OPINION: Living month to month in the tariff era

Glacier FarmMedia—Just one day after implementing an across-the-board 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports, U.S. president Donald Trump has changed his mind.

Auto sector manufacturers covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement have now been granted a temporary reprieve.

The Big Three auto manufacturers will be exempted from paying 25 per cent tariffs, but only for 30 days. The need to pull back so quickly suggests there is no thoroughly thought-out plan underpinning the policy.

The decision follows a pattern that has left trade relations between the United States, Canada and Mexico — along with most of the rest of the world — languishing in chaotic uncertainty.

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During his speech to Congress March 4, the president referred to a phone call he had with the chief executive officers of those auto manufacturers. He seemed to suggest they were supportive of him and his plan, promising to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S.

The following day, his press secretary announced the 30 day reprieve, saying it was at the request of those CEOs.

But there is very little chance to make any significant adjustments to manufacturing locations in that short time frame. Building factories, restoring production lines or simply relocating production on that scale is a project that typically requires months or years to accomplish.

The 30 day delay follows on the heels of the first month-long delay to implement the general tariff. It will once again keep attention focused on the White House as reporters, those directly affected by any decision and foreign government officials coming back repeatedly to hear what the president has decided on any particular day.

Several media interviewers have asked industry and political commentators to speculate on what motivates the president and his administration to perpetuate this level of chaos.

The president himself may have actually told us why. One statement he made to a Fox News reporter in 2018 soon after speaking with North Korean president Kim Jung Un seems to offer an answer.

“He’s (Kim) the head of a country, and I mean he is the strong head,” Trump said.

“Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

Wielding the vast power of the Oval Office as a cudgel, the U.S. president has people around the world on edge. There is now perpetual uncertainty on everything from tariffs to continued participation in NATO to support for Ukraine. People have little choice but to pay attention to his mercurial statements.

Several Democratic members of Congress have revealed publicly that many Republicans privately say they are opposed to much of the disruptive behaviour of the president.

However, not only do they lack the courage of their convictions and remain silent, but they publicly shill for him on various news broadcasts and display fealty on an absurd level.

As the president gave his public speech to Congress, the Republican members along with their guests jumped eagerly to their feet to offer an excessive standing ovation, seemingly after every few sentences.

The spectacle of elected officials heaping admiration on the president even after the comments he made were clearly untrue, indefensible by any ethical standard or just downright rude, was reminiscent of images of Kim Jung Un’s speeches. Kim’s military members have been shown in newscasts demonstrating excessive praise through their absurd extended and enthusiastic applause throughout his speeches.

In an effort to placate the U.S. president and avoid his ire, world leaders such as the U.K. prime minister have trekked to the White House to heap praise on him by offering a special invitation from the King. France’s president made a theatrical show of friendship along with a somewhat excessive level of physical contact. A few other leaders have made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-lago.

So, the U.S. president gets the attention he wants. His party sycophants offer profligate praise and the world waits with bated breath to see if he will use his power in further unethical ways. All of this causes unnecessary hardship and stress and threatens the livelihood of thousands.

The cycle that ensures the U.S. president is again the subject of rapt attention over tariffs will begin again in 30 days.