Trump takes action, and an epic trade war begins

After waking up, Trump declared a national emergency and signed an executive order on so-called "reciprocal tariffs." The epic trade war provoked by the United States began.

April 2nd was declared "Liberation Day" by Trump. He even held a grand ceremony at the White House, calling it "one of the most important days" in American history and "a declaration of our economic independence"!

Is the US economy not yet independent?

According to Trump, the United States has been exploited by other countries, and he wants to stand up for the United States, "now, finally putting America first."

"For decades, our nation has been plundered, pillaged, invaded, and ravaged by nations near and far, allies and enemies alike," he said.

He added: "I say this, friends and foes - in many cases, friends are worse than foes on trade, but this horrible imbalance has destroyed our industrial base and put our national security at risk."

Alas, other countries complain that they have been cheated and exploited by the United States; Trump points out that the United States is always plundered and exploited by other countries.

Is this world too absurd for us to know? Or are we too naive to understand?

An angry American president then declared war on the world and imposed tariffs on all imported goods.

He promised to lead America into a "golden age."

Although I always feel that the foreign tariff rates cited by Trump are a bit absurd, I don’t know where he got the data from.

But I took a look, according to Trump's so-called reciprocal tax rate, 10% is the starting point. Britain, Australia, Singapore, Türkiye, Brazil... none of you can escape.

Below are the various high tax rates, you can take a look.

China and surrounding areas, the United States intends to

A 34% tariff was imposed on China.

A 32% tariff is imposed on Taiwan.

A 24% tariff was imposed on Japan.

A 25% tariff was imposed on South Korea.

A 26% tariff is imposed on India.

A 36% tariff is imposed on Thailand.

A 32% tariff is imposed on Indonesia.

A 17% tariff is imposed on the Philippines.

A 46% tariff is imposed on Vietnam.

A 49% tariff is imposed on Cambodia...

Indian Prime Minister Modi went to the United States and gave it a warm embrace, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba kept flattering the country in the White House, and the Taiwanese authorities even offered various tokens of allegiance, but it seems to be of no use.

Trump doesn't care about his relatives and will raise taxes when necessary.

Of course, countries like Vietnam are even more helpless. On the one hand, the United States is using various means to win over Southeast Asia, and on the other hand, it is hitting them with the tariff stick.

As for China, although it is listed as 34%, according to the White House, considering that a 20% increase has been imposed in the early stage, the final actual tax rate is 54%.

So cruel!

What about the United States and its Western allies?

As I just said, the UK and Australia will be subject to 10%, which is the lightest tariff. Canada has already been announced to have a 25% tariff, and there is no negotiation. For others:

The United States imposes a 20% tariff on the European Union.

A 17% tariff was imposed on Israel.

A 31% tariff is imposed on Switzerland...

No ally is exempt, not even Israel, and, as Trump tells it, allies are sometimes worse than enemies.

Even for Switzerland, the 31% tariff is non-negotiable.

I just took a closer look at the additional tariffs listed by Trump. The characteristics are roughly as follows:

1. 10% is the starting point. No country can be exempted, not even the closest allies.

2. For those exceeding 10%, Trump means that the US will impose half of the other party's tariff. This makes the US seem very merciful, although to be honest, I really don't understand this data. I don't know where the Americans got it.

3. The United States is even more ruthless towards poor countries. For example, on Lesotho, the United States imposes a 50% tariff; on Sri Lanka, it imposes a 44% tariff; and on Cambodia, it imposes a 49% tariff. It is really harsh.

Finally, what do you think?

Let me just give you three brief points.

First, Trump is ambitious.

Trump is determined to do something big.

The so-called reciprocal tariffs do not rule out the possibility that Trump is using tariffs to make a big fuss.

Don't forget that he has said more than once that tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary.

It's not ruled out. In Trump's vocabulary, tariffs are really omnipotent.

1. You can harvest leeks from all over the world.

2. It can balance the US trade deficit.

3. It can stimulate the US manufacturing industry.

4. It can make up for the US fiscal deficit.

5. It can replace domestic taxation in the United States.

Tariffs are an important tool for Trump to revive American industry and make America great again. For example, he announced a 25% tariff on all imported cars, whether from Canada, Japan or the European Union.

Second, the whole world is hurt.

This includes, first and foremost, the United States.

Jeffries, the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, retorted that April 2nd was "not a day of liberation, but the beginning of (U.S.) decline."

According to CNN, Trump's tariff policy will cause Americans to pay an additional $6 trillion over the next 10 years - the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

Considering the United States' status as a superpower, many countries will not be spared if it blatantly declares war on the whole world.

Some countries will have to succumb to the United States, but this means that their economies will suffer a serious impact, and may even trigger an economic or even social crisis.

But more countries will have to rise up and resist, and the result will be an epic trade war. The original world trade system is collapsing.

Third, the whole world should unite.

Trump can’t succeed.

The most powerful country, the United States, actually wants to be self-sufficient in this way!

After all, this is not the 18th or 19th century. In today's 21st century of economic globalization, Trump's actions are completely out of touch with reality and are doomed to fail.

But will the whole world allow the United States to act recklessly?

I always feel that the whole world should wake up, put aside prejudices and unite, otherwise, the whole world will suffer in the end.

Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the European Union should all wake up. Your compromise with the United States will only result in further encroachment from the United States.

Canada, in particular, always wants to stab the United States in the back and use China as a token of its allegiance, but the final result is that it is stabbed twice by the United States.

And the EU, at a critical juncture, did not forget to attack China's new energy vehicles, and still called on the United States, you can't launch a trade war against China and the EU at the same time. Do you think Trump's cuckold punch is not fierce enough?

There are also countries like India and Vietnam, who always want to take advantage of the situation between China and the United States, and even replace Chinese manufacturing. But Trump will not let them go, including the Philippines...

We have to say that we are witnessing history. In this world, if you mess around, you will always have to pay for it.

Of course, Trump is not stupid, and it is possible that he will see that the situation is not good and make a 180-degree turn. But he will definitely still claim that he has won an epic victory.

In 2025, everything is possible. Let us witness it together!