#TRUMP #TrumpTarriffs #Trump's

Donald Trump has always loved the images of strong leaders from the past. But few notice that in economic policy, he seems to be inspired by the 25th president of the U.S. - William McKinley. It was McKinley who, at the end of the 19th century, relied on a simple formula: "lower taxes at home - raise tariffs on imports".

That worked back then. But back then – not now.

What was McKinley's idea?

America in the McKinley era was a young industrial nation actively building factories and plants. China was still asleep in its traditional economy. Europe was busy with its imperial affairs. And the U.S. could indeed protect its market with a high tariff fence and calmly develop its economy from within.

McKinley lowered taxes for Americans while raising tariffs on foreign goods. The logic was simple: let them buy their own, American-made products. Workers earn wages, factories grow, and the state profits from import tariffs.

So what is Trump doing?

More than 120 years have passed. The world is different. The U.S. is no longer a young factory, but a gigantic consumer economy. Trump's idea is essentially the same: reduce taxes for Americans and raise tariffs on imports. Especially on goods from China and other countries.

The only problem is that today's economy works quite differently.

Why won't this work?

→ First of all, manufacturing has long left the U.S. Most clothing, technology, electronics, and parts are produced in Asia. By raising tariffs, Trump does not make goods American – he makes them expensive.

→ Secondly, the global economy has long been intertwined with supply chains. Even the American company Apple assembles iPhones in China, from parts manufactured around the world. Tariffs disrupt this system like dominoes.

→ Thirdly, raising tariffs is a hidden tax on ordinary citizens. The Chinese do not pay for imports, but the buyers in the U.S. do. This means that people will have less money left in their pockets, and the effect of tax cuts is consumed by rising prices.

The world has changed - this is not the end of the 19th century

Attempting to replicate McKinley's policy today is like trying to fix a smartphone with steam engine repair methods. Times are different. The economy is different. Globalization has already taken place, and no one can rewind it back with a simple presidential decree.

America can and must seek new paths for its economy through innovation, technology, education, and energy independence. But building a tariff fence in the 21st century is a way to nowhere.

The conclusion is simple

McKinley lived in a world of factories and steam trains. Trump lives in a world of iPhones and global networks. And the strategy that worked in America in 1897 is today turning into an expensive illusion.

The economy is not a museum. And copying old policies without considering new realities is a very expensive and very naive pastime.