less dependent on exporting to the United States. But the threat of these tariffs may encourage Chinese manufacturers to relocate their factories outside of China.
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