“It’s absolutely ridiculous.” That’s how Damon, an American citizen, begins his message. Like thousands of others, he can’t believe what’s happening to his country.
The re-election of Donald Trump has not only reignited political tension, but also a new trade war that threatens to shake the global economic order, because, for better or worse, the United States is always at the centre of everything.
Now, the government has imposed new tariffs on more than 150 countries, and of course, the effects haven’t taken long to appear: prices are rising, exports are slowing down… and even his own voters have started to speak up. What seemed like a strategy to protect the national economy could become, according to experts, the prelude to a recession. Are we facing another historic mistake?
What’s going on?
The global economy is trembling. Months after Donald Trump was re-elected as the 47th president of the United States, his administration has made official a series of tariffs that will affect more than 150 countries. Economists and governments have completely rejected this new measure.
But what no one expected is that even his own voters are turning against him, as has happened with this citizen who decided to express his discontent on social media.
The discontent goes viral
Damon has gone viral after posting several videos on TikTok where he strongly criticizes the Trump administration and its current trade strategy, mainly complaining that with these kinds of economic decisions, Americans look dumb in front of the world.
This citizen holds nothing back. He is frustrated and even ashamed of the president’s re-election, and he even questions how his fellow Americans allowed Trump to become president of the country again.
What are the consequences of Trump’s re-election?
Among the 150 countries affected by these measures, Spain is one of those that will suffer the most, because starting April 9 there will be a general 20% tariff on the import of all European Union products.
According to the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, exports to the U.S. market will drop between 10.1% and 18.4%, and this drop will result in a loss of 2.598 billion euros (0.21% of the country’s GDP).
A trade war?
Many experts fear that this could be the first step toward a trade war.
The outlook is certainly not promising. Many analysts believe this measure won’t just harm the United States’ trade partners, but could also lead the country into a deep recession, signs of which are already appearing (and not hopeful ones…).
An extremely globalized economy and a tax increase will drive up local prices and slow down consumption. But of course, what about the possible retaliation from the affected countries? That could make everything even darker, and the outlook doesn’t seem too hopeful right now…
As we can see, foreign policy doesn’t just affect the economic sector; it affects everything, doing more harm to everyday people. The case of this TikTok user is nothing more than a reflection of what society itself is experiencing: the possible start of a trade war. Are we ready for it, or will they be able to mitigate its effects first?