America Could Have Won the Trade War and reindustrialized by 2030—If It Had Been More Patient.
Think about it for a minute :Trump enters office in 2016 and learns about China 2025 and the unsustainable trade deficit and debt . Instead of panicking, he takes a disciplined, long-term approach. He imposes an initial 10% tariff on all trade—increasing by 10% each year for the next 30 years—and secures Congressional backing to lock in the policy, ensuring no future president can easily reverse it.
This gradual escalation would have given businesses ample time to recalibrate their supply chains, reshore manufacturing, and adapt without sudden disruptions. The steady, predictable pressure would have made reindustrialization inevitable by 2030, strengthening America’s economic independence or whatever he calls it .
But the obsession with short-term wins and the desire to inflict immediate pain on China and Europe undermined this strategy. Instead of a sustainable victory, the U.S. got a chaotic trade war with no clear endgame.
Xi should thank heavens that he's dealing with an impulsive power and not a patient one.
