Trump, Tariffs, and the Liberation of Main Street Prosperity

What is the patriotic populist path to broad success?

Tariffs comprise a foundational pillar of a bold new economic agenda for America. The key to the success of tariffs: make them permanent and predictable.

These trade protections for American industries and workers should not be considered mere negotiation tools or leverage points, but rather as “admission tickets” to the “box seats.” The American market is the crown jewel consumer base and envy of company in every country…so let’s charge a premium for access.

This new approach also rejects the globalism of recent decades, and instead prioritizes onshoring -- and a broad Main Street prosperity that extends to every demographic and every hamlet of America. Instead of a concentration of riches among an entitled, pampered credentialed ruling class, we can usher in a golden era of broadly dispersed economic success and diffused political power.

In doing so, we honor and channel the great tariff champions of American history, from Alexander Hamilton to Abraham Lincoln.

But, in any such massive, structural policy shift, the “devil” is in the details, particularly regarding the rollout and the application of the levies on foreign products. Although the Trump Administration stands correctly in the breach demanding fairness and reciprocity in trade, the details of the implementation must improve.

Then, confidence will ascend, markets will calm, and the strategic work of unleashing America’s full domestic capacity will accelerate.

Thankfully, this task begins as Americans now regard Republicans as the party of workers. That new reality is validated by my latest national survey, which polled over 1,700 voters nationwide for the League of American Workers.

So, what is needed specifically on tariffs? The biggest shift must be toward predictability. For instance, even though the CEOs of multinational conglomerates generally disdain tariffs and compelled onshoring, if the policy shifts into tariffs are well-telegraphed and rarely altered, then those business leaders can plan and invest accordingly.

Speaking of investing, most of the market volatility of recent weeks flows from the uncertainty of the present policy transition. Now, a certain amount of uncertainty is unavoidable. After decades of offshoring and US capitulation on trade, capital markets came to know and price-in that reality…for a very long time!

Currently, the seismic move toward populist nationalist economics throws markets into some trepidation, which is normal. But that unease can be mitigated greatly by an assurance of steady, consistent policy.

To be specific, market actors can easily “welcome” even a policy mix that they deem unwelcome…as long as the shift is predictable. Capital markets thrive on certainty.

In this regard, recent reporting suggests that the Trump Administration considers a broad, 20% across the board tariff on foreign goods. This proposal would bring incredible calm and certainty to this macro issue, and remove so much of the volatility of the tariff rollout. If such a sweeping levy is enacted, it would facilitate a flood of onshoring plus a predictable economic calculus for every firm that sells to American consumers.

Moreover, the 20% level represents a smart landing point that is punitive enough to deter predatory trade practices against America, but also reasonable enough to still allow goods that must be sourced overseas to enter our market. In addition, it roughly matches the effective 25% tariff that the entire European Union now provides to its exporters into the United States, via tax exemptions on shipments here. This issue was explained well in a recent Financial Times editorial by a top hedge fund economist.

On top of improvements in the implementation of tariffs, our populist side needs to do better on the messaging regarding the long-term benefits of better trade practices and the concomitant onshoring that results. Already, huge investments have been announced in the United States, with domestic firms like Apple planning massive production efforts domestically and foreign firms like Hyundai committing to giant facilities in the American heartland. The corporate media gives only cursory attention to these critical wins, so we must amplify them – and we now have the alternative media channels to do so, especially in the streaming/podcasting world.

We must also sell the vision that this approach reaches for more than just better economics. Indeed, what we offer and pursue is a better way of life, one worthy of a great nation!

We want a country teeming with production here, from tangible goods to the most advanced AI. We look for a society where a single income can once again support a family comfortably. We yearn for a land where economic inequality diminishes, and shared success stirs renewed patriotism.

As President Trump observed in his first Inaugural Address: “these are the just demands of a righteous people.”

Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote.

He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, plus a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.