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Amid a flurry of big news this week—which seems to be the norm now that Trump is back in office—one of the major stories was the president of Colombia backing down once Trump slapped some tariffs on his country for refusing to accept deportation flights from the United States.  That the Colombian government didn’t even want their own people back tells you everything you need to know about the quality of these immigrants.

But I digress.  Trump is wielding tariffs like a serious foreign policy weapon, which works exceptionally well when you’re the most powerful and productive economy on the Earth.  Yes, the United States has struggled economically in recent years, but we’re still on top.  Tariffs will only help with that goal, by bringing back manufacturing; ending America’s reliance on the financialization of everything as the driver of our economic growth; and forcing recalcitrant nations to play ball.

It is remarkable that we are returning, after the long fever trade of unbridled free trade—even at our own expense—to the age of William McKinley, a president that is often forgotten, but who has enjoyed renewed cache in recent years.  President Trump explicitly mentioned McKinley in his Inaugural Address, and the former president’s legacy is experiencing a renaissance of sorts.

Today (Saturday, 1 February 2025), Canada, Mexico, and China will face new tariffs on their goods.  Each of these nations have exploited America’s good will by flooding our nation with illegal fentanyl and immigrants.  It is about dang time.

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