Economic Patriotism or Political Theater? Dissecting Trump's 2025 Economic Plan

mcfs2025gma
May 11
4 min read

With the Re-Introduction of President Donald J. Trump into the oval office, one of the many executive orders issued within his first 100 days was to impose tariffs as a protectionist means to shield the states from foreign exploitation. This economic plan was a reintroduction of the factors that defined his 2016 Term, but were coincidentally more radical as a means to mitigate the “economic mess” the Biden-Harris Administration had placed America in. This article hopes to achieve the main long term goal of the plan, along with how it could potentially present itself in reality.

With regard to his internal policies, The TCJA( Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) Was the primary act introduced during Trump’s first term in office. This cut the income taxes for many loyal American citizens. Some provisions including the majority are expected to expire by 2025. So economists could say that the Biden-Harris Administration had to adhere to this Tax Cut Act, since it was never legitimately overturned. The Nonpartisan Congressional Budget, For clarification,currently rings in at more than $35 trillion and the budget deficit is $711 billion. The reality of this act is that it is fundamentally fragmented, as it furthermore depletes the existing economic debt in status quo

Now for the Tariff Manifesto that is to be introduced, President Trump has incorporated the following constructs within his plan;

President Trump is invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic

Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to address the national emergency posed by the large and

persistent trade deficit that is driven by the absence of reciprocity in trade relationships

and other harmful policies like currency manipulation and exorbitant value-added taxes

(VAT) perpetuated by other countries.
Using his IEEPA authority, President Trump will impose a 10% tariff on all countries.

This took effect on April 5, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. This tariff was a means to “get

back” at the nations that had been allegedly harmfully exploiting america. This included

many second and third world nations that are new to the global trade market.
The IEEPA Order also contains modification authority, allowing President Trump to

increase the tariff if trading partners retaliate or decrease the tariffs if trading partners

take significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade agreements and align with the

United States on economic and national security matters.

The Global Response To this;

Global Retaliation had occurred after the white house had announced these tariffs. This led to a distinct change with regard to international relations for the United States

China announced that it would raise tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125% furthermore escalating a trade war between the world’s two largest economies that has rattled markets and raised fears of a global slowdown. The Finance Minister of China had stated that the Washington tariffs are a “joke for the global economy”.
Canada imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on a list of products totalling $29.8 billion, including:
$12.6 billion in steel products
$3 billion in aluminum products
$14.2 billion in additional imported U.S. goods (including tools, computers and servers, display monitors, sport equipment, and cast-iron products)
The EU's tariffs will affect around $23.2 billion in U.S. exports, according to Bloomberg, and are in response to the “unjustified policies” made by president Trump, according to a statement released by officials

What could this look like for American citizens in the future?

With the limiting of majority of the global markets from American Citizens, they are confined to American Commodities, which in retrospect, sound beneficial to American Citizens and the Economy, but limit global trade and stifles innovation, further weighing down on all the positives in his plan. Along with that, Most countries have imposed “reciprocal tariffs”, Meaning that American Citizens also have to pay higher prices for basic commodities or brands that originate from a specific nation.

Along with that, Most countries have imposed “reciprocal tariffs”, Meaning that American Citizens also have to pay higher prices for basic commodities or brands that originate from a specific nation

CONCLUSION:

Trump's 2025 economic plan is a bold attempt at reshaping U.S. trade policy and positioning America as a dominant economic force. However, while the focus on tariffs and protectionism may appeal to certain sectors of the American economy, the global retaliation and potential long-term consequences suggest that this approach could harm rather than help U.S. citizens in the end. The promise of protecting American jobs and industries might come at the cost of higher living costs and limited access to global innovations. Whether this plan is truly patriotic or simply political theater will depend on how it plays out in the coming years