Top economist explains why Trump's trade ideas might work this time
Conservative think-tank founder **Oren Cass** shares fresh views on US trade policy and economic reform. His ideas about tariffs and worker-focused approach are getting attention from key Republican figures
Donald Trump wants to set-up big-time tariffs (60% on Chinese goods and 20% on other imports)‚ which has got many world leaders feeling uneasy
Tariffs are the most beautiful word in the dictionary
Oren Cass‚ who runs American Compass think-tank doesnt work for Trump but his ideas are getting lots of attention. Rising Republican stars like J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio support his worker-first approach; he also helped write Project 2025 which might shape Trumps next presidency
The US-China trade story started about 25 years ago when China joined the WTO. Since then free-trade hasnt worked as planned - economists got it wrong Cass says. While Americans can buy cheap stuff now many workers lost their jobs; its time to fix this trade-off
Cass makes an interesting point about prices: “Just like carbon tax isnt just a sales tax tariffs arent either“. He thinks making things in America matters more than cheap imports (which often get help from Chinese government subsidies)
The global trade system needs a re-think according to Cass:
- Old free-trade models dont work anymore
- US shouldnt worry too much about smaller countries
- China doesnt play fair with trade rules
- America needs to put its interests first
When asked about immigration Cass suggests a step-by-step fix:
- Start with criminals who broke laws
- Remove recent border crossers
- Make companies check worker papers better
- Stop hiring people without proper permits
Its interesting how Cass agrees with some left-wing ideas about helping workers - even Bernie Sanders views on trade problems. But he thinks Biden focused too much on climate change student loans and not enough on good jobs
