Free Trade at All Costs Is Not What Will Create “World Peace”

When your options are Vice President Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by Dick Cheney, architect of the Iraq War, and President Donald Trump, who has brought together a spectacular coalition of anti-war advocates crossing the entire political spectrum, it is abundantly clear who anti-war advocates should support.

Unfortunately, conservatives with some historically good policy proposals are falling victim to Harris’ political propaganda. These critics are painting an unfair doom and gloom picture about President Donald Trump’s proposals to increase tariffs on countries like China. These critics argue that President’ Trump’s proposals will unite foreign adversaries and harm the American consumer, an argument that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s important to remember that trade is a multi-way street. Even if the United States doesn’t impose tariffs on foreign goods, other countries have already imposed tariffs on the United States, and did so even well before President Trump’s first term.

The truth is that we are not living in a truly free market and we never will because other countries have not adopted a free market approach. China, for example, has imposed tariffs on American goods for decades, and doesn’t seem eager to stop anytime soon.

These critics may be surprised to find out that the European Union, a block of countries that are largely military allies, imposed tariffs on the United States well before President Trump was inaugurated in 2017.

If tariffs prevent peace and promote war, how do you explain that there are countries that are U.S. allies yet still impose tariffs on our goods? And why is it that our allies can impose tariffs on our goods, but we can’t impose tariffs on theirs?

Even if tariffs do prevent war, the United States is not the world’s police and it is not our sole responsibility to ensure world peace. Just like neo-conservatives view it as our duty as a superpower to provide foreign aid and military assistance to countries around the world in the name of “world peace,” the argument that “free trade” prevents war puts the onus squarely on the United States, when it was never our burden to bear.

It’s also convenient that the studies that many of these free trade advocates use to support their critical viewpoints routinely neglect to account for the negative externalities that occur due to their twisted version of “free trade.”

”Free trade” is not free. It may initially feel great to buy a widget from China at a low cost, but not if it is a dangerous counterfeit. Purchasing a counterfeit purse may not immediately harm a consumer, but what if they purchase counterfeit drugs, airbags or cigarettes? Many of the studies that analyze “free trade” fail to address the human costs of their policies.

Most importantly, “free trade” doesn’t address the key question of how we will prevent job loss and bring millions of jobs back to America. A study published by Coalition for a Prosperous America found that the United States has lost 3.82 million total jobs since 2001 due to the trade deficit with China, with a vast majority of them being manufacturing jobs.

Look at Kentucky, a state with two U.S. Senators that support “free trade.” Since 2001, Kentucky has lost 48,204 jobs, with 80% of them in the manufacturing sector, due to the trade deficit with China. That is 48,204 Americans who lost their livelihoods and can no longer support their families, all in the name of cheap junk from China. American leaders can’t expect to stop the bleeding if we continue down the decades-long policy of free trade at all costs.

The reason why President Trump’s message resonates with so many in middle America is because he’s listening to them, something that politicians have failed to do for decades.

The truth is that “free trade” panders to the people in America who have the least by fear mongering about prices, while propping up special interests and big corporations who thrive on cheap labor in China.

If leaders are concerned with creating “world peace,” they should first focus on ways we can create peace at home first, and part of that peace is ensuring that middle America has jobs in the years to come.

Demri Scott Greggo previously worked for U.S. Senator Rand Paul from 2019–2022 and was his Military Legislative Assistant. In her previous position, Greggo served as a personal representative for Senator Paul on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and had a large portfolio of national security issues. Additionally, Greggo was a defense contractor and holds an M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. She also has a B.A. in Political Science and International Affairs from the George Washington University.