ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- As you have likely figured out, President Donald Trump loves tariffs. It's just too bad the businessman doesn't understand them -- and the destruction they cause.

This week, a new round of tariffs is set to take effect. There is an across-the-board 10% tariff on U.S. imports from any country. And there are even higher tariffs on about 60 countries that export more to us than we export to them. There is also a 20% tariff on imports from the European Union.

Asia got hit especially hard: 17% on imports from the Philippines; 24% on Japan; 25% on South Korea; 32% on Taiwan; 32% on Indonesia; and 46% on Vietnam.

The way Trump (and virtually no one else) sees it, the United States has been taken to the cleaners by international trade.

"We cannot be taken advantage of any longer," Trump said from the Oval Office. "When countries don't allow us to sell our products but we allow them to sell their products. Those days are over."

Some political experts say that -- if Trump's tariff gamble doesn't pay off -- the only thing that will be over is his presidency.

Here are 15 truths about tariffs for Americans to keep in mind as they navigate these choppy waters.

No. 1: The president who claimed he knew more about war than generals, more about law than judges and more about pandemics than doctors now says he understands tariffs better than economists.

No. 2: Indecision made things worse for manufacturers, importers and Wall Street. By threatening tariffs and then pulling back, Trump has left friend and foe alike feeling confused, wounded and angry.

No. 3: Trump's objectives keep shifting. He wants to force better deals, punish defiance, reward cooperation, return manufacturing to U.S., raise revenue and get American consumers to buy U.S. goods.

No. 4: The media is not anti-tariff, just anti-Trump. Former President Joe Biden kept in place many of the tariffs that Trump put in place during his first term and created a few more. The media was fine with it.

No. 5: The real harm from tariffs is that they cripple the same U.S. manufacturers that Trump claims to champion by killing incentive, ingenuity and innovation. Tariffs subsidize mediocrity.

No. 6: It's no surprise that organized labor is backing Trump and his tariff policies. Tariffs are rank protectionism and unions (whether they represent cops, teachers or farm workers) are protectionist by nature.

No. 7: The fact that we import more than we export does not mean U.S. consumers are, as Trump claims, being "ripped off." We buy goods we need at fair prices. That's the transaction.

No. 8: U.S. consumerism created the trade deficit. As with illegal drugs or undocumented labor, it's our insatiable appetite that is the problem. Americans are telling the world: "Stop us before we buy again."

No. 9: No, this is not how you negotiate with foreign countries. This is not what Trump calls "The Art of The Deal." This is trade terrorism. Hardball tactics and hostage-taking destroy relationships.

No. 10: Trump is leveling a new 34% tariff on China (in addition to existing duties of 20%). A Chinese trade official accused the U.S. of engaging in "blackmail" and "bullying" and said that China will "fight to the end."

No. 11: In many cases, and in many places, U.S. manufacturing won't return. Steel tariffs won't resurrect the steel industry in Pittsburgh, a city that is a growing technology hub. Cities, like people, move on.

No. 12: It's expensive to make things in the U.S. in part because of high labor costs. Just look at California and what a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers has done to the price of hamburgers and fries.

No. 13: It's no surprise Trump threatened China with an additional 50% increase in tariffs after China instituted a retaliatory tariff. For Trump, retaliation is a one-way street. He does it, but no one else can.

No. 14: Human beings need friends and allies to get through life. Same with countries. "America First" has become "America the Lonely." Trump's tariffs are likely to prove more costly than the White House imagines.

No. 15: Trump never says he made a mistake or admits he is wrong. He doesn't know how to course-correct. There is no breaking point, no red line he won't cross if he thinks he is right. And he always thinks that.

The president dreams of a future where we will once again make things in America. But at the moment, the only thing he is creating in abundance is fear.

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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