It’s Great to Be “Made in America” Again: Trump’s Tariff Play Is Smart, Strategic, and Already Working

By Judd Dunning

President Donald Trump’s latest pledge to slap broad tariffs on foreign imports has elites in Brussels, Beijing, and even Washington predicting catastrophe. They couldn’t be more wrong. In reality, Trump’s tariff play is a smart and strategic move – one that’s already showing results for American workers and our economy.

We’ve seen this movie before. When Trump first imposed tariffs on Chinese goods and steel imports in his first term, the establishment pundits and Obama-era economists wailed about impending trade wars and recession. Instead, the opposite happened.

The U.S. economy surged. Unemployment fell to a 50-year low, over 500,000 manufacturing jobs came back by 2019, and wages at the blue-collar bottom were rising faster than those at the top for the first time in decades. Factories that had long been shuttered flickered back to life. The supposed “trade war” didn’t tank us at all – it kick-started a long overdue revival of American industry.

Even President Biden tacitly admitted Trump was right. How? By quietly keeping most of Trump’s China tariffs in place. Despite all the campaign bluster, Biden knows lifting those tariffs would undercut American industries and workers. In fact, his administration has even expanded some Buy American policies – a genuine surprise to the free-traders in his party – because reality has a way of shattering globalist dogma.

Why are tariffs working when globalists insisted they wouldn’t? For one, they correct a massive imbalance. For decades, our trade policies rewarded companies for moving production overseas, chasing cheap labor and lax regulations. Corporate profits soared, sure – but American communities were gutted.

The stock market became the favored metric of success, even though the wealthiest 10% of Americans own 93% of all stocks. In other words, the gains of globalization flowed overwhelmingly to the top, while middle-class America paid the price in lost jobs and lower wages. But more importantly, the stock market is not an accurate measure of the real impact of tariffs – because most Americans aren’t significantly invested in it. What matters isn’t whether investors panic; what matters is whether jobs return and American production rises.

Second, Trump’s tariffs are a leverage tool to demand better deals. Other nations have always protected their own markets – China, for example, slaps high tariffs and tight restrictions on American goods, while enjoying easy access to sell into the U.S. Likewise, the European Union maintains tariffs and strict standards favoring its producers. Trump simply says: no more one-sided arrangement. By putting tariffs on their products, he forces trade partners to the negotiating table. That’s how we got the USMCA deal to replace NAFTA and a Phase 1 agreement with China. Tariffs give the U.S. negotiating power we’ve lacked for years.

That strategy is continuing to evolve. In April 2025, Trump escalated tariffs on Chinese imports to 125%, while announcing a 90-day pause on tariffs for other nations — giving time for bilateral negotiations. That may sound chaotic to globalists, but it’s a rational market recalibration, not a shockwave. In fact, as Bloomberg noted, Trump swiftly exempted smartphones, computers, and chips from his reciprocal tariffs — a clear signal that the goal wasn’t to punish American consumers or disrupt the tech supply chain, but to surgically target countries abusing trade imbalance while preserving economic momentum in critical sectors.

Critics claim consumers will suffer from higher prices. But any minimal short-term cost increase is a small trade-off for rebuilding a self-reliant economy. We learned during COVID how dangerous it is to depend on foreign supply chains for essentials – from masks to microchips. As production returns to America, supply shocks and shortages will be less likely, and jobs will multiply here at home.

What skeptics miss is the big picture: a slightly cheaper TV or t-shirt means nothing if you’ve lost your livelihood and your nation is at the mercy of a rival power for basic goods.

Moreover, tariffs aren’t just a stick – they also yield benefits at home. The U.S. collected nearly $72 billion in tariff revenue in 2019, a record high, and that money can be reinvested to rebuild American infrastructure and communities that have been hurt by offshoring. Why send that wealth to Beijing or Berlin when it can stay right here in the USA?

Already we’re seeing positive tremors. The mere expectation that Trump (or a like-minded Republican) could return in 2025 has businesses considering moving factories back to the U.S. to preempt tariffs. Foreign companies are eyeing new investments in American manufacturing to stay on our good side. China’s leaders are nervous, and rightfully so – their export-driven gravy train is in jeopardy. European officials, too, are grudgingly talking about “open trade” even as they scramble to shield their own industries. And as recent market activity shows—a 9.5% spike in the S&P followed by a healthy correction—the financial world is taking these moves seriously. But Trump is unmoved by short-term volatility. “We’re not here to please Wall Street,” he said. “We’re here to rebuild Main Street.”

This isn’t just policy—it’s principle. It’s pride in making and protecting things here at home. Like the working man in Toby Keith’s Made in America:

“He’s got the red, white, and blue flyin’ high on the farm / Semper Fi tattooed on his left arm / Spends a little more at the store for a tag in the back that says U.S.A.”

That lyric echoes the spirit of this moment. Tariffs aren’t about isolation—they’re about restoration. About giving Americans a fair shot in their own economy.

Trump’s bold stance is rooted in a common-sense patriotism that was once widespread. Ronald Reagan imposed tariffs on Japanese electronics and motorcycles when U.S. industries were threatened. Before him, leaders from Lincoln to Kennedy took steps to protect American jobs. Our Founders themselves advocated nurturing domestic production – they understood economic independence underpins freedom.

“From the heartland to the coasts, they’re buying up what they can / ‘Cause there’s nothin’ wrong with a big strong / Made in America hand.”

That’s what this is about. Strength. Sovereignty. Solidarity.

“We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism.” – Donald J. Trump

That mantra rings true now more than ever.

Trump’s tariff strategy is already working, and with time it will work even more. It’s forcing a long-needed correction to a lopsided system. It’s bringing jobs back, boosting our leverage, and safeguarding our future. The naysayers will continue their gloom-and-doom routine, but facts are facts: Americans have seen the benefits with their own eyes and they know that a trade policy putting America first is long overdue.

When America stood up for itself under Trump’s policies, Americans prospered. And they will again.