“In a few moments, I will sign a historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world, reciprocal. That means they do it to us and we do it to them, very simple, can’t get any simpler than that.”
—Donald Trump’s very first mention of tariffs during the May 2 “Liberation Day” event
That was an honest lead, but it wasn’t optimal PR.
There are zillions of truthful, accurate, interesting facts about tariffs. It’s a complex subject that’s intertwined with global trade, international diplomacy, geography, history, and economic policy — textbooks can (and certainly have) been written about it. You could yak about it 24/7 for a decade and still find something new to say. When it comes to tariffs and PR, there’s an embarrassment of riches.
I know that sounds like a good thing, but it’s actually a problem.
Experts in highly skilled fields (engineers, medical, tech) are often difficult to train for media appearances… because they know so damn much! For example, if a doctor is representing a hospital during a news segment and is asked about a new procedure they’re offering, he’ll instinctively want to share all the info he’s most excited about: the new research, new clinical studies, new data, new equipment, and new theories! To a doctor, all that stuff is incredibly important — and medically relevant, too.
He’s right.
But the guy sitting at home just wants to know if it’ll make him feel better.
Truth and tactics are different.
Let’s get back to tariffs. More often than not, the standard MAGA answer for “why” is twofold: Liberation Day was necessary because other countries were ripping us off, and because what they’ve been doing to us is unfair.
Fairness is almost always accentuated. Even the name reflects it: The “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” on Trade. In fact, that was the very first bullet-point listed under the announcement:
- The “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” will seek to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and ensure fairness across the board.
Well, fairness is very nice. Most people would support that.
But fairness to whom?
The guy sitting at home doesn’t associate himself with global trade. He’s indifferent to Walmart’s stock price. For him, tariffs are connected to higher prices.
After all, that’s the story being trumpeted by the media:
Fox News: Trump poll numbers on economy fall during trade fight, survey finds
Gallup News: Most Americans Skeptical About Benefits of Tariffs
CNN: Trump’s tariffs could make Europe, not America, ‘Great Again.’ At least when it comes to inflation
CNBC: Tariffs, trade war inflation impact to be ‘pretty ugly’ by summer, economists say
ABC News: Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump tariffs
The Hill: Almost 6 in 10 say Trump policies making economy worse
Yahoo News: Poll: After 1st 100 days, Trump’s approval rating continues to crater as 57% say he’s ‘gone too far’ on tariffs
CBS News: Nearly 90% of Americans expect tariffs to raise prices
NBC News: Poll: Americans vent disappointment with Trump ahead of 100 day, especially on tariffs
Politico: Financial anxiety turns the political tide against Trump
Reuters: Risk of global economic recession surges on US tariff shockwaves: Reuters poll
Newsweek: Americans Lose Faith in Economy Amid Trump Tariffs
Tariffs are about FAIRNESS, eh?! The way it’s currently being positioned, it sounds a helluva lot “fairer” for those big corporations than for the guy at home, ‘cause he’s the one who’s gonna pay more! Those rich guys don’t seem to be suffering.
Asking Joe Sixpack to sacrifice so Walmart, Apple, Google, and Boeing can claim a bigger piece of the pie is a pretty big ask.
Other countries’ tariffs have been grossly unfair and decidedly un-reciprocal; that’s a true statement. And even the media doofuses who’ll call Trump a liar at the drop of a (red) hat are actually taking his word on tariffs: Trump really, truly believes that other countries were unfairly ripping us off; it’s not a put-on. Nobody’s doubting the sincerity of his convictions.
But for PR purposes, we need to recalibrate the trajectory of who is being ripped off: We don’t want our audience to think about the Walmarts, Apples, and Boeings of the world.
We want them to think about themselves.
If the American people personalize this issue — i.e. if they identify with the struggle — then MAGA will win the political war over tariffs.
And if they don’t?
We won’t.
The answer, then, to WHY we have tariffs must always be a four-lettered word: JOBS!
“Fairness” is an abstraction; a job is tangible. I’d be furious with the politician who gave me higher prices, just so Google’s shareholders could make more money — but I’ll gladly sacrifice so my friends, neighbors, and colleagues will have better jobs.
Everyone recognizes the value of high-paying jobs.
The American economy is unfathomably large. It’s the envy of the world. It’s so big and prosperous, we’ve employed BILLIIONS of foreign nationals over the last 40 years! We’ve made hundreds of millions of Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese, Europeans, and others incredibly wealthy.
Since 1978, global trade has lifted 800 million Chinese people out of poverty. Good for them.
Maybe the limousine liberals in the Democratic Party haven’t noticed, but our own people are hurting. We need to lift our friends and neighbors out of poverty, too.
There aren’t enough good jobs available!
If we can lift 800 million Chinese peasants out of poverty, then there’s no excuse for leaving any Americans behind. So, this isn’t just “Make AMERICA Great Again” — it’s Make AMERICANS Great Again.
This is about us!
There’s an affordability epidemic in our country: 67% of Americans now believe that homeownership is “unrealistic” for young people. It’s gotten so bad, 73.8% of millennials are living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Without your own home, it’s really tough to raise children. And without more children, our entire system collapses. It’s literally an existential threat.
Unless we bring high-paying jobs back to our country ASAP, our children and grandchildren won’t have a country left anymore — because greedy, corrupt politicians gave our country away in crooked trade deals. The status quo was destroying the American Dream.
Millennials are now in their 40s. We’re running out of time.
Thank God we finally have a president who cares enough about the American people to fight back!
Q: Why do we need tariffs?
A: Because Americans deserve great jobs.
Jobs, jobs, jobs.
Keep circling back to jobs and we’ll win this thing.
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