Defeat? Strategic Withdrawal? Maneuver?
Published in El Heraldo de México
(Afghanistan) on 11 April 2025
by José Carreño Figueras (link to original)
Trump never accepts defeat and always claims victory, no matter how bad things get.
True to his principles, President Donald Trump and his allies proclaim victory and genius even though, for most American analysts, by announcing a 90-day “pause” in the application of many of the tariffs announced a week ago, he acknowledged that his trade strategy was not working.
But the truth is that he did not back down and maintained the general tariff of 10%, as well as 25% for steel, aluminum, automobiles and auto parts, in addition to raising tariffs on China to 125%. If Trump and his courtiers are to be believed, this is a new phase of negotiation genius. “You have been watching the greatest economic master strategy from an American President in history," said Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and one of the main anti-immigrant activists of the current regime.
Trump never accepts defeat and always proclaims victory, no matter how bad things get. And, once again, this is the case.
The reality is that his withdrawal was not a grand and generous concession, but a necessity resulting from the brutal negative political and economic reaction to his trade war with the world. Perhaps the tariffs imposed in response by Europe, China and Canada did not concern him as much as the domestic reaction: a stock market crash, with its effects on the economy in general, and a drop in his personal popularity.
In fact, it can be said that most Americans oppose his tariff plans, out of ideological conviction or convenience. As for the tariffs and their pause, it is a new basis for trade negotiations with 75 countries that, as Trump boasted at a public dinner with Republicans, had already “kissed his ass” in pursuit of bilateral agreements.
This contrasts with the opinion of some U.S. and international analysts and critics, for whom it was an “epic” retreat, just one week after his historic announcement of tariffs on (almost) everyone.
Among the accusations, however, one fact stands out: Trump governs by instinct, not with established plans, but in search of the greatest immediate effect for his image and his political position. In the face of his courtiers' admonitions about Trump's genius and his art of negotiation, the president himself highlighted the nervousness of many Americans and the need for flexibility.
In other words, can we talk of a setback, even a reversal? Yes, without a doubt. But the pause can hardly be seen as a definitive defeat for Trump's project and, in fact, a measure that, at best, can be marginalized, even forgotten, but which remains a latent threat.
In the case of the partners in the North American agreement — Mexico and Canada — the “pause” does not make much difference and highlights their vulnerability to pressures emanating from the whims of the White House.
True to his principles, President Donald Trump and his allies proclaim victory and genius even though, for most American analysts, by announcing a 90-day “pause” in the application of many of the tariffs announced a week ago, he acknowledged that his trade strategy was not working.
But the truth is that he did not back down and maintained the general tariff of 10%, as well as 25% for steel, aluminum, automobiles and auto parts, in addition to raising tariffs on China to 125%. If Trump and his courtiers are to be believed, this is a new phase of negotiation genius. “You have been watching the greatest economic master strategy from an American President in history," said Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and one of the main anti-immigrant activists of the current regime.
Trump never accepts defeat and always proclaims victory, no matter how bad things get. And, once again, this is the case.
The reality is that his withdrawal was not a grand and generous concession, but a necessity resulting from the brutal negative political and economic reaction to his trade war with the world. Perhaps the tariffs imposed in response by Europe, China and Canada did not concern him as much as the domestic reaction: a stock market crash, with its effects on the economy in general, and a drop in his personal popularity.
In fact, it can be said that most Americans oppose his tariff plans, out of ideological conviction or convenience. As for the tariffs and their pause, it is a new basis for trade negotiations with 75 countries that, as Trump boasted at a public dinner with Republicans, had already “kissed his ass” in pursuit of bilateral agreements.
This contrasts with the opinion of some U.S. and international analysts and critics, for whom it was an “epic” retreat, just one week after his historic announcement of tariffs on (almost) everyone.
Among the accusations, however, one fact stands out: Trump governs by instinct, not with established plans, but in search of the greatest immediate effect for his image and his political position. In the face of his courtiers' admonitions about Trump's genius and his art of negotiation, the president himself highlighted the nervousness of many Americans and the need for flexibility.
In other words, can we talk of a setback, even a reversal? Yes, without a doubt. But the pause can hardly be seen as a definitive defeat for Trump's project and, in fact, a measure that, at best, can be marginalized, even forgotten, but which remains a latent threat.
In the case of the partners in the North American agreement — Mexico and Canada — the “pause” does not make much difference and highlights their vulnerability to pressures emanating from the whims of the White House.
Previous article![]( "It Would Be Madness if Trump Fired the Fed Boss, and It’s Also Very Possible")
Next article![]( "The New President Drunk with Power")
