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3 Apr, 2025

Trump’s “tariffquake” marks the end of U.S. leadership globally

Bangkok — The sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump have been termed the end of globalisation and free trade. In fact, it marks the end of U.S. leadership worldwide. If trust is the most important criteria of leadership, the U.S. has clearly lost the trust of the vast majority of countries and the global public.

The tariffs cannot be isolated from all the other extreme actions by the Trump regime: the pullout from a number of UN agencies, the attempted grab of Greenland and the Panama Canal, the confrontation with Europe over Ukraine, the support for the barbaric Israeli genocide in Gaza, the shutting down of USAID and Voice of America, the crackdown on free speech on US university campuses, the questionable quality of key Cabinet members, and much more.

Collectively, these actions are devoid of any rationality, violate international agreements, human rights and the rule of law, and undermine the interests of large segments of the U.S. public.

Mr Trump is causing enormous short-term pain on the spurious claim that it will lead to long-term gain. Trust me, it will work, he says. But his right to swing his arms around stops where the rest of the world’s nose begins. He will find that out soon enough as other countries begin to do the same.

The Travel & Tourism industry will definitely be hit by the U.S. “leadership” collapse. So will U.S. businesses at large. Many civil society movements will rue the end of U.S. support for democracy, freedom and human rights, and its replacement by dictatorships, oligarchies and might-is-right dealmakers.

The Trump regime (Round II) is only three months in power. A long way still to go.

Below is a compilation of the headlines that greeted the Trump “tariffquake”. Well worth preserving for posterity.