Trump’s tariffs replace diplomacy as other US tools of statecraft are discarded (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 19 hours ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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Measures meant to rebalance America’s economy are wielded instead against the likes of Canada, India and Brazil ‘to compel loyalty to the president’

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to use tariffs to revitalise American industry, bringing jobs home and helping to make America great again. But more than six months into his administration, experts say the president’s trade war is increasingly being wielded as a political cudgel, in lieu of more traditional forms of diplomacy.

The president’s current target, India, has been unable to reach a trade agreement, and Trump appears ready to follow through with his threat to impose a further 25% tariff on Delhi – bringing the total to 50% – the joint highest levy on any country, along with Brazil.

It is a whiplash-inducing turnaround from a few months ago, when the newly minted Trump administration seemed intent on continuing a years-long bipartisan effort to deepen ties with India as a geopolitical counterweight to China. It’s part of a trend that highlights how tariffs are used as threats against countries perceived to be recalcitrant. Rather than a tool of economic coercion, Trump instead wields tariffs as a political weapon.

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[-] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Release the Trump/Epstein files

[-] greasewizard@slrpnk.net 7 points 13 hours ago

ruling with a limp fist

[-] NABDad@lemmy.world 22 points 18 hours ago

[-] prole 8 points 17 hours ago

He's so smart... How come nobody ever thought to do this sooner? Who needs diplomacy?

[-] immutable@lemmy.zip 4 points 12 hours ago

It only took a century of work to build up all that trust and goodwill. We could spend it down in a few months, make a ton of money, certainly there will be no negative long term effects.

[-] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Let's be absolutely clear about something; it's not Trump who burned America's goodwill. It's Americans.

The rest of the world understands that he is just one senile narcissistic old man. That's not what bothers us.

What bothers us is that you voted for him.

Twice.

That's why America can't be trusted anymore. Not because of Trump, but because all it takes for us to end up with Trump is for a bunch of blue state Liberals to decide that they're just not feeling it this year.

[-] immutable@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 hours ago

Dude imagine living here your entire life, advocating for improvements, voting for the best politicians you can in the primaries, voting for the uninspiring Dems in the general.

I don’t have any faith in my fellow countrymen either. I just live here.

The only thing I’d push back on is that this dumb fuck could have gotten into office and not squandered the soft power of the US. If he were a bombastic boorish idiot that kept the global order running as normal do people give as much of a shit in other countries.

I hate that 75M Americans are cheering right now, and I also hate that almost 100M Americans are just sitting on the sideline in every election going “nah, doesn’t matter enough to vote”

this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2025

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