Trump has already begun walking back or “pausing” some of his tariffs on Canada. He has exempted US Automakers and may exempt others. He has also paused some of the tariffs on Mexico after a “very nice phone call” with the president. Some of the usual commentators have been quick to describe this as a walk-back.
It isn’t, it’s corruption.
Trump didn’t ‘pause’ the tariffs because Canada pushed back, or because it cost Americans. He did it because automakers got on the phone and begged. He did it because they asked nicely, perhaps promised something, and he got to play king. Trump is not concerned about the economy or about consumers. He is concerned about being at the center of all things and being able to threaten any industry that does not go his way just like the gangsters and autocrats he admires. The automakers have decided to play along and they get to survive, for now.
This is no different than before the inauguration when he was demanding that companies line up to pay into his fund. It was no different than during his first term when he expected states to “treat us well” in order to get PPE and other medical supplies, or kiss his ass to get FEMA support. And it is no different than when he gave Canada and Mexico a “pause” in exchange for some good PR. He wasn’t chastened by the reaction, or even the vapidity of their response. He was emboldened by it.
Expect this to be the new status quo: If you want your business to survive suck up to the king or his retainers. If you don’t. then to hell with you. What Trump gets to do now is engage in a monthly protection racket where any business, any nation, has to keep dancing to his tune, paying bribes (aka. campaign donations), or just fluffing his ego. For him this chaos is a win.
That’s how feudalism has always worked, that’s how gangsters operate and he isn’t about to break with that tradition.
Postscript: On the subject of how this is a planned failure I highly recommend this post by Jess Piper. The bottom line is that this kind of attack is not new. It has been lab-tested in Republican-dominated states for some time. Now they are going national. Read it all. She is absolutely right.